PEEP INTO FUTURE.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18139, 2 October 1930, Page 9

PEEP INTO FUTURE.

FLOATING AERODROMES.

IN THE ATLANTIC. Regular air services across the Atlantic are visualised in a memorandum on ocean routes prepared by the British Air Ministry and published in a Blue Book on the Colonial Office Conference, 1930. “The gradual but steady advance in aircraft design,” states the memorandum, “has brought the Atlantic crossing into the realm of regular ori ganised air routes, rather than of promiscuous flights. “When sufficient experience has been accumulated with experimental flights with the two British airships RIOO and RIOI, it is intended to ' organise regular services between , Cardington, Montreal and New York.” j The actual route to be followed will 1 A'arv according to the time of the j year and the prevailing weather conIditions. The three main roules which are likely lo he followed are:—(1) The northern route via Cape Farewell, the most southerly point of ; Greenland. j (2) The direct route via Newfoundi land. (3) The southerly route via the Azores. ‘For some years plans have been afoot in America l'or the establishment of floating seadromes at intervals of approximately 300 nautical miles between New York and the Azores and the Azores and Plymouth. An experimental seadrome has been cou-,

structed and tried out in shallow water. Further experiments are to be conducted with anchorage in deep water. The seadrome, it is stated in the Blue Book, will provide all the usual amenities of a land aerodrome, such as Refuelling and Repair Facilities, so that the establishment of a regular route will become a practical proposition. Another route, knoxvn as the subArctic route, is under investigation. This route will pass via the Faroes, Iceland and the inland plateau of j Greenland, and so connect up with | Winnipeg and. possibly Vancouver via | the Hudson Strait. An expedition I under the command of Mr 11. G. Watkins, and assisted by the British and Canadian Governments; is in Greenland conducting, into alia, an examination of possible bases for this air route.