The Airway

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 758, 3 September 1929, Page 7

The Airway

(By

THE ROC.?

Seaplane Versus Landplane

THE up of seaplane crews in mid-ocean after they have come to grief and drifted for some days, brings up to the aeronautical world a controversy between the laudplane and seaplane, or amphibian, for long flights. During a period of ten years landplanes have reached their goal in a far greater percentage of hops, but flying boats liai e a much higher average in the saving of lives.

Only a few' weeks have passed since Major Ramon Franco and his three companions were picked up at sea in their drifting Dornier-Wal giant seaplane. This rescue and the memory of flights like those of Commander Rodgers, who, w'ith his crew', drifted about the Pacific for nine days; Harry Hawker, who floated 14 hours in a stormy sea before his rescue; Ruth Elder and George Haldeman, who dropped in the ocean near help, and Commander de Pinedo, who was safely towed to port after, being forced down on his flight front Trepassey to the Azores, terminating a tour of four continents, brings up to the aeronautical world a controversy between the landplane and seaplane, or amphibian, for long flights over water and land. A seaplane falling into water has no greater safety factor against crashing than its sister landplane, but tu a forced landing the seaplane seems to have definitely proved its supenoiity in saving the lives of its occupants. No landplane, it was asserted, could possibly have ridden out a week in mid-ocean no matter how tightly sealed were its tanks, whereas. the Dornier-Wal was picked up in tairly good condition, the greatest damage being done in hauling it aboard the British aircraft carrier Eagle, due to the lack of hoisting facilities tor so heavy a craft. RELATIVE CHANCES SHOWN Ten years of aviation records covering transoceanic attempts give a picture of the relative safety of the seaplane. During this time 44 flights were attempted and 20 were successful. Of the total number of starts, covering a flying personnel of 10 <, 5® persons started out in 27 iandplanes and 40 took off with 17 seaplanes. Of the 20 planes which were successful in completing their flights, l landplanes carried 33 passengers safely across and six seaplanes succeeded in reaching their goal, or tne safety of a nearby shore, with is persons. A record of the 24 failures show that 13 vlandplaues fell ih toe ocean with 27 people, while 11 seaplaues, or amphibians, fell or were forced down with 29 people. landplane had a clear advantage a far as the successful flight was concerned.

But many of the lost landplanes were never again heard from. Of the 29 persons forced down in seaplanes, only four were lost, while of the 27 thwarted flyers who fell in landplanes, 23 were lost and only four came back alive. It seems that the landplane has little seaworthiness about it, despite the talk of dumping gasoline and sealing tanks to keep the planes afloat. By landplane a transoceanic flyer faces a chance of being one of ’e 26 per cent, of the starters who fail of their goal, as against the 65 per cent, who fail in seaplanes. In he choice of a landplane, however, he may be one of the 86 per ~ent. of those never heard from, while by choosing the seaplane he faefes only a 15 per cent, chance of losing his life NEW ZEALAND CONDITIONS In flying cross-country in New aland the average passenger is struck i with the myriad lakes, rivers and harbours or bays as they come into view outnumbering by hundreds the landing fields on his airway map. map Why, he asks, do not the ,pei “tors take advantage of the natural topography of their terrain - us* these lakes and rivers as landing fields? To this it can be said that if one landing field could be had for each ten-mile square, few if any dis asters would befall any plane und a competent pilot. It has been pointed out that many of the bodies of water ai not large enough for a take-off, but the amount of water necessary to set down the average seaplane is not larger than the averag lake or river. The transoceanic flights "’bile a greater saving of life tor seaplant, have also shown a bet . chance of successfully fulfilling ts mission to the landplane. due mosUy to that type ship’s reater ratio of pay load to po-n ei and « surface. The higher speed of the suiiace. greater economy of <f°oline consumption added to this Greater ratio gives this type power 3 Fven in aviation however ” human life is °£ Primary importance and details of efliciencj

| should give way to its safeguarding, j | Flights which extract so much from a ; j plane that it must carry its maximum j load to reach the destination should * j not be attempted with passengers, and , transoceanic flights are for the present commercially impossible. The greater motor efficiency of the present day and newly designed hulls adding to seaplane speeds have caused rapid strides to be made by manufacturers of water-landing aircraft. In England great strides are being made in seaplane construction and it j was an item of importance in the re- j cent discussions after the disas" er which befell the London-Paris plane ! as to whether or not seaplanes or amphibians should be used on that line. In the giant seaplanes planned for production in Germany for export trade to countries which can afford to buy them, airline operators are showing increased interest. Several American financiers have assured the builders of support and Henry Ford has agreed to purchase at least one of the new ships.