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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0065.PDF
JANUARY 12, 1939 FLIGHT. 3* it after this photograph was taken she left the water at an ail-up ad boats will be refuelled up to a gross weight of 53,000 lb. ng hatch in the tail of the machine. OVERTURE is Refuelling : The Imperial=Pan American Germany Are Doing By H. A. TAYLOR Early in 1937—the actual start was made on March 27— a Dornier Do. 18 diesel-engined boat left the vicinity of Plymouth in an attempt to lower the long-distance record. The machine reached Brazil and broke the existing seaplane record by some 1,400 km. (870 miles). This was not in any way a commercial flight, but it was specially interesting as an indication of what can be done with some form of take-off assistance, and, in fact, the whole secret of long-distance payload-carrying by heavier-than-air machines is at present wrapped up in such assistance, when applied in one form or another. Both on the South Atlantic and the North Atlantic crossings the German company, D.L.H., have relied entirely on mechanical take- offs, and two specially equipped catapult ships have been in use during the year on the North Atlantic, one being stationed near the Azores and another near New York. We, of course, have tackled the same problem in two ways. The first has been in the application of the com posite principle, by which one very heavily loaded machine :; taken off with the help of another. The second is that of air refuelling. We have probably had more experience than any other country with this particular form of assist ance and it will be used almost exclusively for the 1939 flights. Apart from the fact that Botwood must be absolutely clear of ice, drifting or otherwise, before the first flying- boat crossings can be made, our own particular contribu tion to Atlantic services awaits America's moves (and, as always, vice versa), since Great Britain, Eire, Canada and the United States are all equally concerned in the project. For the U.S., Pan-American Airways are the "chosen instrument," and they will use the new Boeing 314 boats, the first of which has passed its manufacturer's tests and should by now have been given a thorough once-over by the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Six of these have been ordered for Atlantic and Pacific work, and it is reasonable to suppose that at least three will be ready before June 1. No actual performance figures have yet been released, though it is known that the cruising speed is not particu larly high as such speeds go and will be in the region of 175 m.p.h. The Boeing's all-up weight is 82,5001b.— which is rather higher than that of the new series of " G "-class boats which are only now being built by Short Brothers in this country. So, in the matter of sheer size and payload, America has gone into the lead for the moment. In the not-too-dLstant future, Atlantic routes other than those at present planned will be covered by a new com pany— American Export Airlines — who have already ordered a special long-range boat from Consolidated. This first machine will be fairly normal, and is a develop ment of the well-known PBY. Larger and faster machines will no doubt be ordered when the experimental flights have been completed. Nor has the northerly Atlantic route, via Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, been entirely forgotten by Pan- American Airways, who have recently formed a new company to operate services in and from Iceland. This route has the advantage of comparatively short non-stop sections, but it suffers from almost insuperable weather difficulties during at least six months of the year. Limited Experience So far the Imperial Airways/Pan-American combine has made sixteen experimental crossings, fourteen of them over the direct Foynes-Botwood route, and two via the Azores. All but two of the fourteen were made during 1937 with the Short boats, Caledonia and Cambria, and the Sikorsky S.42B. Clipper 777. Last year Pan-Ameri can Airways made no crossings, and Imperial Airways made one return crossing with Mercury. Though inactive from our point of view, 1937 was far from being an unimportant year for the other two countries' interest in Atlantic air services. Using the cata pult ships Schwabenland and Friesenland, D.L.H. made no fewer than twenty-eight crossings with three Blohm and Voss Ha.139 and 139b. diesel-engined floatplanes. In each case Horta, in the Azoies, was used as the step- ping-off point from the European side. Between. Horta and Port Washington, New York, the average speed throughout the season was 246 km. (153 m.p.h.), while in the other direction the speed was 270 km. (168 m.p.h.). As a matter of interest, Mercury's speed on its east-to-west . • : 'v • • .'.•••• \ •1^ America's contribution : The Boeing 314 boat, which is designed for an all-up weight of 82,500 lb., in its latest form with redesigned sponsons and triple tail. This is the largest flying boat to be produced since the Dornier Do.X, which had an all-up weight of 113,000 lb. • The Boeing is shown here flying on the two starboard engines.
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