The Times THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1937. Growth of Air Mail

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 65, 18 March 1937, Page 6

The Times THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1937. Growth of Air Mail

Whereas the Coronation year of King George VI will coincide with the putting of Empire mails into the air without surcharge, the Coronation year of King George V, 26 years ago, saw the operating of the first air-mail experiment in England to be sanctioned officially by the Postmaster-General. It is regarded as a striking fact that these two Coronation years—l9ll and 1937 —should both be associated with milestones in the history of the flying mail.

The progress that has been made by air-mail transport between those years may be illustrated by some striking comparisons. The 50 horse-power one-man aeroplane employed in 1911 to carry a 231 b. bag of mails between Hendon and Windsor (20 miles) flew at about 50 miles per hour. The giant 3000 liorse-powcr Imperial Airways flying-boats of 1937, in addition to carrying a crew of five and 24 passengers, have holds capable of carrying approximately three tons of mails, while they can attain a speed of 200 miles per hour.

To-day the aerial network flown over by the craft of Imperial Airways and its subsidiary and associated companies reaches a figure of nearly 30,000 miles. In the experiments of 1911 the total of letters carried amounted to about 100,000, while during a recent period of 12 months Imperial Airways carried by air approximately 30,000,000 letters.