The Daily News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1930. AERIAL EVOLUTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1930, Page 8

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1930. AERIAL EVOLUTION.

Much may happen in the ‘course of a quarter of a century, and one of the most interesting developments during the last thirty years has been that of civil a viation. It was in the year that marked the commencement of the twentieth century that the flight of Count Zeppelin’s aerial ship for three and a half miles was a portent which was hardly observed. A 1 few days ago a cablegram from London recorded the arrival and mooring at Montreal, Canada, or the R.lOO, carrying with it a message from the British Air Minister to the Prime Minister of Canada, expressing thanks for Canada’s co-operation “in a great experiment fraught with precious possibilities for the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The construction of ' leviathan air liners for adequate and regular transocean services is still in the experimental stage,, it being recognised that during the programme initiated by the R.lOO ceaseless vigilance must be exercised in order to ascertain data for further improvements. While the successful journey to Canada in 66 hours was rightly marked by many congratulations, yet the officers in charge were not satisfied that' the vessel conformed to requirements. There may be much in the view of the constructor of this air liner that ships twice as large and cap- | able of doing 85 miles hourly are ! necessary for such a service. If j so, there can be no doubt that i British engineering skill and enterprise will eventually evolve the most suitable and useful airships for making still stronger the ties of Empire and the development of rapid communications. It is, however, in the domain of what is generally termed civil aviation by means of aeroplanes that the most remarkable progress has been made in the current century. In 1919, -when civil aviation first began on a businesslike footing, there were about 3000 miles of organised aeroplane routes throughout Europe. The air route mileage of the world grew steadily year by year, and in 1929 attained a total of 90,000 miles, the first long-distance Empire air mail route, that between England and India, instituted in March of that year, bringing Karachi within seven days of London, as compared with 16 days formerly. It was on August 25, 1919, that the world’s first daily aeroplane express made its pioneer flight from London to Paris. At the close of 1929 operating to and from the great air station at Croydon, south of London, ‘ there were “Argosy” liners of the type used by Imperial Airways on the airmail line to India—machines containing luxurious saloons with arm-chair seats for 20 passengers, also a buffet from which refreshments arc served by stewards during the flight.. It is only necessary to contrast these palatial aircraft with the 1919 two-seater ’plane and tiny cabin with a sort of metal lid shut down on the occupants’ heads, and such a din from the engines that conversation was impossible, only the interchange of written messages being practicable, in order to gain some idea of the great advance made in the direction of comfort for. aerial travellers. At the present time every country of importance and every town of enterprise hag its air station and organisation. Moreover, the time has arrived when air passenger services are being placed on a business footing in the Dominions. The latest is to cover New Zealand from end to end, New Plymouth forming a link in the chain. A great argument in favour of the aeroplane as a business vehicle is that one can travel long distances in it without the fatigue associated with earth transport. Moreover, the speed is such that on a very long journey the traveller can make such progress during the hours of daylight that it. is feasible to spend each night comfortably. It appears to be generally agreed that in the last decade the pioneer stage of airways has been passed, and the uttermost parts of the great British Empire have been brought into closer touch'with the other units. The advance made by wireless mesesages has contributed to the evolution of air travel, both systems being of the greatest service to mankind. It would seem that every portent is now favourable for a really extensive development of popular flying, accompanied by adequate organisation. A fact worthy of note is the probability of the evolution of the priyately-owned single-seater for swift aerial pleasure trips-—motor-cycles of the air, yet one almost dreads the time when such machines will become as great a menace to the air routes as are motor-cycles to users of roads.