FUTURE AIR SPEEDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19503, 9 December 1937, Page 10

FUTURE AIR SPEEDS

400 M.P.H. AND MORE DEFENCE ASPECTS EXPERIMENTS IN BRITAIN LONDON, Nov. 25. Although what speed war planes might achieve within 10 years is a matter of speculation, designers believe that they could increase the present maximum per hour attained by' R.A.F. fighters, and 279 miles pur hour attained by R.A.F. bombers. Even if their speed was increased by 100 miles per hour, in each class, it docs not follow designers' achievements to have sole sway in considering the defence policy, since speed is merely one of several important considerations in lormulating policy for the R.A.F.

It is generally supposed that designers, within a few years, may evolve a lighter capable of more than 400 miles per hour, which would not be surprising, technically, since that speed was exceeded by FlightLieutenant Stanforth's successful attack on the world speed record when he piloted a racing super-marine Sfi sea plane at 407.5 miles per hour. Even heavy flying-boats, which will undertake regular operation in the Empire air mail service to Australia, arc capable of a maximum of 200 miles per hour.

The Society of British Aircraft Constructors, Limited, stated that a new monoplane, designed primarily for training military pilots, is capable of nearly 300 miles per hour, and that the Blenheim I. bomber, in largescale production for the R.A.F., has a maximum speed of 279 miles per hour at a height of 15,000 ft, with a full load of fuel and oil, and the crew, and armament weighing almost 50001 b. Formidable Powers An official of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors, Limited, said: "Recently the air exercise devised to test London's defensive system, provided an admirable illustration of the Blenheim plane's formidable striking powers. Speeds of more than 300 miles per hour were attained almost instantly on a slight easing of the nose downhill, and Blenheim formations had little difficulty in eduling the swiftest and most pertinacious fighter patrols sent against them." Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Major C. C. Turner says that he expects that by 1945 designers will have conceived fighters capable of a speed of about 400 miles per hour, but adds: "Although a speed of 425 of 450 miles per hour is foretold as the maximum attainable in the next few years, it does not follow that it will be desirable. Other considerations than those of designers will weigh with the air staff, who will decide what are the speed requirements for the defence policy, which must be considered as a whole."

Major Turner points out that about six or seven years is the life of a type as a standard equipment. The period may tend to lengthen owing to the great robustness of all-metal machines and the increasing cost of big-scale replacements.

An Imperial Airways' official said: "The latest reports confirm the statement that in connection with the development of planes of the United States Bureau of Air Commerce, a sum slightly in excess of £1,000,000 is being earmarked for improvements in wireless, meteorology, and other aspects of American airlines' ground organisation."