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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0066.PDF
32 FLIGHT. JANUARY 12, 1939 Early in the year the two D.H. Albatross land-plane mail carriers, one of which is shown on the right, will probably make experimental crossings, using as bases Collins- town airport at Dublin and the new Hattie's Camp airport in Newfoundland. Below is the flying scale model of the Potez-CAMS boat, which will be one of Air France Transatlan- tique's fleet. The actual machines will have an all-up weight of approximately 134,400 lb. crossing last year was I4r m.p.h., and on the return flight, which was made in comparatively easy stages, it was rather more than 160 m.p.h. Not only is Mercury very much lower powered than the Ha. 139, but she also carried a pay- load of some 6oolb. on her outward journey. These facts, however, are by the way, and at the present stage of development it is both misleading and useless to attempt any sort of comparison between the different machines being used. Each one represents a special attempt to cope with the situation, and no one at present knows which of the various formula? will eventually be standardised. For the present it can only be emphasised that take-off assistance or refuelling are almost entirely essential, though it would seem that the Pan-American Airways' Boeings are to manage on their Atlantic flights without any more assistance than that which an exceptionally long take-off run in sheltered waters will provide. France's position may be considered as being more politically advantageous than that of Germany, though technically she is not yet ready to carry out any really serious work. A special company. Air France Trans- atlantique, has been formed, as its name implies, of shipping and aviation interests for the operation of Atlantic services, and during the year the reconditioned Latecoere 521, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris, made one out-and-home trip, via the Azores. On this the veteran boat flew the 2,400 miles from Horta to Port Washington in 23 hours—which was a remarkable performance for a design which is fully ten years old. During some of the distance the Lieutenant was fighting a headwind of about 40 m.p.h., and the average speed of 104 m.p.h. was good going. The flight was made solely with the object of surveying the route and making a study of the weather conditions. A pro jected second flight terminated at the Azores owing to the appearance of winter weather conditions. Curiously enough, France, until four years ago, held a monopoly of the rights in the Azores for transatlantic work but, owing to what can only be described as a tech nical hitch, these rights were withdrawn, and only recently has Air France Transatlantique had them reinstated. In the meantime, Germany has been making use of this jump- ing-off point, though in her case the necessity for landing rights in home waters are not so essential, since catapult supply ships are used. Several new machines are in the course of construction or design for use by Air France Trans atlantique. The first is an improved sister ship to the Lieutenant, the Latecoere 522 ; the second is the Cams- Potez 161, and the third the S.E.200 (or Le049). The two latter are 60- ton flying-boats, to be powered either with Gnome Rhone L.i8s or Hispano Suiza 12YS. Additionally, two four- engined Farman types, the 2-230 and 2-231, are eventually to fly over the northern route, using the Shannon airport as a base. These machines are being fitted up with pressure cabins and the test flights will be made at substratospheric heights. In one way at least France has gone ahead, and that is in the use of the S.S. Carimare as a floating meteorological station in mid-Atlantic. Air France has, of course, an exten sive experience of transoceanic flying through her South Atlantic mail ser vices. But to return to our own plans. There appears to be some difference of opinion amongst the powers-that-be about the best way of tackling the difficult problem. As previously ex- During 1938 D. L. H. made twenty-eight experimental crossings of the North Atlantic, using Blohm and Voss Ha. 139 diesel-engined float planes. One of them is shown here in the act of leaving the catapult track of one of the supply ships.
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