FUTURE FLYING-BOATS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22629, 18 January 1937, Page 6

FUTURE FLYING-BOATS

NEW EMPIRE AIR LINERS GREAT INCREASE IN SIZE [from OtTE OWN CORRESPONDENT] LONDON", Dec. 23 "No limit in size of the civil fly-ing-boat is yet in sight." That is tin* considered opinion of Mr. A. Gouge, chief Short designer and worlJ authority on flying-boat construction In a paper read before the Royal Aeronautical Society he dealt especially with two stages in development of marine aircraft irhat are likely to le reached and passed in the next fe* I years—the design and building of boats ;of 80.0001b. and 160.0001b. unladen weight, or respectively twice and fotr times the weight of the Short Enipiie boats which are in course of construi;tion for Imperial Airways. A vital feature of the Empire boats is that the wings Jire laden much moie heavily than the wings of earlier fly-ing-boats. Every square foot of lifting area carries a much heavier load Mr. Gouge finds it difficult -to foresee the ultimate limit of wing loading: -with each considerable increase in size a big step-up in loading becomes feasible, with consequent gaiu in performance and in security, the higher loadings making, the craft less susceptible to bad weather and enabling them to withstand the most severe wind and water conditions whea •riding at moorings. "There are no problems to be solve! in producing a boat of double the weight of the Empire boat," he saki. "In many respects, it would jxjssess improved characteristics. Such a boat will be a necessity when consideration is given to operating regular services over long stretches of water, as. in my view, these services must ultimately be worked by flying-boats, though temporarily they may be worked by laneplanes. "One of the first essentials of a service like the transatlantic crossing i* the selection of suitable waterways from which the boats may operate. Undoubtedly higher wing loadings will be employed on boats tor services or this kind. From practical experience there appears to be no fundamental difficulty in taking off the- water, given reasonably calm conditions, at speedi exceeding 100 miles per hour. 1