MILLION-DOLLAR PLANES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 68, 13 December 1937, Page 7

MILLION-DOLLAR PLANES

Pan-American Plant for the Atlantic TENDERS FOR CONSTRUCTION (Received 13, 8.45 a.m.) NEW YORK, Dec. 11. It is announced that Pan-American Airways are asking for tenders from eight aircraft manufacturers for the construction of several air-liners to carry 100 passengers and a crew of 16 for the trans-Atlantic service, and having a cruisijig speed of 200 miles an hour and a range in excess of 5000 miles. \ The plans of British, French and German air-lines threaten the "hardearned technieal leadership of American transport on the world 5s most important route — the trans-Atlantic — and this has made imperative the immediate concentration of the American aircraft industry upon the development of greatlyadvanced practical long-range transoceanic aircraft at the earliest possible datet" states the announcement. It is intimated that Colonel Lindbergh will supervise the construction, and that the purpoae of his recent European sojourn was to familiarise himself with foreign developments, Between I2i and 24 aircraft are contempjated, at an estimated cost each of 1,000,000 dollars, and capable of a nonstop flight to any European capital, thus obviating the necessity of recipjocal landing-right agreements. The planes will fly at beights of 20,000 feet and will be equipped with single and double staterooms afid all comforts. . . * ... ,