OCEAN FLYING BOATS

Evening Star, Issue 20988, 30 December 1931, Page 9

OCEAN FLYING BOATS

ARE THEY PRACTICABLE? It has been argued for some time that the chief need of civil aviation is speed; that unless it can show a wide margin in time-saving as compared, with surface transport it has no chance yet of competing successfully (writes ‘ The Tirnes’s ’ aeronautical correspondent). In the matter of mail services this argument has much force. It is not so certain that the passenger needs high speed, though he appears to be accepting it- with some appreciation on one passenger route in the United States. But it is only four or five years ago that Mr H. G. Wells declared that he had given up air transport—■ much as he desired some day to be able to fly round the world in a week or so —because of its uncertainty. He had waited at Le Bourget for overdue air liners, or got halfway on his journey and had to finish it by train or motor car. He may not yet be convinced that things are different. At least he has not publicly recanted. Yet it may be fairly held that commercial air transport in Europe, and particularly British air transport, has attended to this matter of reliability with some success. Imperial Airways statistics for. last year show a remarkably high, percentage of scheduled flights completed and a very low proportion of cancelled journeys. On its European routes the percentage of scheduled flights completed was 91.3, and this may be counted a very fair average in view of the fogs and storms of the eight winter months. This percentage, it is true, does not show the degree of punctuality achieved. There were 198 unscheduled landings, 133 of them due to weather, but all of them no doubt causing some inconvenience and delay to passengers. Absolute punctuality cannot, of course, be guaranteed in any transport service. But there is probably still room for improvement on European air lines it their services are to compare favourably with railway services. While the new form of transport is making its way Great Britain has certainly been wise to concentrate on safety and efficiency rather than on high operating SDGGQS The belief in the trustworthiness of air transport is being steadily fostered in this way. Complaints are still being made by the business community concerning the uncertainty of the air mail services, but this feature appears to be due more to unfamihanty ■ of postal officials with airmail routes than to the failure of the companies to "? rk , r a( l: cording to schedules. The India Mail is attracting more business each year. The Africa Mail has made a good start, and proof of the need. of the European services is contained in .the. very. complaints concerning their inefficiency. The stage has now been reached at which bad weather is the main factor in irregularity. Mechanical breakdowns are comparatively few. h lying on the regular routes has become more and more sure with faniilianty . I he next improvement must come through systems which will enable the aeroplanes to complete journeys in weather conditions which at present interrupt them. . . c „ At present there is no sign of a wholly successful attack on fog. IN or with existing equipment can long flights over open seas be undertaken in severe storms: With the possibility of a forced alighting always in mind the operating company must be reasonably certain that its boats could weather the sort of sea on which they would have to alight. Although British flying boats have crossed the Mediterranean in really bad weather on many occasions, they have also been prudently held up in some of the roughest weather. Nor is any other country more fortunately placed. Germany has some bigger flying boats than Great Britain, but they are not more seaworthy. Do X, as Dr Dornier confessed when he was in London about a year ago, is not intended for work on rough seas. French and Italian flying boats in the Mediterranean are not to be compared with British in seaworthiness. . There is no ocean-going flying boat in the world. Amertca Ims not produced one nor given any sign of tempting the tasl though tbeynited States, France, and Great Britain aie all keenly interested in setting up an Atlantic service, and have gone the length of agreeing on the joint use of the S Azores-Bermuda route when the idea can be realised. -Great Britamis deeply concerned in the flying boat foi other reasons, and has probably the greatest incentive to develop. Al mav be necessary in the fntuie foi Great Britain to maintain its Empire services without making intermediate calls at foreign ports;. Such a necessity would involve long journeys over “e open sea and would demand both lon p range and a high degree of seaworthiness. This, together with a. desire uiti mately to join in the American service, has turned the attention of the countrj particularly to the development ot a flying boat which shall lead the way

not only in size but in actual suitability for ocean work. ~, . , , The proposal of the Air Ministry to. build a 60-ton flying boat is one of the most interesting and important items in its programme, the more important since the abandonment by this country of the airship development programme.If Great Britain were to join m the attempt which will certainly be made in the next few years to establish an air service ■ across, the Atlantic, her most promising aid would have appeared to he the airship. All hope or that has vanished, for the present, and the only alternative now la the really, seaworthy flying boat. It may be argued that the 60-ton boat would have too big a capacity and be too costly in operation for. ordinary air mail purposes. Operating companies have not contemplated passenger services in the early stages of the Atlantic scheme, and have thought more in terms of fast machines of comparatively small capacity with a certain reserve or engine power, and possibly, a scheme tor refuelling in the air. This attitude relies on reserve engines to secure immunity from forced landings, but the best mechanical equipment cannot be made absolutely proof against mishap, and it mail craft of this sort had to alight in bad weather their chance of survival would be small. ~ ~ ... The big flying boat, for all its costliness, offers the greatest hope of regular operation in tne Atlantic with t a smallest risk of disaster. And when it can be shown capable of crossing the ocean in average weather there should be little difficulty in ensuring a fairly, regular quota of passengers for the crossings. This time, in the interests of safety as well as economy, mails and passengers seem likely to beearned toaether. It is true that this big boat will not be constructed immediately.; The Air Ministry is moving forward slowly and making sure of each step. The Calcutta held the field for a long time before the Kent emerged and justified itself. The Kent has a loaded weight of some thirteen tons. The next step is to produce more than double that capacity—for the . six-engmed supermarine boat now being hunt _ Southampton will weigh thirty-five tons, and then again for tne ocean boat tne size will be almost doubled. . Great Britain has been using flymg boats for years in the R.A.F., and for more than two years on. regular com--, mercial routes. Much valuable experience has been gained, and now this is being applied steadily to the securing or . seaworthiness without. any sacrifice or airworthiness. Mere size is not an object in itself, nor likely to be until the traffic offering on,air routes is so big as to demand the big capacity unit in the interests of economy. But seaworthiness apparently is not obtainable at the moment in small dimensions, and Great Britain is moving on step bv step to the evolution of a flying boat capable of ocean travel without undue risk. The thirty-five ton flying . boat is officially described by the Air Ministry as the Mediterranean, boat, it is obviously destined for use if necessary on an All-Red route to Egvpt and the East. The 60-ton boat is called the Transoceanic flying boat, and is also intended in the first place .for service eastward in the hope that it may prove good enough for .Atlantic service.