First-line bombers stationed at home number 840, an increase of more than 150 per cent. as compared with comparable strength early in 1035. General reconnaissance aircraft, composed of seven landplane squadrons and certain flying-boat units, now make up a first-line fleet of 162 aircraft; immediately before expansion the flying-boats numbered under 20 and there were no general reconnaissance landplanes. The first aircraft of this type is the Avro Anson, hundreds of which have been built for the Service in the past three years. This is a twin-engined monoplane powered with two Sid-delay Cheetah 350 h.p. engines. It carries a considerable military load, and is used largely for long distance patrol over the sea.
These figures, which reveal nothing of the strength held in reserve behind the first-line aircraft, indicate that Great Britain is far more formidable in the air than she was less than three years ago. And they do not reveal the actual increase in striking power. To-day a large proportion of Service squadrons is armed with aeroplanes which. are faster, carry heavier loads, fly farther, and are in every way more efficient than those they displaced.
Attempt on the Non-Stop Record Preparations are being actively made for the long experimental flights, with specially equipped geode-tie bombers which are to be made in the spring by the Royal Air Force to Australia. Eight commissioned and four non-commissioned officers have been in. training for it at Upper Heyford, in Oxfordshire since Jan. l, under the command of Wing Commander O. R. Geyford who made the then record flight of 5,09 miles from England to Southwest Africa in 1933. The record is now held by Russia, 6,306 miles from Moscow to California, Improvements are being made to the take-off runway at Cranwell, one of the largest aerodromes in this country, where the training will presently be continued. It has a grass runway 3,000 yards long, of which the first 250 yards is macadam mized. This treated portion of the run is now being extended to nearly one mile in length, at the end of which the long range aircraft, even when carrying an overload of fuel, should be largely air borne.
Carrying two pilots, emergency rations and drinking water, and po missible overload of fuel the Vickers Wellesley "geodetic" bombers, three of which make up the equipment of the Flight, may fly up to,8000 miles non-stop in still air. Given suitable conditions, the aeroplanes-should easily reach Singapore from England after a journey of about fifty hours by way of the "imperial" route 00 miles. A second non-stop stage, of approximately 4500 miles, would bring the aircraft to Sydney.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.