MERCURY’S FLIGHT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 October 1938, Page 5

MERCURY’S FLIGHT

AERONAUTICAL EXPERTS SATISFIED CONSIDERATION OF FUTURE PROGRAMME. EXPERIMENT BY STAGES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 13. Aeronautical experts are very satisfied with the performance of the seaplane Mercury on its flight to Cape Town, and in particular with the launching from the Maia despite the fact that at the moment of release every square foot of wing area was called upon to sustain 45 pounds and the weight-to-power ratio was 20 pounds per horse-power —a combination of wing loading and power loading never before carried into the air. Persistent adverse winds robbed the Mercury of a record, as the machine was forced down because of exhaustion of petrol, and there is inevitably some regret that the floats, each of which is capable of taking 600 gallons, were only loaded with 475 gallons. The Mercury was already carrying 7000 pounds more than on the transAtlantic flight, and although the experience of the last launch has shown that more ambitious starting loads may be allowed with safety, it is fully recognised that the programme pf experiment by stages with the novel device of mid-air launching was the only prudent one. The future programme of the Mercury is now under consideration. It is suggested that she may make another survey flight with mails across the north Atlantic, resuming the project from which she was switched for the South African flight. She might also again attack the long-distance record. A third alternative would be a long journey, well within her capacity, over a route which has not at present been disclosed.