THE AIRSHIP RlOO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20931, 22 January 1930, Page 7

THE AIRSHIP RIOO

ANOTHER TEST FLIGHT. ENTIRELY SATISFACTORY. / (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, January 20. (Received Jan, 21, at 5.5 p.m.) The airship RIOO made another test flight to-day. She left the mooring mast at Cardington shortly after 9 o’clock and one hour later the hum of her engines could be heard over London. Low lying clouds at first obscured the view of the vessel, which was cruising at about- 50 miles an hour, with her three engines running, at a height of 2000 feet. After circling round the city she disappeared for some time, hut she returned later, flying much lower, and crossed and recrossed the river in view of hundreds of thousands of people. The vessel returned to the mast at half-past four. She had attained a maximum speed of 80$ miles per hour, or one mile faster than her record maximum of last Thursday. Major Scott was in command and with him were Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation, and Colonel Richmond, the .designer of the'sister airship RlOl. Major Scott said that from Cardington the airship made directly for Loudon. She then went to Croydon aerodrome, and then to Farnborough, where research work on airship propulsion is being carried out. The return flight was '* a Reading, and while in the vicinitv of Reading speed trials were carried out, which were entirely satisfactory. NAVAL DELEGATES SEE FLIGHT. LONDON, January 20. When the Conference delegates had assembled this morning Mr Ramsay MacDonald asked them to go into the garden to see the airship RIOO, which, on a test flight, was at the moment cruising in the neighbourhood of London, and virtually passed overhead. AIRSHIP DEVELOPMENT. DIRECTOR IN BRITAIN. (British Official Wlrelesa) RUGBY, January 20. (Received Jan. 21, at 5.6 p.m.) The Air Ministry announces that V ing-Commander Colmore has been appointed Director of Airship Development.