THE EMPIRE BY AIR

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 925, 19 March 1930, Page 9

THE EMPIRE BY AIR

NEW ROUTES PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR SUCCESS OF AIRSHIPS 11 Reed. 12.20 p.m. RUGBY, Tuesday. In presenting the air estimates in the House of Commons. th€» Under Secretary for Air, Mr. F. Montague, said the increase in civil aviation vote was mainly due to the provision for ati additional subsidy in respect of air service to South Africa. Negotiations for the installation of a weekly service between Loudon and Capetown had been brought to a sue cessful issue. The Government of the Union of South Africa would make a substantial contribution toward the subsidy over a five years’ period, and would lend its support and co-opera-tion willingly. It was contemplated that a regular service between Alexandria and Tanganyika should commence in the autumn of this year, and a through service to Capetown in the spring of 1931. The Government of India had now extended the England-1 ndia service from Karachi to Delhi by means of aircraft chartered from and operated by Imperial Airways. The preparation of the ground organisation of the route across India was beiug vigorously pushed forward The section to Calcutta would bo ready by the end of March, and it was hoped that by the Autumn sufficient progress would have* been made to render possible its operation to Rangoon. SERVICE TO AUSTRALIA Proposals had been submitted to the Air Ministry for the operation of the remaining section between Rangoon and Australia, and it was hoped to find means ip conjunction with the Governments of India and Australia, to inaugurate a through service to Australia as soon as possible after the route along the coast of Burma had been organised. Dealing with airships, Mr. Montague said undoubtedly from the constructional viewpoint, completed airships had definitely disproved many gloomy forecasts. Meteorological investigations of the Indian route showed tha£ conditions would generally be adverse on return journey both between Karachi and Ismalia and between Ismalis and Cardington, with a consequence, that a large reserve of fuel would have to be carried for the first experimental flight to the East of RIOL Having regard to the need for a safety policy in a programme of this expensive character, it was decided not to attempt the return flight to India in March or April. AIRSHIP IMPROVEMENT An extra bag would be inserted in RlOl during the so~ — • w hich would increase her capacity by 509,000 cubic .feet and give her an additional net lift of about niue tons. A bag with the conseqm ntial extra lift was found to be possible because of the satisfactory strength which the airship’s tests had disclosed. The proposed programme for RlOl was a flight to Karachi and back in September or October, then again to Karachi in December or January, after which there would be mooring trials and experimental flying from Karachi. The programme for RIOO consisted of flights to Montreal between May and September, and schedule flights between Cardington and Ismailia between October and March, 1931.