BRITISH AIRCRAFT.

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18359, 19 June 1931, Page 7

BRITISH AIRCRAFT.

CALCUTTA FLYING BOATS.

ORDERS FROIVI FRANCE

A POWERFUL BOMBER

(omclal Wireless.)

RUGBY. June 17

Captain Cosies, the French airman, will tills week pilot home one of the well-known Calcutta type of ilyingboats constructod by Messrs Short, of Rochester, which the French Government lias purchased. An agreement lias been reached between Messrs Short and Hie Breguet Company for the manufacture under licence in France of further Calcutta boats, which the French Government intends to employ in ils naval services. French air transport companies operating in the Mediterranean have also ordered Calcutta craft.

Among several new types of aircraft not yet publicly shown, which will be seen for the first time at the Royal Air Force pageant at Hendon oil Saturday week, will be a huge four-engined Vickers, night bomber, which is considerably larger than Hie eight tori Yickers-Vimy bomber, hitherto the largest and most powerful fighting aircraft in the world. The new machine lias four Rolls Royce engines, which develop 1920 horsepower, Two engines are mounted as tractors and two as pushers. It is 67 feet long, 22 feet high, and the wing spread is 90 feet. The machine weighs 12 tons, and in speed, range and load shows a considerable advance oil any other bombing type.