FLYING-BOAT AT COCOS

Southland Times, Issue 23838, 8 June 1939, Page 5

FLYING-BOAT AT COCOS

Progress Of Survey Flight CHRISTMAS ISLAND AS BASE (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received June 7, 10.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 7. The flying-boat Guba, which is on its way to make a survey flight of the Indian Ocean, arrived at Cocos Island at 7.25 p.m. (Greenwich mean time). A message from the Commonwealth correspondent aboard the Guba says: “We left Batavia at 10.30 p.m. for Cocos by way of Christmas Island, which was surveyed as a possible base for flying-boats. Then we proceeded to Cocos, where we arrived at 7.25 a.m.” Christmas Island is 225 nautical miles from Java Head and from Christmas to Cocos is 525 nautical miles.

Captain P. G. Taylor's energies and Interest have been directed for the last four years at least to the establishment of a regular air line from Australia to England by way of the Indian Ocean, across Africa, and from the west coast of Africa to England, as a reserve route which would remain in operation through a European war. The Imperial Airways route is open to threat for a great part of its length. It Is conceivable that under war conditions the overland crossing of France would be forbidden; on the long Mediterranean section, with calls at Rome, Brindisi and Crete, war dangers would be extreme, and the Iraq and Arabian stretches to India might be closed by internal unrest or threats from the north. Rangoon, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies might be in another great zone of interference.

The Indian Ocean route lies far to the south of any possible interference from landbased aeroplanes of enemy countries, and though the total distance is great (4500 miles) the way is stepped out by island groups, all British possessions. From the nearest point of Western Australia, Onslow, the air distance to Cocos Island, to the north-west, is 1200 miles. West of Cocos is Diego Garcia, 1470 miles; west again are the Seychelles, 990 miles; and the final hop would be of 840 miles to Mombasa, on the present route of Imperial Airways African services. From Mombasa the air line sketched by Captain Taylor would cross Africa (1860 miles) over Belgian Congo and Portuguese Angola to St. Paul da Loanda. Lagos (British Nigeria), Bathurst (British Gambia), Madeira (Portuguese), and Lisbon would step the distance up the coast of Africa and past European danger zones to England. The Indian Ocean air route, it is contended, may have great defensive and strategical importance in assisting a naval patrol of the approaches to India, and could be of firstimportance in making possible a scheme of co-operation in air defence among Africa, India and Australia.