The Aviation World

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20902, 18 June 1931, Page 4

The Aviation World

LARGER FLYING-BOATS.

DEVELOPING OCEAN ROUTES

The biggest British flying-boat yet built and the largest military aeroplane of its kind supplied to any of tlio world's air services lias passed kito tho flyingfleet of the Japanese Imperial Navy, following the completion of satisfactory acceptance trials over Osaka Bay Built by Messrs. Short Brothers, and possessing ability to remain aloft without descending to refuel longer than any othor similar craft yet placed in service, this new flying-boat is a biplane weighing with full load on board no less than 18 tons.

Power is derived from three watercooled l'olls-Uoyco " Buzzard'" engines, each of 825 h.p., a typo world-famous as being tlio predecessor of the magnificent racing cngino installed in the winning British seaplane in the 1929 international contest for the Schneider Trophy. The non-stop range in still air of the now flying-boat is approximately 2000 sea miles. With sufficient fuel on board for

a (light of this duration tlio disposable load, comprising crew, equipment and armament, remains in llie neighbourhood of 1000 pounds—a notable achievement in flying-boat design. Such a craft, apart from its service value, obviously possesses great potential abilities as an air liner travelling along tho sea routes of' the world. With such a machine the regular operation of a. transatlantic scrvico be* comes reasonably possible. There is no reason to suppose that, tins new giant boat represents the limit of duration achievement. Much bjggei boats are now being built in England, and, although their useful range, accordinc to specification, is to be about IUW miles this duration could undoubtedly lie crcatly extended by reducing tho paying load even if the specification requirements were not comfortably exceeded when the boats appeared for trial flights. Flying-boats of this kind will throw a new light on the future development of Empire and transocean airways; then powers of long-distanco flight in competition with the airship may well provide ono of tho most interesting struggles n the development of future air transpoiL Fx tie me ranee and comfort may for a long time favour the airship; speed and, possibly, certainty of regular operation in all 'kinds of weather the flying-boat. BRITAIN'S AIR DEFENCE. Ono fighter squadron of the_ Royal Air Force has just been re-equipped with Hawker "Fury" interceptor biplanes selected by the Air Ministry after keen competitive trials and possessing performance in speed and rate of climb far surpassing all earlier craft of tho kind and vastly superior to any fighters built outside Great Britain. _ Other squadrons wul receive similar equipment shortly. With full military load on board the "Furv" attains a speed in level flight of considerably more than 200 miles an hour and climbs to a height, of 20,000 ft. in a few minutes. Tho defence of Great Britain is thus to receive the help of machines better equipped than any earlier interceptor craft for tho difficult task of protecting London from future air attack, a problem rendered still more difficult of solution by the appearance in Great Britain by day bombers equal in speed and general performance to many singleseater fighters. London is only 60 miles from the coast bv air, and hostile bombers equal in speed to the modern British day bombers would cover the distance in little more than 20 minutes. In that interval of time the whole machinery of defence —observation posts, guns, sound locators, searchlights and the launching of defending craft must bo put in motion. High late of climb and terrific speed is, therefore, essential if the defending planes are to attain any measure of success.

FINE SERVICE FLIGHTS.

Recent operations of Royal Air Force aeroplanes arc a noteworthy feature of the Air Minister's memorandum, issued with {lie Air Estimates for 1931, which were debated, in the House of Commons last Tribute to the trustworthiness of British aircraft and aero engines is shown by the statement that long-distanco flights undertaken by Royal Air Forco land and seaplanes during the year 1930-31 totalled 115.000 machine miles "without a single caso of injury to personnel or serious damage to aircraft." The flights reviewed include the annual flight from Egypt to West Africa and back, extended for the first time to Bathurst in the Gambia, the cruise of three aeroplanes from India to Siani and Singapore and back, the successful tour of 3380 miles in Baltic waters by a squadron of large flying-boats, and (,he flying-boat voyage from England to Iceland and back.

A NEW PUBLICATION.

A new book, written by a noted test pilot, Captain "Norman Macmillan, M.C., A.F.C., entitled "An Hour of Aviation, has just mado its appearance in New Zealand. This publication, which is small enough to justify its title, gives in a comprehensive glance the whole field of endeavour in the air. Everything is described clearly and concisely, wlnlo in tho small bulk of (lie volume arc detailed all aspects of Hying, from tho reason why machines flv to navigation, stunt flying, the designing and building of aircraft, naval, military, commercial and private flving and unusual types of machines, such as helicopters. The book is published by Duckworth, London.

OUT OF THE BLUE.

Mr. T. If. McWilliains, who accompanied Air-Commodore Kingsford Smith as wireless operator in his historic flight across the Tasinan Sea and later was a member of tho Southern Cross crew on the flight from Australia to England, is at present, a pupil of (lie Foilding Aero Club and is undergoing instruction from Major G. A. C. Cowper, tlio instructor to bo til the Feilding and Manawatu Clubs.

British light monokines ordered in quantify for civil and military operation with tho Royal Canadian Air Force, are occupying to capacity the Toronto factory of tho do Havillaud Aircraft Company. Thcso machines, needed to perform n diversity of duties, aro essentially tho samo as tho private plane flown in South America by the Princo of Wales, but possess a variety of equipment according to tho work they will be called upon to do.

An arresting comparison illustrating (ho degree of safety reached by modern commercial air transport was recently given in an address to the Royal Society of Arts, London. It was staled that in nil the services operated by Imperial Airways in 1930 the averago fatal accident rale was one to every 3,000,000 passenger miles. To reproduce this aerial average a motor-cfir would be obliged to cover 10,000 miles a year for 300 years before tho first fatal accident to its passenger fell duo.