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COMMERCIAL AND WARTIME AVIATION

» THE BRITISH PLANS ENGLAND TO INDIA IN FLYING "HOTELS"' * A paper on "Service Aviation" was produced by Air Marshal Sir Hugh frcnchard and another on tho operation and construction of commercial .airships by Sir Trevor Dawson at the Air Conference at tho Guildhall. Development of the airship has been somewhat neglected in this country since tho armistice. but has been diligently prosecuted in Germany. L7l, which was reccnilly surrendered undor tho terms of tho Peace Treaty, is at present the largest in existence, with a gas capacity of 2,430,000 cubic feet and a total lift of 7i ibns. Tho size of the machine which would bo required lo develop world routes on a sound financial basis Sir Troyor Dawson estimated at i,000,00fl cubic feet and a total lift of 120 tons. This ship would allow an economical load to be carried for a distance of 3500 miles at speeds ranging up to 80 miles an hour. Ou the moro controversial problems connected' with the organisation and provision of personnel for tho Royal Air Force, great animation was displayed, Bays an English paper. The ouiilino scheme presented by Sir Hugh Trenchard oame in for some outspoken criticism, particularly from Sir William JoynsonHicks, Sear-Admiral Chatfield, Assistanir Chief of the Naval Staff, and General Chetwode, Deputy-Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office. With one of these speakers at least the main cause of criiacisui was not about anything Sir Hugh Trenchard said, but on points on which ho had been silent, /Sir W. Joynson-Hicks complaint was that he gave no indication as to how noar wo were being ready for tho next war. He said the mere provision of vas£ numbers of ordinary machines would be no use in time of war. The aeroplane would be the long range artillery of tho future. War in tho air would bo won by the long range, fast flying artillery scouting machine, guarding the long range bombing machine', whichi would be able to drop almost from on invisible hcavon vast masses of explosives. t Tho first people who ' would suffer in ilhe next war would be the civilians rather than the armies. Vast armies of aeroplanes would dash over into the enemy's country and the first attaxik would be on some of tho great cities, in order to destroy their moral almost Wore the war began. Egypt was tho very centre of service aviation of tho future, and the Government should take that into consideration before final arrangements were made to give.up our protectorate of that country. Sir Hugh Trenchard 1 said it was obvious that the R.A.F. on any financial basis wo were likely to be' able to afford in peace time could not of itself create the reserve of personnel or maintain tho stock of .material requisite for a fiiptclass war. It must depend ou outsido aid, and what outside nid 'Was possible except cifil aviation? A large number of younger officers and comparativolj' few older ones wore needed in tho KA.I ? . Steps weri)- being taken to ensure "mat service in tho R.A.F. on a lon'g basis should not bo a blindalley occupation. For those who,' by reason of accident or other causes, became permanently unfitted toifly a- certain number of ground billets could bo provided. For those who could not bo so absorbed sanction was being sought for a liberal scale of disability pensions. As regarded other ranks, they hoped to enlist the bulk of their regiments in the long apprenticeship trades as' boys, 'i'hero would also, bo direct enlistment for skilled and uhskilled trades, and he hoped it would be found possiblo to teach a. trade to the unskilled to as many as wished to learn one. Co-ordination with other fighting services would be provided to a certain extent by the seconding of officers of tho Army and the Navy for service with tho Tv-.A.F. With regard (o distribution, present needs were difficult to estimate. One could not look at a map of tho world without seeing that Egypt was tho centre of it from a service point of view. _ ' Sir Trevor Dawson, in. a paper om Commercial 1 Airships," said tho fundamental characteristic of airship design, was that increase of nizo resulted in greatly morcased carrying capacity, radius of action, and reduced relative power for a given speed. Aeroplanes and airships would not conflict or compote, but would each be specially useful in their own sphere. ' , • In the case of tho great world trunk routes the airships would work between great central neyodronus, and aeroplanes and seaplanes would serve as feeders and distributors from tlieso terminal stations on tho Continental routes. To take a specific instance I An airship service- from England to India would call at, say, Cairo and Karachi only. Passengers and mails for Upper Egypt and for the various centres in India would proceed from Cairo and Karachi by aeroplane. Interesting experience on the relative cost of transport by airship and aeroplane, ©ven over short distances, had been obtained in Germany. Whilst tho "Bodenso" airship was operated betfeen Berlin and Friedrichshafen it was dennitely established that tho cost of this service was considerably less than half tho oos'6 of the aeroplane services of similar carrying capacity which wore being run at the same tinio between thoso places. It had recently been reported also that the tot&V receipts of the 'BodKtosee" whilst Tunning were 1,330,000 marts, M running costs only 150,000 marTcs, which surely imitated that it was a profitable enterprise. From an examination of tho great ocean routes of the world it was found that a maximum distance of non-stop flight between stations 0f3500 miles would allow of direct communication between, any of the great traffic centres of the world. The most suitable and economical commercial speed to bo maintained 'throughout theso voyages should be GO m.p.h., which, while high enough to enable au attractive saving of time, would bo economical. For this purpose a rigid airship of at least 4,000,000 cubic foet gas capacity would bo required, which would enable provision to bo made for carrying about 1100 Ijasaangera. Tliis sSw lof airship would have n length of about 800 feet, with a maximum diameter of about 100 feet. Properly heateel and ventilated living, dining and sleeping quarters oould be provided in positions well away from the engines, ana tho passenger saloons could be eo arranged that when travelling over land observation of the scenery would be possiblo to nil passengers. The probable coats for a regular service of airships between England and India to carry four tons of oargo and 100 pasjongers each way per week would be about 2s. 9d. per ton-mile, giving passenger rates about 50 per cent, higher Shan the present first-class steamship rates, and maills'nt 6d. por ounce. Tlieso rates would ejisuro profitable'operation, provWed, of course, that tho service was fully pfttroiriied. .

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201220.2.46

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 73, 20 December 1920, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,147

COMMERCIAL AND WARTIME AVIATION Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 73, 20 December 1920, Page 5

COMMERCIAL AND WARTIME AVIATION Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 73, 20 December 1920, Page 5

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