TASMAN AIRWAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23135, 6 September 1938, Page 8

TASMAN AIRWAY

NEW FLYING-BOATS EIGHT BEING CONSTRUCTED : THREE FOR NEW SERVICE OUTSTANDING FEATURES [from our own correspondent] LONDON, August 19 The "Cabot," first of the eight strengthened Empire flying-boats now under construction, will emerge from the Short factory at .Rochester shortly. She and her sister craft, Imperial Champion, may be loaded to a gross weight of 53,0001b., or 12,5001b. more than the standard Empire flying-boat —and may bo fuelled in miii-air.

These craft will be employed partly on transatlantic runs and partly over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. The "Cabot" is listed to make two return flights between England and New York, going by way of I"oynes (Eire), Botwood (Newfoundland), and Montreal, before the end of October.

The Tasman air mail service may bo ready in time to carry Christmas greetings from Britain. No definite date for the initial flight can be announced until the flying-boats now being constructed by Short Brothers have been delivered to Tasman Empire Airways, Limited. Three are to be allotted to the Tasman service.

Huge Aircraft ol the Future In charge of Short Brothers' factory at Rochester is Mr. Arthur Gouge, who, although his name is rarely seen in the headlines of English newspapers, is regarded as the country's leading designer of modern aircraft. He has been responsible for building the largest commercial fleet of flving-boats in the world, and he is responsible for the craft to be flown in the Tasman service.

Recently Mr. Gouge forecast tlie day when flying-boats would carry 250 passengers and more. It is known that already designers are studying plans for flying-boats carrying 400 people and a crew of 100, and preliminary specifications are already on the drawing boards. Although these craft have been worked out in detail, many technical difficulties have yet to be overcome, chief of which is the question of power. An enormous weight of something like 1200 tons would require lifting. Experiments are being made with Diesel and steam engines. Such huge aircraft as these, however, are more in the nature of to-morrow's development, rather than of to-day's. Nevertheless, it appears that the limit for land aircraft is nearly reached with the huge 40-ton Ensign craft, 14 of which have been ordered by Imperial Airways, and the first of which is to be delivered early in September.

Flying-boats to be Heavier The strain of such large craft taking off and landing on two wheels is tremendous, and any irregularity in the airport's surface might easily mean disaster. In the case of a flying-boat, however, there is even pressure distributed over the hull of the craft. For this reason it is expected that the weight of the flying-boats will steadily increase, and that in a matter of about two years there will be 60-ton flying-boats on Empire routes. As power research and construction advances, so will the flying-boats of the future become bigger and heavier.

In the meantime, there is considerable satisfaction throughout British air circles that the Empire is leading the world in the construction and operation of commercial flying-boats, and demonthe practicability of international' flying-boat operation on a large scale and with increasing loads. In no other country of the world has there yet been an order given for 30 flying-boats, and in this department of aviation Britain is giving a definite lead. ,