SWIFT MACHINES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20017, 16 August 1939, Page 16

SWIFT MACHINES

TASMAN FLYING-BOATS

COST OF £60,000 EACH LIKENESS TO (’ENTAURUS SILENCE IN OPERATION . Three of the fastest commercial flymg-boats in the world, the Aotearoa, Australia and Awarua, were built for the trans-Tasman air service by Short Brothers at their works at Rochester, England. The three macmnes represent an outlay of approximately £IBO,OOO sterling. The first, the Aotearoa, will leave England to-morrow en route to New Zealand. There is a close resemblance between the *hree machines and the famous Empire type designed for Britain’s long-distance airways. To a casual observer, the Aotearoa, Australia and Awarua are identical Witn the Centaurus, an Empire flying-boat

unit visited New Zealand at the beginning of last year, but there are important structural differences which make the modified machines more suitable for the Tasman route.

Much Greater Payload

Different engines are one of the main changes embodied in the newer type of machine. The modified Empire boats each have four Bristol Perseus motors, sleeve-valve units designed for long life and a minimum of adjus'ment and attention. There are also embodied in the design of the three machines for Tasman Empire Airways. Limited, various structural alterations, with the result that a substantially greater payload can be carried, and a much longer range is available than in 'he normal Empire type flying-boat.

High speed, remarkably rapid takeoff and extreme silence of operation are outstanding features of the Empire series of machines. Speed naturally varies with the conditions and the schedule to be maintained, tout The maximum is in the vicinity of 200 miles an hour, giving an ample margin to run to a 10-hour time-table between Auckland and Sydney, .a distance of 1360 miles.

Built Entirely of Metal

There will be seating for 17 passengers on each of the three machines, although it has not yet been definitely decided how many will actually be carried. Another important differcc fli'V' the ordinary Empire machines and the modified type is that on tile craft for the Tasman service the compartment below the pilots’ quarters will be used as passenger accommodation, instead of a mail compartment.

Built entirely of metal, the flyingboats were designed on the two-deck principle. The hull' is deep and spacious, and there is ample headroom for even a tall man to walk the length of the passengers’ quarters without risk of striking his head. The upper* deck is reserved for the use of the crew, and is reached by means of a short ladder. The captain and first officer sit side by side at dual controls in the forward compartment, and behind them the radio officer Jias his instruments. The flight steward has his pantry on the lower deck. Little Noise for Passengers

Quick off the water, the flying-boats are notably silent in flight. Passengers who flew in the Centaurus when she was in New Zealand were surprised at the low level of engine noise, particularly when compared with that of the ordinary transport aeroplane. Except when delivering somewhere near full power for a takeoff, the motors are scarcely auckible, and their drone is more pleasing “ran disturbing.