It hardly seems likely that the Admiralty will take this lying down, though precisely how it will block the sale remains to be seen. But in a question of naval defence and so important a station as Portsmouth there must be powers to override local authorities. Within the past two years, it may be recalled, the Government has accepted the principle that Southampton is to be the empire flying-boat terminal base, obviously to leave Porismouth free for the Navy.
An experiment which welcome resuits for m: pa jis being tried in Monospar Universal. monop!i built by General Aircraft, "air pressure" cabin atmosphere is automatic maintained at sea-level density and uni form temperature at flying heights of as much as 16,000 ft. Directly the aeroplane leaves the ground a secret system of air control comes into action. Thi is not only a comfort to passengers who suffer from ai pressure on the drum: a friend of mine was ively Air Ministry's of aircraft in P Gnifornia for British Government; in charge of the aeronautical section at Witwatersrand University; chief representative of the Air Registration Board in Cairo; and in charge of the automobile department at Witwatersrand Univer sity and official examiner for the Department of Education in South Africa.
Three 21-ton monoplane flying-boats of the Royal Air Force have just returned to Singapore from a survey flight over the Indian Ocean and the Straits which is of high importance for Imperial defence in this vital "Clapham Junction" of the Empire. From Singapore they went to Penang, thence over 1,400 miles of open sea to Trincomalee on the northeast coast of Ceylon, from there to Colombo and so non-stop back to Penang, and thence to their base at Singapore.
This important voyage comes well within the scope of the "general reconnaissance" squadrons armed with the new Short Sunderland seaplanes. In the near future there will probably be a R.A.F. base in Ceylon. Four ôf the Sunderlands now of Singapore are named Perak, Selangor, Pahang, and Negri Sembilan, in acknowledgment' of the gift of £292,000 by the Sultans and people of Malaya for their cost. On their way out they easily kept up 180 m.p. on stages of up to 1500 miles in length.
"Flying Battleship"
The Sunderland, which much re-resembles the Empire flying boats, has been well termed a flying battleship. With engines of 4,000 h.p. the Sunderland may take off weighing 50,000 Ib. This includes over 2,000 gallons of fuel," enough for a nonstop flight with military load, of 2,500 sea miles. Internally there are two decks, including officers' wardroom, quarters for crew and a galley. There is a gun-turret fore and aft and plentiful: provision for bombs. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these giant fighting ships is that in the lightest breeze (defined as not more than 10 mph. they can take off in 23 secs. a tremendous advantage in operating in harbours.
The question of a civil air base at a week after his first flight, and pressure on the ear-drums is u doubtedly one of the causes of ai sickness—but other odd effects result from rarefication of air as aeroplanes high. Fountain pens and scent tend to leak badly; and really hot tea and coffee cannot be made because the boiling-point of water goes down as air pressure diminishes. Here again a constant-pressure cabin should be very welcome.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.