LINKED EMPIRE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 126, 30 May 1928, Page 9

LINKED EMPIRE

AIRSHIPS AND 'PLANES BRITAIN'S PROGRESS (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 21st March. Sir Samuel Hoaro, speaking on the Air Estimates, announced that both the new ■airships should be completed and doing tiJeir,.flying tests in the summer and winter of this year. The trouble with airships was that the technical world appeared' to be divided into two parties—almost two fanatical sects. There were believers who were convinced that at one bound we could solve the problem of quicker transport and .that the world would soon have scrapped the ship that goes on the sea for the ship that goes in the air.. There were also the sceptics who regarded airships as inherently dangerous, and appeared to think that we were almost breaking the ten commandments in making any experiment with them. "The problem before us," Sir Samuel Hoare proceeded, "is the vital problem of quicker Imperial communications. How can we shorten the time that is now taken in journeys between London and the other capitals of the Empire? How can we give the Empire a physical unity that it has never before possessed? The airship, if it can be proved to be safe and dependable; can carry passengers in comfort, and mails in quantity, can fly night and day, can use the' 'trades' and other favourable winds,'and with a range of two or three thousand miles need never make use of foreign territories in its journeys from one part of the Empire to the other. Supposing we can achieve these results, shall we not have obtained advantages oT almost incalculable value for ourselves and the Empire? Such an effort we have been attempting. THREE YEARS' RESEARCH. ■'So anxious have we. been to eliminate any avoidable risk that we have spent the best part of three years upon research and experiment. We believe that the designs of both airships show the value of this long period of study and research. Certainly the structure of the airships is much stronger than the structure of any of their predecessors. Their engines are more powerful. Every possible precaution has been taken against the danger of fire, and in the case of the Cardington airship we hope to havo the new safeguard of heavy oil engines. "If the experiment succeeds Great Britain will have led the way with a revolutionary instrument of transport that will create .a new industry'within these shores and that will bring the furthest capitals of the Empire within a fortnight of London. In carrying through this experiment we have the sympathetic support of the great Dominous. One and all they are doing what they can to help us, whether' it a be by building mooring towers or by improving their meteorological services. "With regard to commercial air routes, we hope during the course of the year to make a beginning with the biggefft c.ivil air- route in the"world) a weekly mail service to India. After a full inquiry intothe whole question we have decided to enter into a new agreement with Imperial Airways that-will take the place of the existing agreement, and that will be based upon three main conditions. "In the first place, the organisation of a weekly mail service to India, which will bring Delhi within seven days and Calcutta within nine of London—a saving of ten days on existing mail communications; in the second place, a subsidy that will enable the company to substitute regularly new for old types of machines; and, thirdly,'the right of the State to share in,any ultimate prosperity that the company may obtain. RECORD OF AIR FORCE. , "How far have we succeeded in creating a service fit to be the worthy companion of the Army and the Navy, cap--able of prpviding a career for its members and able to carry out the duties that are imposed upon it by the State?" asked Sir Samuel. "Its record at Home and abroad speaks, for itself. Whether it be in the daily training that culminates in the Air Force display, whether it be in the deserts of Somaliland or Irak, or ..the mountains of the North-West I'rontier, whether it be in tile series of long-distance-flights that are being constantly carried out, whether it be in winning the Derby of the Air, the ■ Schneider Cup, there is ample evidence to support the contention that although a new service, the Air Force has already engendered a fine spirit and has never failed to carry out the difficult and responsible tasks imposed upon it. "I believe that year by year the. service is becoming a better and more stable career. Flying must, of course, always have its risks. ( It is, however, satisfactory to note the steady improvement that is being made in tho proportion of flying hours to accidents. ■ THE SLOTTED WING. ,''lt is satisfactory, also, to note that the general use of parachutes has already lessened the number of fatal accidents, and that the invention known as the 'slotted wing' seems "likely greatly to diminish the risk^ef one of the most common causes of crashes, the risk of loss of control after stalling. My wife and I had the chance of trying for ourselves a machine' in which the 'slotted wing" had been fitted, and I would advise honourable members who wish to do acrobatic feats in the air without risk to themselves to make ,a similar trial in an invention that is now being applied to airplanes all over the world." „ ; The most modern types both of aircooled and water-cooled engines develop more than twice the horse-power of the corresponding engines in use in November, 1918. If we compare the performance of our machines with the performance of foreign' machines, I believe that, taking the chief needs into account, speed, load, ■ range, climb, and oiling, we have reached a higher general^ standard than any other country." The provision made for new machines would go in tho main .to metal machines. The flying boats that had recently arrived at Singapore for a year and a half's cruise in the Far East, were metal Southamptons,.and seven types of metal machines would come into general use in tho course of the year.