AVIATION PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 47, 19 November 1926, Page 11

AVIATION PROGRESS

ENGLAND’S CHIEF AIR. SHIP BASE VISITED BY DOMINION 3 DELEGATES CARRYING CAPACITY OF RlOl England’s chief airship base has been inspected by the Dominion delegates to the Imperia! Conference. As a result of Mr. Coates’s experiences the question of the extension to New Zealand of the southern Empire airship route is under consideration. By Telegbafh.—press association. Copyright. (Rec. November 18, 7.55 p.m.) London, Noven*ber 17. Dominion delegates to the Imperial Conference visited Cardington, England’s chief airship base, where, in addition to an inspection of the gigantic hush hush RlOl, at present in the constructional stage, arrangements were made for a trial flight of the mne-year-old veteran R 33. The visit was made amidst rain squalls and IcAvering clouds. Inspection was made of a steel mooring mast. This is of particular interest to Australia, because it is the basis of a tvpe necessary there in connection with the projected airship service. It is 200 feet high, and at the top is a movable steel receiving arm, projecting vertically, but capable of swinging to an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical. A steel rope passes through this and lies on the ground. Another steel rope dropped from the airship is coupled to it, and the line then pulled in bymeans of powerful machinery. “Remarkable,” said Mr. Bruce. “I had visions of an airship dashing for the mast and trying to couple up.” Later in the day R 33 was drawn out from a gigantic hangar, three hundred men hanging to the guy ropes. When at a height of 500 feet, however, the airship was totally obscured byo clouds and it was impossible to launch aeroplanes, as intended. Though the construction of RlOl is maintained a close secret, it is revealed that the ship will have a carrying capacity of a hundred passengers, and ten tons of mail. It will be furnished with sleeping cabins, lounges, a smoking room, a dining room capable of seating fifty, promenade decks, a kitchen and shower baths. EMPIRE AIRSHIP ROUTES QUESTION OF EXTENSION TO NEW ZEALAND (Rec. November 18, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 17. Mr. Bruce was a keen investigator at the airship station at Cardington. He says he has been assured that airships will be aloft next year. He also says he is confident that a mast can be erected in Australia at a cost of £50,000, instead of £70,000, but that there is plenty of time to consider its erection with his Cabinet colleagues in Australia. Hitherto all the plans for Empire airship routes had envisaged a southern line terminating in Australia, but as a result of Mr. Coates’s experiences at the present Conference the question of the extension of the route to New Zealand, entailing the provision of a mooring mast, is under consideration. Mr. Coates is closely examining all the possibilities of speeding up mail transit, both in the air and by means of faster steamships. Mr. Bruce will be the guest of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce banquet on November 30.