BIGGEST AIR LINERS
IMPERIAL AIRWAYS ORDER USE ON EMPIRE SERVICES LONDON", April 1. Kurt her details of the Armst roii”Whitworth “Ensign” air liners wore revealed yesterday. They will be the largest hind aeroplanes in the world, designed for regular air line operation, and are expected to have a maximum speed of 210 miles per hour. Imperial Airways’ order for 1- of these big four-engined land aeroplanes has been increased to 1-1. The Jirst will be ready for flight in about two months. The new machines will come into service towards the end of the year to supplement the services on stages unsuitable for Hying boats. When the}' are in operation, there will be three services a week in Egypt, oi which two will continue us far as Calcutta. They will also be used iu place of .slower machines on Imperial Airways European services. Fully loaded, they will weigh 20 tons oi H tons more than the Empire living boats. They have a wing span oi 1:1 Till, and tire litft. in length. 42 Passengers On the European services, they will carry 42 passengers and a crew ol live. On Empire routes, they will carry 27 passengers by day or 20 iu sleeping beiths by night. They are powered by four Suldeley “Tiger” air-cooleil engines of an aggregate of .'MOO horse power, driving controllable-pitch air-screws, which enable them to takc-oll' with a heavy load ami- give increased cruising speed. in the body of the machine, which is. a huge metal shell, there are three passenger cabins behind the control cabin. The fuel tanks, which are built into tlie wings, will make it possible, for the plane io 11 v 1000 miles non-stop against a head wind of 40 miles ;m hour. The under-carriage is the largest of the retractable kind in the world. The production of these huge aeroplanes is u triumph of factory organisation. Twelve months ago the building of the erecting shops hero had not been begun and there were only a handful of workpeople. Today, more than 700 men are engaged on this one order.
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Bibliographic details
Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19339, 1 June 1937, Page 14
Word Count
347BIGGEST AIR LINERS Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19339, 1 June 1937, Page 14
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