ENGLISH FLYING MACHINES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 394, 20 May 1910, Page 5

ENGLISH FLYING MACHINES

SUMMER PROGRAMME. London, March 20. So greatly has interest in aviation increased in England of late that the Royal Aero Club has now beiore it plans for the iholding of no fewer than six Hying meetings in this country during the summer months. The first, for which details are now practically complete, will be held at Huntingdon during the Whitsuntide, holidays. A grandstand to accommodate 501)0 people is already in course of erection, and forty aeroplane sheds are to be built. The ground extends over 360 acres, and is Hat, without any trees upon it. Out across the fens towards the sea, a forty-mile unobstructed flight is possible. At this meeting .f2500 in prizes will be offered. English and foreign Hying men will take part in the meeting. Arrangements are also nearly completed for the two great international meetings. At the tirst, -wJiicJi is to be held at Bournemouth from July 11 to 16, several thousands of pounds for competition among English aviators alone will be offered, in addition to the £sooo in ,prizes for international races. A splendid Hying ground is being prepared at Southbourne. It has been approved by the committee of the Royal Aero Club, and a most successful meeting is promised, seeing that nearly all the famous foreign aviators av.il! be there. The second international meeting is to take place in August upon the Lanark racecourse. Already the prize fund amounts to more tnan £IO,OOO. Several officials of the Royal Aero Club returned to London yesterday after inspecting the proposed course. Upon their recommendations it will be enlarged slightly for the long-distance races. Blackpool is eager to have another meeting v.liis year, and arrangements are iso far'advanced that only a convenient date remains to be fixed. Wolverhampton and Southend have also come forward with requests 10 hold meetings and will be allotted dates. The total of the prize money «t these three meetings will be £0000." So greatly has the number of Hying men increased since last summer that there will .be no difficulty in arranging excellent programmes for all these six meeting. WORLD'S LARGEST AIRSHIP. COMPLETING THE NAVY'S HUGE VESSEL. FLIGHTS IN JUNE. London, March 25. The new airship for the British Navy is rapidly nearing completion at the works of Vic.kers, Sons and Maxim at Barrow-in-Furness. It will be the largest, one of the fastest, and the most powerful airship in the world. Its great gas-containing body, built up rigidly with a new metal which is far stronger and only a trifle heavier than aluminium, .will be 50ft long and 50ft in diameter, as 'against the 446 ft in length of the monster Zeppelin type of airships. The garage, which faces the sea, is GOOft long and 100 ft broad. Gangs of men are now busy constructing a great "cradle." Upon this the airship will rest as it is pieced together. 'Practically every -part of the airship is now ready, and only awaits the assembling process. The plan has lieen to distribute the making of the various sections over all the departments of Messrs Viekers, Son and Maxim's works. By this means it has been possible to preserve great secrecy concerning all important details of construction. Work is also about to commence upon a special launch way from which the airship will take flight. Its trials will be carried out over t'he sea. It is designed, in fact, for sea scouting. The airship's permanent quarters will be on the north-east coast, .and it will be called upon to cruise for days at a stretch a1on« the coast-line and out to sea. With this work in view, reliability in stormy weather has been one of the ohief aims in the airship's construction. The method of fitting together the sections of the airship's tremendous hull h particularly interesting. As one metal section follows another in position around the sides of the ship the whole of the hull can be made to revolve upon its cradle for the conveniens of the fitters. Tts remarkable size will enable the airship to rake into the air a iweight of close upon twenty tons. Its two 200 horse-power petrol engines, which have already been subjected to tests for reliability, will give it a. considerable speed throni>,h the air. it is hoped, m fact, that it will attain 45 miles an hour under fair conditions. Tt was at first intended that the metal Tibs and rigid sections of the hull should he built of aluminium. But since tile first plans were made the constructors have discovered'a new metal alloy. It is said to be nearly seven times as strong as aluminium, and only very slightly more weighty. It now seems probable t'lat the airship will .be ready for its preliminary trials in June "or July next—the tirn* mentioned by Mr. McKenna in the House of Commons not long ago.