The Era of Universal Flying

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 49, 29 June 1928, Page 3

The Era of Universal Flying

Future Method of Transportation HANKS to radio and the accuracy thereby given to aerial navigation, we will be able in the future to fly from T New Zealand to London in very quick time, is the prediction made by Captain H. Findlay, N.Z.P.A.F., 0.C. Wigvam Aerodrome, in the course of a very comprehensive and interesting talk given from 3YA. The recent remarkable flight from San Francisco to Australia and the prospective flight of the Southern Cross to New Zealand give a special interest to this talk which is reproduced in our columns m response to a number of requests.

N_ to-night’s talk on aviation I propose to attempt the difficult, but fascinating task of dipping in to the future, Before the war the great majority of people in the world had never seen an aeroplane, still less did they believe that aeroplanes could be of use to the general public. But the old order has. changed and the aeroplane has proved its worth and many people have already flown in them. Consequently one has the advantage of addressing Hsteners who at any rate agree that flying has a future. It is a curious thing that in transport vehicles there seems to be some relationship between minutes and miles in round figures. Our fastest liners trayel at or about two minutes to the mile, A mile a minute seems to be the high water mark for long distance run by train. One hundred and twenty miles an hour or two miles a minute ig the aim for the cruising speed of the present day commercial aircraft, and 180 m.p.h. or three miles a minute for the modern single-seater fighters. In the last Schneider trophy race a speed of 800 mp.h., or five miles a minute, was attained. Now if is almost an axiom, at any rate in the early days of any method of locomotion that the record speed of to-day is the ordinary travelling speed of to-morrow. Possible evelopments, Bur this holds good only up to a point for there is obviously a limit of speed which can only be reached by specially built or specially tuned vehicles. For instance no one would imagine that the 200 m.p.h. achieved by Major Seagrave recently will be the ordinary travelling speed of a motor-car, Flying is still so young compared with motoring, that it is quite reasonable to imagine that 300 miles per hour is not anything like, or near the limit of flying speed as 200 mph. is to the limit of motoring speed. In fact, scientists tell us that if we can reach a height of 40,000 or 50,000 feet, the air is so thin that it offers practically no head resistance and almost any speed can be attained. This would entail an airtight compartment fed with oxygen and maintained at atmospheric pressure for pilot and

‘passengers, and altogether it sounds a/[ most uncomfortable form of locomotion, so that I think most people would be content to travel at a mere five miles a minute within seeing distance of the ‘ground. Therefore I propose to leave out the possibilities of this purely hypothetical scientific aircraft and confine our prophecies to what we know can actually ‘be done. Mr. Mitchell, the designer of the seaplane which won the Schnei‘der trophy for England, has stated that he can see several ways in which the speed of this machine can be improved. Consequently we may anticipate with every confidence speeds of 360 m.p.h., or six miles a minute, 2s a quite possible record speed. Anyway, we can look to something around 240 m.p,h. as a2 reasonable travelling speed for aircraft of the future, whether civil or military. Of course, these calculations are based on the assumption that we shall still be using the ordinary internal combustion engine as we know it to-day, but it is quite feasable that some eutirely new form of power plant may be discovered in the future. An internal combustion turbine is one possibility, and it is possible that there may be a wireless distribution of power, and we could then pick up this power from a central broadcasting station as easily as we pick up the concerts from 38YA. The Existing Engine. OWEYVER, again we shall leave out of our discussion. these possible developments, aud confine ourselves to the use of the existing four or twostroke engine. When flying began seriously some eighteen years ago, 2ero engines weighed anything between 4 and SIb. per horse-power. To-day they are. down to ilb. per horse-power, and there appears to be every prospect of getting them down to even less than this. This in itself would greatly facilitate high speed flying. I am not suggesting that within the next few years 240 u.p.h. is going to be the ordinary touring speed of aeroplanes. But we know that if it is worth while we can produce machines which will do 240 m.p.h, and do it with the utmost reliability. Let us consider what

is going to make it worth while. For the past five years an air mail has been operating between New York and San Francisco, a distance of 3000 miles, with about 90-per cent. regularity and averaging just on 100 miles an hour And this has been done with old machines of war-time design. Now take the relatively small distance in our own country. The distance from the Bluff to Auckland by air is about 8380 miles; so given the 240 m.p.h.’" machine, this could be accomplished in 34 hours.

Dunedin to Christchurch in 45 minutes, Christchurch to Wellington in well under the hour, and Wellington to Auckland in an hour and a half, It is not necessary for me to dwell. on the countless prospects thus opened up. But striking as this elimination of distance appears in a small country like ours, the results in the larger eountries such as Australia and Canada and on the London in 50 Hours. HEREAS here it would mean a saving of hours or even days in these larger areas the saving in time

would amount to weeks compared with the present system of transport. For instance, if we had a proper relay of machines and pilots and an adequafelylighted airway (which will assuredly come) we could reach London in 50 hours, or allowing for meals and changing over of machines, say 23. days. Naturally we shall have trans-oceanic air services some day, and this will, of | course, be done with big flying-boats. We shall probably come back to quite an old idea in which the wings, engines, and tail of the flying boat will be built as one unit, the hull being a seaworthy motor-boat which is clamped to it, This is quite a feasable engineering proposition, and has the advantage that when the machine reaches the terminal harbour it can alight on the water, moor its wing and tail unit to buoys 2 d the boat hull can then proceed up to the dock to unload and reload passengers and freight. Future Methods. ‘THIS, I imagine, will be the future method of transportation between here and Australia, and if our estimated speed of 240 m.p.h. is maintained, the trip will take about. five hours, which would bring Sydney closer to Christchurch than, say, Blenheim, is under present con ~‘tions. Thus it will be quite possible to leave New Zealand one day, transact business in Sydney, and return the following day. So much for high enaane at the future. but we must have

Tn ler ad reasonable safety before we can expect people to travel by air as a habit. In my talk a fortnight ago I endeavoured to show that with the development of multi-engined machines, slotted wings, and a properly-equipped airway, organised commercial flying is at least as safe as motoring, and with ! continual imurovements we shall get greater and greater reliability. This question of the comparative safety of modern flying cannot be stressed too much, as the impression that flying is unduly dangerous is the biggest hurdle which has to be overcome before the aeroplane is accepted as an ordinary vehicle of transport. Having achieved speed and safety, there is really no limit to the future prospects of flying. orem mmm * + CU

The history of all other methods o£ transport will repeat itself, : Safety will increase the.number of: people who want to fly, and the increase in the number of people who want to fly will provide the necessary stimulus to produce more machines, and this in turn will reduce the cost of manufacture, The cost of a light aeroplane in England at present is £600, but when there is sufficient demand to warrant mass _ production they should be produced at £200 or £300 or even cheaper, Then will come the dawn of the era of universal flying. Possibilities-Not Prophecies. Now these are not wild prophecies but actual possibilities which could be achieved within a year or two could sufficient interest be stimulated to warrant the best brains and. enough capital being used to this end. That universal flying will come in time is hardly a matter of doubt, but the inevitable prejudices and lethargy which always impedes the development of new ideas will first have to be overcome, and the extraordinary interest displayed in aeronautical matters to-day shows that this is now being done. I think that the next ten years will see such an advance in flying that all our old ideas of transportation will be revolutionised. In conclusion I will venture to suggest that all city, county and bor-

ougn counciis Woo would keep anead of the tim: and make provision for the future should set aside sites for aerodromes forthwith. If this is not done now it will be difficult to obtain suitable sites for an aerodrome near the towns concerned, as the value of the: property will increase and the ground itself will be built over. In the future, cities and towns without an nerodrome will be as handicapped as they would be to-day without railway or shipping facilities. To Blenheim belongs the honour of having the first municipally owned aerodrome in New Zealand, but I feel sure that other local bodies will soon see the wisdom of this example and thus provide a network of aerodromes throughout the country.