NEW BRITISH PLANES

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 85, 16 September 1938, Page 4

NEW BRITISH PLANES

WILL ENSURE PEACE AVIATION EXPERT’S VIEW “RESPECT FOR EMPIRE” SYDNEY, Aug. I.—“ Hush hush planes in England are the smartest things m aviation and are going to pretty well force peace in Europe,” said Mr H. F. King, of- Flight, the English aviation journal, who arrived from London on the hying mail boat yesterday.

“We have let the other nations see seme of .our ‘hot- stuff’ equipment,” he said, “and they are profoundly impressed. so that now there is infinitely greater respect for the old- Empire loan ever before.

“Our defence armament scheme, new that it lias developed into something really gigantic, lias lightened the hearts of the people—it has also lightened their pockets. “To-dayi there is an easier feeling, and the British people m> longer fear the spectre of war. “Our Air Force is definitely superior to anything in the world —and that doesn’t take into account- the hushhush planes and the experimental stuff, which is said to be something that will surprise all experts in aviation. “We know that our numbers are superior to any other nation, though personnel and plane numbers are kept a pretty tight secret.” Eight-Cun Armament. Mr King said that one of tiie greatest fighting planes was a singleseater Hawker Hurricane, which flew at -168 miles ai: hour between Edinburgh ami London. It has eight fixed machine guns, all of which can be fired simultaneously by the pilot pressing a> button. “The idea is that an enemy plane can he seen for such a short time thatit is almost impossible to fix the sights, so the eight guns blaze away at once-

“And don’t- forget that we have squadrons and squadrons of those little yets.

“Then there are the super marine Spit Fire types, which are amongst the fastest known ; and with them arc the Standard bombers, which have in. equal anywhere.

In civil aviation, ho said, things definitely wore on the up grade, aiul some tremendous machines were being built. The do Haviiiand Company had a iour-engined plane for use on the trails-Atlantic service, which was an amazing job for performance, and Empire Airways had a passenger earlier, twin-engined, all metal plane with Bristol Perseus sleeve-valve engines, that was the finest civil plane in the world.

The Australian service was doing very well, and promised to he one of the greatest services in the world. “At present we are building a number of machines similar"to these, hut they will *fly with a very much greater load than the standard type, and will he refuelled in the air. because of the great pay load they will carry.”