AERIAL ENTERPRISE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17144, 25 April 1919, Page 6

AERIAL ENTERPRISE.

' ■' ■ ♦ ...... ■ AUSTRALIAN PROJECTS. TWO COMPANIEB FORMED. SERVICES BETWEEN CITIES, [most ora own corbespokdent.] SYDNEY, April 16. Vigorous preparations for tho estob. lishment of aeroplane services in Austra- | lia continue, and there is no doubt that | regular lines will bo in operation by the middle of 1920. At present two definite ■project*) are under way. The first, called Aerial Services, Limited, is concerned with a scheme for linking up Australia with the air services of the rest of tho world. A company has been formed and registered for this purpose, and it has an expedition now out in the interior of Australia seeking the best aerial route and landing stations between Sydney and Darwin, from which point it is intended to reach Asia through the Indies and tho Malay Peninsula. This expedition, led by Mr. Richard lioyd, and travelling mostly on powerful motorcycles, is at present near the border between Queensland and the Northern Territory, somewhoro west of Cloncurry. K has met many difficulties, but has steadily fought its way iiito the north-west. The other company, known as Aerial Transport, Limited, has just Lcen registered. It proposes to establish aerodromes in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaido, Launcecton and Hobart, i and tho average passenger fare between the capital cities is to be about £6 each way. It is . intended to run aeroplanes between Melbourne and Sydney in 6J hour;*, Melbourne and Adelaide in 5£ hours, between Melbourne and Hobart (landing on Kinc's lsiand and Launceston) in 7£ hours. Later on, there will be a daily service between Sydney and Brisbane jn 6} hours, Sydney and Adelaide (landing at Hay) in 11 hours, Melbourne and Broken Hill (landing at Hay) in 7 < hours, and from Adelaide, to Perth (bind- | in<7 at Kalgoorlie) in 18 hours. Sumo time after that, the larger country towns I will bo connected with tho cities by aero- 1 nlancß. The machines to be need in this latter • echemo will havo a lifting capacity of ty tons, and each will carry JO nassengcru and very moderate luggage, or 12 passen- , "prs an.} two tons" of ponds. Tt iB estimated lhat freight could be curried at 8d per pound, It is thought t'int mails could bo carried at a halfpenny per ounce, ' Two de Haviland aeroplanes are to bo ; put into commission forthwith in Svdncy ' as pleasure-craft. Persons aro expected to pay a considerable cum for the novelty i of living. Two Australian military avia- | tors sot out to fly the machines to Sydney ' from Melbourne over a fortnight ago, but they encountered very bad weather. One reached Sydney some days since, after many stops; the other is somewhere in Southern New South Wales awaiting a new propeller. The Sydney-Melbourne flight is nothing new, having been accomplished on a few occasions in quick , time.