ATLANTIC AIR TRAVEL

Evening Star, Issue 21632, 30 January 1934, Page 14

ATLANTIC AIR TRAVEL

TWO-WAY GROSSINGS AMBITIOUS NEW SCHEME I As soon as Uic Imperial Airways’ service to Australia is put into operation this year the work of organising the experimental transatlantic line is to begin. Two iuter-Governraental conferences are likely to be held (luring 1934—f0r route I between Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Newfoundland, Canada, and America, and for route 2 between Britain, Branco, Portugal. Canada, and America. Detailed surveys oyer what is regarded as the most difficult air route in the world have convinced air experts that two entirely different lines will have to be organised for an all-the-year-round Atlantic service. The shorter Arctic airway will only be available during the summer months. During the winter arrangements will be made lo reach America- and Canada via the Southern Atlantic. The conference will organise a service via Lisbon and the Azores and Bermuda. A well-known air authority fold the ‘ Sunday Chronicle ’ that the organisation won-I have fo bo so vast that it would bo impossible to provide a service across the Atlantic without international co-operation. “ For the Arctic route,” he said, “ a large number of weather stations. will have to be erected and designs for special highspeed mail planes made for the difficult and exacting conditions of Hying in those desolate regions. “ For the Southern Atlantic route via the Azores machines capable of Hying more than 2,00 t) miles non-stop will be necessary. Such long ranges will not be required for the northern route,” he said. The international conferences decide the various portions of the routes to be flown by each country. For the northern airway Great Britain may undertake to supply machines to fly to St. Johns (Newfoundland) via Ireland and Iceland. Canada, through Canadian National Airways, may take on the St. Jolms-Montreal section, and an American company, probably Pan-American Airways, the section from St. Johns to New York. For the southern route, to' be flown in summer, Great Britain may only fly mails as far as Paris, where they could be taken over by a French line and flown via Lisbon to the Azores. . Groat Britain would then provide giant six or eight-engined (1 png boats for the Azores-Bermnda section, and from Bermuda the mails would be do vn by the existing Pan-American Airways’ service to New York. Already three British aircraft factoribs arc at work on tentative designs for huge flying boats capable of flying at 180 m.p.ii. with several tons of mail. Special care is being taken so that if two engines should fail the remaining engines will be powerful enough for the machine to make port. In addition the air liners are being designed to be able to weather anything but the roughest Atlantic rollers in the event of a forced landing. Special staffs are now collating details of the two routes.