Other countries are preparing to establish Trans-Atlantic services though without the natural advantages of Great Britain and America.
Germany has just completed two creditable performances with catapult seaplanes between the Azores and New York.
France, who built an 81,000 lb. giant flying boat—the largest civil marine aircraft in the world—two or three years ago, has abandoned plans of flying it to America. She will have to await the building of newer craft in the light of British construc; tional practice before she can be considered a competitor for Atlantic traffic.
Britain stood in a strong position from the start, The bases which act as stepping stones between England and. America are all within the British Empire.
Gen must either face a non stop crossing of nearly 4000 miles from her homeland to New York or use the long Azores crossing. Even then her catapulted seaplanes must fly for more than 2400 miles nonstop, compared with the 2,000 miles which Imperial Airways and Pan American Airways have io cover. Extra mileage and additional range must be paid for at the expense of pay load.
France must do the same as Germany, or attempt to use her tiny island of St. Pierre, near Newfoundland. This involves a stage of 2400 miles non-stop from her shores,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.