AERIAL SERVICES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 139, 2 September 1927, Page 13

AERIAL SERVICES

First Commercial Airship. Will Fly to New Zealand In 1930

MISSION CHIEF’S ANNOUNCEMENT

“I CAN tell you with authority that the first trip we can do 1 to New Zealand will be in 1930, and in eight or nine years there will be regular commercial services.” Group-Captain Fellowes, Director of Airship Development, and head of the Imperial Airways Commission to New Zealand, made this announcement yesterday when he was welcomed by members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

NIXON was indisposed, and as Mr. R. H. Giblett is in the South, neither of these officials was present. Group-Captain Fellowes was accompanied by Major T. M. Wilkes, Zealand Director of Air Services, and Captain J. L. Findlay, who flew from Christchurch to meet the members of the mission. Lieut.-Colonel Dignan represented the Defence Department. The progress of aviation in Britain during the last 15 years had been marvellous, said the vice-president, Mr. H. P. R. Caughey, and the high standard of efficiency and safety had not been reached without courage. The Empire was slowly recovering from the effects of the war, he said, and the recent Imperial conference had done much to cement the bonds of friendship. PROGRESSIVE NEW ZEALANDERS The Hon. George Fowlds said New Zealanders were always keenly interested in anything that tended toward progress. He also cordially welcomed the Mission. “You may say that as we appear so confident of the success of airship development why did we not develop the question before,” replied GroupCaptain Fellowes. The question had a clear answer by reason of the fact that after the war the authorities were not really clear as to how air transport would develop. Finance had also to be considered. It was true that the British Government endeavoured to interest com-

merce in the problem, but with little success. Eventually in 1923 the Conservative Government formulated a scheme, but that was considerably altered by the Labour Government. All this time scientists were investigating and they laid down a number of schemes dealing with safety. “It is not too much to say that the meteorological organisation is the key-stone of the commercial success of the airship,” he said, “and without reports every six hours an airship could not fly over routes commercially.” ENGLISH TRIALS The English trials would take place in 1928, said Group-Captain Fellowes, and over the Egypt-India route in the following year. After the Indian trials he hoped that commercial interests would come forward. Ships to cover all Imperial air routes would cost between £4,000,000 and £5,000,000. The journey would be shortened to Australia and New Zealand by twothirds, and when the Canadian route was developed, it would be shorter still. The cost of trips would, after development of the movement, hs declared, fall below first-class steamship fares. There would be 20 airships for use over ail commercial routes, which would consist of weekly services to Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, tri-weekly to Egypt, and biweekly to India.