Guernsey was opened last week when the Australia, the new 24-ton flying-boat, one of the three to be used on the Australia-New Zealand service, made her first public appearance, flying round the aerodrome on a courtesy visit. She was piloted by Captain Bennett, an Australian, who had charge of the Mercury—the upper part of the Mayo composite aircraft—in her first sensational experimental flights, when no one knew what would happen when the two machines parted in mid-air.
Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, opened the Guernsey aerodrome, and, in so doing, told his audience that the expansion of Briish air defences is far greater than was at one time thought practicable and is now well ahead of the sche-due. The result is that it has been possible to place further considerable orders which will be completed this year.
The rate of production of warplanes in the past fifteen months has increased enormously. and at the beginning of last month was more than four times that of twelve months previously. The explanation is, of course, mainly that when expansion was decided upon, the necessary plant had to be built and there was necessarily some delay before it could get to work, Now it is doing This week it is announced that the Rolls-Royce Ca. are building a new aero-engine factory somewhere "near Glasgow" which when completed will employ 10,000 workers. only one engine at work. however, the machine must fly in circles unless the pilot keeps it straight with the rudder. But this is very heav more than a man can manage. except for a short time. Two years of research have produced a very clever device. When the strain of keeping the Flamingo straight becomes too heavy, a power-operated device comes into operation which automatically takes all the burden off the pilot and turns the rudder to the requisite angle for straight flight
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.