NATIONAL AIRWAYS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 174, 26 July 1933, Page 8

NATIONAL AIRWAYS

NEW ZEALAND COMPANY ! PLANS WELL UNDER WAY. I Per Press Association. I WELLINGTON, July 25. Plans for the formation of a National Airways Company in New Zealand are now ueing made, and Mr. Wilfrid Kingsford Smith is due to arrive in New Zealand about the middle of next month in connection with the flotation of the company. It is quite probable that Sir Charles will be interested. Full details of the operations proposed arc not yet available, but present plans centre around a service between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the North Island part of the route being' via New Plymouth. It is possible that a Codock monoplane to be flown across the Tasman by Squadron-Leader T. W. White in December next, will be used as oue of the company’s machines. “THE CODOCK” FEATURES OF THE MONOPLANE I Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, July 25. Work in connection with the manufacture of a machine to be flown across the Tasman in December by SquadronLeader T. AV. White, is proceeding at Cockatoo Dock, according to advice received by Mr B. Shiel, aviation officer for the V acuum Oil Company. The machine, a twin-engined monoplane, has been designed to maintain height while flying with one engine only. It will carry six passengers and their baggage, as well as a. load of mail, at a cruising speed of 125 miles per hour, and will have a top speed of 140 miles per hour. It will incorporate one feature that has not hitherto been used in aircraft •construction. In place of a heavy retractable undercarriage, the monoplane will be fitted with moveable wheel fairings commonly known as pants, ” which can be lifted when the machine is about to land. Fixed wheel pants, which have been in fairly general use. reduce the drag produced by the wheels in flight, and permit a more even flow of air around them, thereby increasing the speed of the machine, but it has been found that these fairings may be dangerous if mud clogs to them when landing. The name of the machine has not vet been chosen, but the type will be known as the Wackett Codock. “Codock” being an abbreviation for Cockatoo Dock, where it is being built under the supervision of Wing-Commander L. J. Wackett. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith will make a trip to England before his Tasman flight. With Lady Kingsford Smith, he will sail from 'Melbourne for •Java early in August. At Java he will hoard a Dufioh air liner for England, and Lady Kingsford Smith will return to Melbourne. Sir Charles hopes to leave England some time in September or early in October for Sydney, thus taking advantage of the absence of the monsoonal disturbances that at present are hampering Pilot Woods on his flight to Enc] ftn d.