BY AIR TO NELSON

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 11

BY AIR TO NELSON

FLYING-BOAT FOR SERVICE

DETAILS OP MACHINE

The Saro Windhover flying-boat which is to be used in the AVellingtonNelson air service is on board the Port Huon, which is due at Auckland next Friday from Home. The first of its type .to.be built by tho Saunders-Eoe Company^ the machine was put through its tests at Cowes by Might-Lieutenant Scott on 16th and 17th October, and was then shipped. It will be assembled at the Hobsonville air base. In its salient features, the Windhover is similar to tho Cutty Sark fly-ing-boat which flew to Wellington from Hobsonville recently. It is, however, larger, having accommodation for six persons, as against four in the Cutty Sark, and has three De Haviland Gipsy engines, each of 105 horse-power, placed above the wing, instead of the two Hermes engines in the Air Force machine. Tho sides, front, and roof of the forward compartment,. which is situated in front of the wing, are provided with windows, and the compartment holds four persons, including the pilot. Aft of this and under the wing is another cabin with accommodation for two. Passengers travelling in tho front cabin will enter through a sliding jianel in the roof, and those at the rear will step in through a sliding window on the right-hand side. The pilot can control tho machiue from cither of the front scats. The controls aro a wheel and a parallelmotion rudder bar, similar to those on the seaplane and Jlying-boat which were aeon on tho French cruiser Tourville, which visited New Zealand last year. The following' figures will give an idea of the size and performance of the Windhover, as compared with those of tho Cutty Sark, which are given in parentheses: Maximum speed, 110 milos.au hour (105 m.p.h.); cruising, speed, 97 m.p.h:- (85 ni.p.h.); landing speed, 53 m.p.h.; wing span, 54ft -lin (45ft); height, 12ft 3in (lift 2in); length, 41ft 4in' (34ft 4in):; weight, empty 35901b (22461b),' loaded 53501b (34001b) . Tho Windhover, like the Cutty Sark, is a. cantilever monoplane. The wing is normally built in. one piece, but for the long : ocean voyage to New Zealand it .was; made in three sections. It is specially strengthened to allow of its being walked upon, .The hull is constructed of duralumin. The machine can befitted with a wheel attachment to allow it to. alight or take off from either land or sea,' but this will reduce the speed by about five miles an hour. Bach of the three main tanks, which ara. mounted, in the wing, holds 2G gallons, and the connections aro so arranged ' that any two engine?) can be operated from anjr one pump,