Faster Planes For Pacific Route : New Tasman Craft

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22872, 16 February 1949, Page 4

Faster Planes For Pacific Route : New Tasman Craft

(F.A.) AUCKLAND. Feb. 16. Sir Leonard Isitt. New Zealand director of British Commonwealth Pacific Airliners, who is visiting Auckland. will leave for Sydney today to attend the change over from Skymasters to DC6's on the service from Canada to Australia. A similar change will be made on the Vancouver-Auckland link. In an interview, Sir Leonard said the new aircraft would greatly improve the service. A similar type of plane had recently accomplished the Mel-bourne-Sydney hop in one and a half hours.

B.C.P.A.’s first DC6 will arrive at Auckland from Vancouver on February 21. Commenting oil the new Solent flying-boats on order in England for Tasman Empire Airways, Sir Leonard, who is chairman of the board, said these flymg-boats would offer a better standard of comfort than any other aircraft in the world.

“Flying-beats may be slower than other types of land-based aircraft, but their comfort is unsurpassed and we feel that this is what is required on their particular route,” he added. The first Solent would be launched next month and would be tested under tropical conditions on the LondonSouth Africa route before being brought on the Tasman service in June or July this year. The engines of the new flying-boats were later developments of British Hercules used on the route of the British Overseas Airways Corporation.

Referring to his recent tour of centres linked by New Zealand National Airways Corporation in the central part of the North Island, Sir Leonard said he had found the service well patronised. He had visited Tauranga, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Gisborne and Napier. The service in this part of the Dominion will be increased as the demand of the public warrants expansion, he added.