NEW SOLENT

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1949, Page 3

NEW SOLENT

AUCKLAND, February 25.

The first of the four Solent flyingboats ordered by Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., for the Auckland-Sydney service to replace the existing Tasman class aircraft, is expected to be launched about the end of next month.

Exhaustive tests of the first of the new planes will be made immediately she is ready for the air. Tests in Britain will come first, and will be followed by a flight to the tropics, possibly to Basra, for trials under tropical conditions. ; Work on the remaining three ’planes will be continued while the first is under test.

Though no precise dates of completion of any of the planes has yet been given, Tasman Airways is already preparing to send the first crew to Britain to accept a Solent.