THE TASMAN AIR SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23593, 1 September 1938, Page 17

THE TASMAN AIR SERVICE

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—The experiences of shipping crossing the Tasman Sea during the past week of tempestuous weather, when even a large and powerful ship such as the Maunganui was compelled to heave-to in mid-ocean, being unable to make headway against the tremendous power of the wind and sea, gives one seririusly to think as to what may be the probable fate from time to time of the flying boats to be used in maintaining the proposed service, if the projected route direct from New Zealand to Sydney and viceversa is adhered to. What possible hope of survival could there be for fragile machines such as these if forced down in the midst of this lonely and tempestuous sea in hurricane weather? In the whole of the 1100-mile crossing there exists not a single islet, and ship's are few and far between as compared with the busier seas of the northern hemisphere. On the more northerly route between Sydney and/or Brisbane and the northern-most point of the Dominion, two islands, Lord Howe and Norfolk, offer some hope to the pilots, and although a route embracing these two points would be somewhat longer, in view of the tremendous speed at which the new machines travel, would the little extra time occupied in crossing be of such great importance when the value of human life is taken into consideration? Between New Zealand and Sydney direct lie 1100 miles of stormy water which must be crossed in a single hop; whereas via Norfolk and Lord Howe the longest over-water leg would be, as far as one may be able to judge from atlas scales, about 600 miles only. Should not this aspect receive very careful and serious consideration before the route is finally decided? Pilots, even if plentiful and replace-