HUGE SEAPLANE’S LOAD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16200, 25 November 1926, Page 14

HUGE SEAPLANE’S LOAD

SOLDIERS AND BOMBS. PARIS, Sept. 16. The largest seaplane in the world, which was recently launched at. St. Nazaire, has now emerged successfully from a series of trials which, it is claimed, have proved it the most powerful and serviceable aircraft in existence. The machine, which was designed by M. Richard, a young engineer of St. Nazaire has taken three years to build. It is &sft long, has a wing span of 130 ft, and a weight of 17* tons when loaded with oil and fuel., It engines, five motors of 420 h.p. each, are fixed o« the ripper plane in such a way as to ho easily accessible, so that they could he repaired even during a flight,

The pilot’s cabin, which stands 20ft high when the machine is on the ground, is kind of conning tower, with accommodation for four people, and behind this is a cabin 70ft long, fitted with nine windows on each side. Designed for military purposes, the machine can carry 40 fully-equipped soldiers, in addition to 88001 bof bombs and a store of reservei provisions.

Another interesting experiment in aviation is being made by Lieutenants Cerardot and Corni'lon, who are making night flights from Paris to Rabat and back, guided entirely by wireless direction signals. Their machine, driven by a 450 h.p. motor, i s fitted with a wireless set, which will keep them in touch throughout their flight with stations at, Orly, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Algiers, and Casablanca.