Show MAP TRANS TRANSATLANTIC TRANS ATLANTIC AIR ROUTE Pan-American Pan Glenn L. L Martin and British Imperial Airways Are Building Planes to Begin Commercial Service ACt Q J L 0 MILE i 8 34 1 J z- z HI I r o I II 4 t ti E L D C S SI nEST A 4 Loic i. i l I otAN C A N CO ff- ff t. t ct S 'S 1 I o t n SPAIN V riE ORK MILE I N E 1 IS LIS t II f. f k 0 Comparative Distance in the he Two Proposed Trans Atlantic Routes Arc Are Shown in the Map lap Above By WILLIAM WILLIAMC lC C. C flying on regular schedule across the I C Atlantic ocean to Europe is expected expect d to become a fact in th the late summer or early fall Five years of research research research re re- re- re search experiment and study h have ve convinced the three prospective operators operator of the two proposed routes that the time is at hand Repeated ed s success in flying the wide Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- and the blue Caribbean with the giant clipper ships has equipped the operators operators' with the experience needed for flying flying flying fly fly- ing the most important oceanic course of them all Pan American airways and Imperial Impe- Impe rial nial airways of Great Britain have long been making preparations for joint operation which would involve four our round trip crossings per week Recently a third party Glenn L. L Martin announced plans of competing corn com in the trans Atlantic service Martin was the builder of ot most most o of the great clippers now flying the Pacific and of many of the Hie army's m most o 0 s t successful bombardment planes over a span of 18 y years ars I For his service Martin has designed designed designed de de- de- de signed the largest tr transport flying boat ever built F For r construction of ships of this type his B Baltimore plant which was taxed to the limit in the building of ot the Pacific c clippers clippers clip clip- pers pens is being enlarged The type of ot ship he is building for transAtlantic transAtlantic trans trans- Atlantic service will carry 40 passengers passengers passengers pas pas- pounds of ot mail and Juel tuel enough for miles of nonstop nonstop nonstop non non- I stop flying at ata a cruising speed of miles an hour British Have Two Ships At such a rate of ot speed it would be e possible to make the crossing from Crom rom west to east cast to continental Europe in 18 hours and to make the return t trip rip r I p against prevailing winds in 21 hours This is about Equal to the time required by urn hm- ted railroad trains between Chicago and nd New York It is faster by four tell Cull days than the Atlantic crossings crossings cross cross- ings of the Queen Mary and the Normandie the two fastest liners afloat Imperial airways already has two giant flying ships the Cavalier and he the Caledonia engaged In experimental experimental experimental mental flights in preparation for the Atlantic trans service Two other ships hips of this the C type have leen acen in experimental service over overlie he lie Mediterranean for several months one of them not long ago established a record of 13 hours and md 35 minutes for the 2000 miles Irom rom om Southampton to Alexandria Alexandrin Twenty four more type C ships save Jave been ordered The total cost of Jf the fleet will approximate 10 They are a type of trans trans- Jort new to the British They are in many ways to the clippers of Pan-American Pan they are arc somewhat small- small r. r They carry a gross weight of as for the the They are 88 80 feet long is 4 feet high and have a wing span Df f feet Their four Pegasus horsepower 40 engines arc are capable t f a top lop speed of miles an hour and nd a cruising speed of ICO 1130 to miles an hour The plan is to use these planes for or or passengers only on flights between be- be beI I tween New York and Hamilton Bermuda Ber Ben muda nuda on such flights nights they will tarry carry 18 in hi addition to the crew rhey They will be used for air mail mall only on m the hop across the Atlantic to Europe carrying only first and second sec see and ond pilots ships ship's clerk radio operator op and steward Unbroken en Safety Record P American Pan Claims to be ready to begin tr trans Atlantic flying at a moments moment's notice It has available many crews enriched by the experience ence of five years of flying over over the Caribbean sea The route from Miami Miami Minmi Mi Mi- ami to Panama was for tor ye years rs the longest water over-water hop on any of the he worlds world's commercial airlines Since the first flight was made over this route on December 2 1930 the the line has made two regularly scheduled round trip flights a week In n a total of 2400 crossings there has never been an accident of ot any kind and only a few hops were canceled because of hurricanes Pan-American Pan has also aso flown fiO dozens dozens dozens doz doz- ens of ot successful flights from San to Manila With the early difficulties ironed out It Is now possible possible possible pos pos- sible to extend the flights all the way to China A new addition to the Martin clippers clippers clip clip- pers which Pan-American Pan has in service on its Pacific route is a larger than any of the theten theten theten ten clippers now being flown to the West Indies and Pan Pan- ama It Is larger and improved over the earlier which pioneered the Pacific route its gross weight weicht being pounds as compared with pounds for the earlier type pe The wing span is feet teet I I against the old feet Top speed I of the new is miles an hour and cruising speed 16 1 this comp compares com corn p pares res w with th and for the TWo Vo Trans-Atlantic Trans Routes The ne new clipper is standing ready for the China run which completes an American all air ir mail route circling circling circling cir cir- cir cir- cling more than half hall the world Airine Air- Air Jine ine distance from New York to toI I Hong Kong is about miles while the distance around the globe in that latitude Is some miles The planes beat the fastest surface transportation between Hong Kong is about miles days making the trip in 6 days On the trans-Atlantic trans flight two routes will be used the southern route route taking preference over the northern in bad weather The They The were described by Louis Ludlow congressman congressman congressman con con- gressman from Indiana who conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted hearings concerning the establishment establishment establishment es es- es- es I of trans Atlantic air airmail airmail airmail mail rates The distance e eby by the Northern route from New York to London via Shediac Nova Scotia and Ireland Ireland Ireland Ire Ire- land he explained is miles The step step- step off ff from Newfoundland to Ireland is a sheer distance of more than 2000 miles over water without without without with with- out any landing places By the Southern route the distance from New York to London is about miles but the hazard of flight is relieved by numerous landing I places paces The various legs of at this flight are as follows New York to Bermuda miles Bermuda to Azores 2067 miles Azores to Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon Lis Lis- bon bon 1050 miles Lisbon to Gironde miles Gironde to London miles total miles The northern route it will be seen is the shorter of the two routes by more than 1500 m miles es but the safety factors are o on the side of the southern ro route te and will be until until until un un- un- un til more experience has been acquired acquired acquired ac ac- in combating storms and ice in the high northern latitudes Until Until Until Un Un- til such time therefore it Is expected expected ex ex- that most of the flying will willbe willbe be by the southern route which is safe at all seasons of ot the year The scheduled time for tor making the flight by the northern route will be between 24 and 30 hours and by bythe bythe bythe the southern route between 36 and 40 hours When Then we recall that the fastest steamships the Queen Mary and the N Normandie consume Normandie-consume consume I 4 days days' and 20 hours making the trans-Atlantic trans trip from port to po port t we have an idea of the extent to which the new air service will quicken mail passenger and express express ex- ex ex cx- press transportation War Department Approves Two departments of ot the government govern govern- ment the meat the Post Office department and the th State department department are are deeply Interested in the establishment establish establish- ment meat of this trans Atlantic air service service service ice the Indiana legislator told members of at the house It also is cordially approved by the War department de de- de which sees nothing obJectionable objectionable to it from a national defense de de- de- de tense standpoint As As' Asan an argument against delay it is contended that it I would be in the interest of America to close the matter at once while it has British acquiescence It is pointed out that the United States has no way to send air nir mail mall to Europe now or at any time in inthe inthe inthe the future unless Britain allows it to get there as the termini and intermediate landing points are controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled by the British This is true as to Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Ireland on the northern route and Bermuda and the Azores on the southern route The Azores are Portuguese territory but conceded to be under the British sphere of influence The Post Office department visualizes visualizes visualizes immediate success for the service and a complete fulfillment of expectations in a big way Ludlow Ludlow Ludlow Lud Lud- low continued Whether or not its optimism is well weIl founded found d remains remains remains re re- re- re mains to be seen but certainly all of the factors factor of ot success seem t tobe to tobe be in the equation The air mail postage rate proposed for far transAtlantic transAtlantic transAtlantic trans At lantic mail i is 25 cents per letter of one half ounce and 25 cents additional additional additional addi addi- for each half halt ounce or fraction fraction fraction frac frac- tion thereof This compares with the existing foreign mail rate of 5 cents an ounce and 3 cents for each additional half haIt ounce The service contemplates the use of air mail all the way from rom point of origin oricin to point of destination Based on close calculation of the prospective volume of mail the department department de do- predicts that at the 25 cent rate the revenues would pay the contractual obligations at 2 per mile and the service would be self self- sustaining from the start which would differentiate it very it-very very markedly from the air service to China which although it has been in operation operation op op- since November 22 1935 I still registers a big annual deficit Air Mail 2 a Mile The picture of the trans-Atlantic trans air mail that is in the minds of the Post Office department officials visualizes visualizes visualizes vis vis- vis- vis London as the funnel through which air mail from all allover allover allover over Europe will be ga gathered th red and sent to America On the other hand New York is T l t.- t. c f v. v F r t i i 1 S p i J k h p tr v. f A 1 X t. t it i. i t 4 1 i i dt 70 X C CS j i. S 'S r. J. J 9 ts o n l cn f Ie x fN 1 r j W m. m Siti P. P Y l j v o ii fi t M f i ii Li i i 0 S 'S aJ 4 I Iv ii x r 4 tK u i J i hi S.- S. J a. a st ri J f wi W j i d r. r B- B V T 0 Sar W X W r.- r. f One of the Giant China Clippers of Pan American Ready to Take Off OlI Ships of This Type Will ilI Probably Be Ce Used on the Trans Atlantic Route visualized as the funnel tunnel through w which ich mail coming from the Orient all countries in the Western Hemisphere Hemisphere Hemisphere Hemi Hemi- sphere north of Brazil and all of the United States will pass on the wa way wag to London and points In Eu Eu- rope From Hong Kong to San Francisco is six days by the China Chinn Clipper service from San Francisco Francis Francis- co to New York is one day by fast plane and from New York to London London London Lon Lon- don will be 30 hours so that mail from Hong Kong crossing North America will reach London in eight or nin nine days by trans Atlantic air ail mail w While the contract for carrying the trans-Atlantic trans air mail at a maximum cost of 2 a mile will be awarded on the basis of competitive I bids it is believed there is only one company in America merica capable of executing executing ex ox- such a huge contract and that is the Pan-American Pan which carries the thc mail to South America Alaska and China In England a alike alike alike like situa situation tion prevails where Imperial Imperial Impe Impe- rial nial airways a government concern is the outstanding aviation company It is probable that the service would start with the tile four-engine four clippers that pioneered pioneered pi pi- the Pacific but testimony before our subcommittee described plans for constructing enormous new ships for this Atlantic leans service one of 60 O tons and one of ot tons The China Clipper ships now in operation are about 25 or 26 26 tons with a n wing spread of at feet teet The new ships will be immensely larger It will be written Into the contract that all airships used in this American Amer Icon ican postal service must be built in America and that the contractor contractors s shall shaH employ only Americans The Post Office department and State department believe after exhaustive ex cx- investigations that transAtlantic transAtlantic trans trans- Atlantic air mail will be very profitable profitable profit profit- able and desirable from the standpoint standpoint stand stand- point of America G Western Newspaper Union |