HUGE BRITISH AIRSHIPS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 770, 17 September 1929, Page 9

HUGE BRITISH AIRSHIPS

HORSE-POWER LESS THAN WAS ESTIMATED SHED TRIALS PROCEEDING (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) LONDON, Monday. The “Daily Telegraph’s” aeronautical correspondent says there is no possibility of the new British airship RlOl emerging from the workshops before November. The weight of her engines and their fittings exceeds the estimates by 5 tons and she is 1,000 h.p. less than was expected. It is not likely that she will carry 100 passengers as was expected. She is intended for the Empire air route and will burn heavy oil. The second new dirigible, RIOO, which will burn petrol, will be ready by the middle of October. She will not be sent to the tropics. The structural strength of both airships far exceeds that of. the Graf Zeppelin. A British official wireless message says that the shed trials of the Statebuilt airship RlOl and the privatelyconstructed vessel RIOO are well advanced and still proceeding. Flying trials will be carried out in an equally thorough manner. It is stated that RlOl will be tested in flights at home for about three months and if successful these tests will be followed by a flight to India with the Secretary of State for Air, Lord Thomson, as one of the passengers. 700 FEET LONG Although the dirigibles are of about the same capacity and will be larger than any airship ever launched, they differ considerably in .construction. The same crew will test both vessels. RIOO, which has been built at Howden, Yorkshire, will be taken to Cardington and moored to the mast erected there before her more important flight trials are begun. While the airships have been under going shed tests in the past month both have been air borne, or partly air borne. The navigation problems of these 700 ft long airships are being carefully studied by specially-selected officers and crew.