THE NEW AIRSHIPS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 May 1929, Page 5

THE NEW AIRSHIPS

READY FOR FLIGHT IN JULY. LONDON, April 5. The two airships, RIOO and RlOl, will lie their shed tests by the end of month, and will bo flying in July. By the end of the year (writes the aeronautical correspondent of the Morning Post) the future of airships in Great Britain and in many other r , countries will probably have been decided, for if these two airships fail to come up to expectations, if they are involved in any serious accident, it is doubtful if another airship will be laid down m this country. • , The air experts of the whole world will’ watch this British experiment, and countries like France and Italy, which have ceased building airships, will modify or affirm their policy according to the behaviour of the British vessels.' It is !tr.ue to say that -no air ’ expedient on so large a scale, and on which so much depends, has ever before been attempted. t'v".p v •;< There has been a delay [of about two years in completing the vessels. Time after time since the airship, scheme was . ~ initiated in July, 1924, the date of launching has been postponed. In , v , March, 1927, it was stated that it was , Primped to have the RIOO ready by August that year, and in September the airship was reported ; to-be nearly fin- , *‘7. islicd. In November/ 1927, Aprilj|l92B, j . : v' / was given as the likely launching-date JS .and in December, §ir Samuel Hoare, the Air Minister, stated that it was :• , hoped to have the two airships readyfeSi-j.; some time next yestr. ‘pj...f ivV/ COST MOUNTING UP. tp J* -3 ; \‘*. *« /j * . .‘i£ Meanwhile,, the cost has been ing, and-'SiiVVSa'miiel Hoare -stated .in. L the House of Commons' recently" that ’' y; ! - both.vessels wo.uld cost more than was originally estimated, j. Two hundred and sixty thousand pounds was spent on research and experiments before RIOI was begun. RlOl was originally estimated to cost £280,000. These delays and changes in plan . will cause the approaching tests to lie watched all the more critically. The H shed tests are likely to give but litt’o information of practical value, although even at that stage it is possible that some fault in design or construction may be discovered whidli Will 'lead to , f'urtlldr delays! Apart/froiii tills) p6ss’- Uibiiity, however,'-the flying/ testsjovey T j . England will he the first indication of the' capabilities of thie new vessels and / * of the mooring masts which have! been erected for them. . M ■ :■ A • , J " ; TESTING THE VESSELS.; The' same crew will carry out the tests with both vessels. It will be * jv .under the supreme command-of Major Scott, who was in charge of tjie R 34 on her double Atlantic crossing . _ *' „ After the trials, over Great. ;f * longer fliglits, including ada and Egypt, will be attempted, but without passengers. t; Should either of the npwijlveSsels . suffer a disaster during these flights , s = similar to that suffered by the Slien- Wj andoah, the .R3B is unlikely that any more work on air- <*f ships would be ’ undertaken in '(Britain. t ; If tlie vessels prove successful, however, they will have the important ad- -.j vantage of being able to operate air “services throughout■ the'Epipiro,;with-,. • & out having to land in foreign tefVitoYW. w ‘ Thus, they would avoid the difficulties with’which the London-lndia Airways service has had to contend. Their TF operation would not he dependent upon the goodwill of many foreign Governments.