STRIDES IN AVIATION.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 March 1938, Page 3

STRIDES IN AVIATION.

SUiFERCHARGING AND NEW FUELS BRITAIN’S NEW POLICY (By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Nigh;. "We stand on the threshold of tremendous new developments in avia tion/' said Major A. wmiy done-;, •Sydney representative of De Havilland + Aircraft, who arrived at Wellington to-day by the Avvatea from Sydney. He said his visit was purely a holiday one.

Major Murray Jones said the competition in commercial flying in other countries had forced Great Britain to abandon her former policy of sacrificing speed to economy of service, and great increases in the speed of commercial machines, coupled with the development of more powerful fuel, would perhaps revolutionise flying in the next few years. Great Britain, he said, had formerly a very definite theory that civil aviation had to fly by its own wings without relying on heavy Government subsidies as was the r-u.je in some countries. That was her declared policy 15 years ago, and with that in mind Great Britain, by the skill of the British designer, had done more than anyone else to put civil aviation n a paying footing. Her civil machines were not over-fast but would carry a pay-load at a profit. They had never sacrificed economy for speed. Now, however, British designers and manufacturers had been forced out of that position. The American view was that the only excuse for flying was speed and they had concentrated on obtaining speed at any price.

To compete with the developments elsewhere Britain had had to abandon her previous policy and come into the speed contest. That English designers could produce anything of that sort ns well as designers of any other country Was shown by Britain's Royal Air Porce machines, which were undoubtedly the best in the world. It was only a matter of deciding what policy tr» follow in civil aviation, and manufacturers would produce the machines. -JTuel and engine design had progressed greatly in the past 12 months; in fact, in an amazing degree. Horse-power had been doubled with same sized machines., It was done by supercharging, increasing pressure ratios and developing a new fuel. Thr» type of petrol that had been recently evolved was, perhaps, the greatest factor in the present trends of aircraft evolution. "It look<* us if in the near future major changes in design are likely/’ he said.