EMPIRE AIR LINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22258, 10 May 1934, Page 9

EMPIRE AIR LINE

SINGAPORE TO BRISBANE SERVICE ACTIVITIES QF BRITISH COMPANY. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, May 9. Detaijs concerning the formation in Australia of Quantas Empire Airways, Ltd., which has been given the SingaporeBrisbane air mail contract, were furnished by Mr S. A. Dismore, secretary of Imperial Airways, Ltd., who arrived today by the Wanganella from Sydney on a brief visit. . ' Mr Dismore said that he bad been in Australia for the past four months and ahalf in connection with the formation of the company. It planned to have one and possibly two services in each direction before Christinas, so as to carry the Christmas mail. The new service would link up with the existing service from London to Singapore./ For a start the full journey from London would take 14 days, but aa the route became better organised for night flying the time would be progressively reduced.- The actual flying time would be about 100 hours.

The Singapore-Brisbane service, Mr. Dismore added, would be operated by a new DH 88 type machine, which bad been specially designed for flying Over the Timor Sea, and had a top speed of 170 miles an hour and a cruising speed of 145 miles an hour. A noteworthy feature of the DH 86 was that it was the only fourengined aeroplane in the world that would fly on any two engines. In its official tests it had maintained a height of 3600 feet with the two engines on one side cut out. At present the type was being flown in England for the purpose of practical testing. The experience of Imperial Airways on such services as those from London to Capetown and London to Singapore bad been that at the outset the bulk of the traffic was in the mail, but after a time passenger traffic became preponderant. Questioned as to the possibility of Imperial Airways establishing a service across the Tasman) Mr Dismore said that on several occasions it had been stated that it was the company’s hope that eventually the Dominion would be linked up with England by some air service. To his mind, the Tasman crossing was very similar to a transatlantic flight except that the distance was not so great. Quantas Empire Airways was a company formed equally by Quantas (the Australian Company) and Imperial Airways, each having 50 per cent, of the capital and equal representation in control. The principal object of Imperial Airways in joining up with Quantas was to ensure that on the full route from Australia to London there should be a united policy because it was felt that there would be grave difficulties if, on a main route like that, there were a number of operators each working independently. Mr Dismore said that his plans had made it convenient for him to stay for a brief spell in New Zealand and pay his respect? to the civil aviation authorities here. .He intended to leave Wellington on May 19 by the Rotorua and proceed as far as Panama, whence he would travel by Pan-American Airways to Miami, Florida, the headquarters of that organisation. “We have an understanding with them .in connection with the transatlantic service,” he added. “Thai is a thing for the future, and naturally it will be very interesting for mg to see the developments that have been made.”.