FLYING BOATS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 November 1932, Page 8

FLYING BOATS

TRIUMPH OF BRITISH DESIGN

MACHINES ON AIR. MAIL ROUTES

IfTNDON, October 31

More than 650,C0J nnLs' v flying in four years—equivalent to twenty-six journeys round ill© world—is the proud record of tue fleet of British flying Units, winch, since lSfc.B, have operated tne Mediterranean sections of-the .air, mail .route to India, and, latterly, 1 : certain nortlurh stages of the Africa airway. •• % : • ' -

- Four .Short three-engined of t)ie “Calcutta” duss.'Wei© first placed in service. aggregated 308,000 miles ever'the Mgdiferrsyi'earuand vver e then transferfij'dc to they have already .flown 186,1td miles. In tne Mediterranean tlieir places were taken-by three much larger four-motor-ed “Kent.” biplanes. Since ithey were commissioned these machir.ee, which are the largest and most luxurious' marine passenger carriers in the world, have covered no less than 162,000 -miles without the slightest trouble of. any kind. It was in one of these big boats, the “Satyrus” that the Prince of Wales and Prince Georgetravelled on their way to visit the Fleet at Corfu.

“Satyrus” has two sister craft on the Meduerrane.-jn named ty Imperial Airways ‘‘Scipio” and' •“Sylvamiis.” Each of these machines, constructed by the pioneer firm cf Short Brothers, 'at Rochester, Kent, is an all-metal biplane in which the upper wings span no less than 113 ft. -Fully laden, the boat weighs fifteen tons. Four 550 h.p. Bristol “Jupiter” motors drive the craft at a maximum speed of 137 m.p.h. at .a height of 5000 ft. above the sea. At the same altitude the cruising speed is 105 m.p.h. Range in still «ir with normal load is 450 miles, and the big aeroplane can climb to a “ceiling” of 19,5C0ft. In addition to the crew of four, each boat has luxurious accommodation for fifteen pas-seno-ers. It also carries a ton of mails and freight. Relative quiet in the saloon,-which is no noisier than a firstclass railway compartment with the windows shut, is obtained by placing the engines fer from the passenger quarters, aud the employment of special sound-deadening materials in the hull structure'. «

The flying trials of “Rc-inio,” first of the three to be completed constituted a triumph for the constructors that is perhaps unrivalled in the chronicles of building new- types of big aircraft; From the first moment of the first take-off the machine was found to he absolutely “right” and not a single modification of any importance was required. Recently tliei same firm has scored ia similar > success in the trials of their new six-engined giant military boat. It, also/'went through all tests ‘tii ease at the.first attempt. The pq.aJW .“'Calcutta” boats now relegated ;to..the Africa, airway a.re remarkable 1 in having spent four years in the open air. The lack of trouble caused by corrosion and exposure to all conditions of weather has proved definitely thei value of all metal -.flying'boat;-, con??-, struetion, particularly in reducing maintenance costs.