BRITAIN'S LARGEST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19998, 25 July 1939, Page 5

BRITAIN'S LARGEST

WONDERFUL AIR LINER TRANSATLANTIC SERVICE LONDON, July 1. Golden Hind, the world’s most wonderful air liner, is now undergoing vigorous trials here, where she lias been made by Messrs. Short Brothers for Imperial Airways. Together with two sister air liners, she will be used for the regular North Atlantic service, first for mails and later for passengers. This aircraft, if not quite the largest in the world, is .certainly the most advanced in design, and her all-round performance probably will prove superior ,to anything that has taken the air as yet. Her British designers have high hopes, and 1 experts everywhere are looking forward to the result of her trials, which should start a few days after launching. It is anticipated that she wil-l take about 16 hours to fly more than 3000 miles with 30 passengers without refuelling On the Ire land-Newfound-land run she is expected to take less ban 16 hours against a. 40 mile an hour headwind, or probably about 1 01 hours in a dead calm. This is achieved with four engines totalling 5000 horse-power, which will give the Golden Hind a cruising speed of 180 miles am hour and a top speed of well over 200 miles per hour. Accommodation for Passengers Passengers will be accommodated in the centre of the hull, which forms a large hall 25ft. long, ,12ft. wide and 19ft. high. To the front of this is a mail compartment, above which and on the second floor are the crew’s quarters, with comfortable tables chairs, and even bunks.

By contrast with the original 100ton‘Golden Hind, the ship in which Sir Francis Drake sailed round the world 350 years ago—Britain’s new sUy giant weighs about 171 tons, without fuel or crew. She is built almost entirely of aluminium and aluminium alloys.,

Here are figures which give some impression of .the size of this ship which has taken 12 months of continuous work' to complete: —

The overall length is 101£t. and the wing .span is 134 ft. The width of the two wings is 25St, at their maximum and they are thick enough at their base for a 12-year-old boy to walk through. The aircraft would be able to carry up to 160 people on an ordinary “short stage” flight of about 450 miles.

Golden Hind is now undergoing her makers’ trials, after which there are Air Ministry trials and acceptance trials to be undergone before ,‘hc maiden voyage, which it is hoped will take place early in the autumn.