Vancouver Only 80 Hours From London

Northern Advocate, 14 January 1939, Page 12

Vancouver Only 80 Hours From London

When the great airway across Canada from Montreal to Vancouver is fully open in 1939 and the transatlantic service is in operation,! Vancouver (writes Major C. C. Turner in the Daily Telegraph and Morning Post) will be within 80 hours of London. For some months mails have Been regularly carried between Vancouver and Winnipeg, and on some branch ‘lines, at six cents (3d.) for the first ounce and five cents for each ounce extra. Almost perfect reliability has been attained. Trial runs are now being made on the eastern section, and over the entire route special freight consignments have been carried. King May See Terminus. The programme for the visit of the King and Queen to Canada has not yet

been settled in detail, but it is expected to include a visit to the Montreal terminus of the line. The route, on which there are more than 100 aerodromes and landing fields, and a complete radio;' lighting, and weather reporting system, is 2,500 miles long. The schedule will provide for 19 hours on the westward run and 21 i hours from west to east, the difference j being due to the prevailing winds. From Botwood, the airport for the transatlantic air route, the distance to Montreal is 890 miles . Air Route Over Pacific. Eventually there will be a British air route across the Pacific from Vancouver, but before that is accom-

plished it will be possible, by taking the American air line from Vancouver to San Francisco, to fly all the way round the world, linking up at Hongkong with the Imperial Airways system. For the trans-Canada lino, in addition to various types which have been used on sections, 15 Lockheed 14’s are being delivered. This fleet is costing more than £300,000. The type of airliner is similar to that used by British Airways on the London-Lisbon service, and. modified for military purposes, is the type of which 200 have been ordered by the British Air Ministry. As a comercial type it carries 14 passengers, cruising at about 230 m.p.h,. It is a twin-engined machine.