FLYING SERVICES

Southland Times, Issue 22472, 7 November 1934, Page 7

FLYING SERVICES

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS POLICY OF EFFICIENT PROGRESS FASTER MACHINES (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, November 5. Sir Eric Geddes, chairman of Imperial Airways, Ltd., speaking at the annual general meeting, said that no commercial service could base its plans upon a racing event like the Centenary Air Race. Imperial Airways for many months had planned a 7-j-day service along the route, and Imperial Airways were not going to be frightened off their policy of steady, efficient progress by any fine air race, however remarkable it might be. Sir Eric Geddes announced that imperial Airways were immediately inaugurating a bi-weekly service from London to Johannesburg and were considering a bi-weekly service to Singa pore. The board thus far had been unable to find a way of increasing the speed without considerably increasing the cost, which postal administrators hitherto had been unwilling to meet. The board considered it was most important to provide the highest standards of regularity and safety while keeping the fares and mail rates as low as possible, hoping eventually to become independent of subsidies. This was impossible if others insisted on a mad race for subsidized air travel. We are prepared, however,” he said, to operate any services our clients wish to pay for. The American Post Office loses £4,500,000 annually on the air mail services despite the fact that fuel in America costs a third less than it does in the Empire.” Imperial Airways transatlantic air service plans, prepared after close and continuing research, were referred to but not disclosed by Sir Eric Geddes. He stated, however, that as a result of their research they were about to older under agreement with the Air Ministry aircraft which should provide range and paying load to meet the require ments of the route more satisfactorily than anything yet projected. _Without wishing to convey the idea that they would be in a position to establish a transatlantic service before the next annual meeting, he said that they were determined on a solution of the pioo lem. Meanwhile, a substantial increase in speed and frequency on the existing routes might be expected. Sir Eric Geddes said the time was approaching when their major, fleet would be replaced by faster aircraft without, however, hoping to reproduce in the normal commercial service tne speeds achieved in the recent Australian race. It was out of the question to contemplate flying through the night on regular services with the existing aids to navigation on the Australian route, and it was essential that the men and the material should work well below capacity. The fuel price continued to be the most powerful deterrent to high speed. As a general pnn ciple the board took the view that a first-class service with high frequency and high speed, catering for passengers and mails together, was better than a high speed mail schedule and slow passenger aircraft. Three four-engined and foui- twin-engined aircraft with top speeds of about 170 miles an hour were under construction, the former for European services and extensions ana the latter for long distance tours and overseas charter work. They had decided months ago to order for experimental work two flying boats,. one tor the New York-Bermuda service, and two land planes larger and faster than the existing machines.