274 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Skptkmbrr 6, 1919. 



From press reports in Triiudad and Demerara ii 

 is uiideretood that a representative of a London firm 

 of aeroplane makers has arrived in Georgetown to 

 place before the British (niiaaatioverninent a concrete 

 scheme for an intercolonial service in the West Indies. 

 The company is stated to be prepared to inaugurate a 

 service without delaj- provided thi' (.iovernments will 

 ^ant them a subsidy. The scheme involves a bi-weekly 

 service between Demerara. Trinidad, Bardados 

 Grenada, and St. Vincent. It is proposed to use 

 eight-seater machines. The journey between Demerara 

 and Trinidad will take tive hours, and the remaining 

 trips one and a half hours each. The machines, which 

 are seaplanes, will carry mails and as much cargo as 

 can be accommodated. Thi- esti'mated cost of travelling 

 by this service is eight cents per mile. This works out 

 at very little more than the present increased Eoyal 

 Mail steamer rates. 



At the end of the present article some very 

 interesting information is reproduced concerning the 

 ca«t of machines, their running expenses and upkeep. 

 It will be seen that an important item is overhauling. 

 Tf/is necessitates the employment of four skilled 

 mechanics for each m^ichine. No private interprise 

 could stand the expense which this would eiivolve. 

 .There is no reason, however, why a large compan}- 

 ■with Goveiniiient subsidies, and plenty of business could 

 .n.'D carr\" on, and it is hoped that circumstances will 

 make an attempt possible in the near future. 



An important use of an aircraft service in the 

 West Indies wotdd be the rapid transit afforded to 

 the Government technical officials, particularly those 

 concerned in the outbreak of diseases in plants, ani- 

 mals, and in man. It is not known to what e.\tent 

 this form of transit would be appreciated by those 

 whose studies it would b ■ intended to facilitate ; but 

 the fact remains that iriter-island visits of inspf-ct.ion, 

 and tours into the interor of the larger colonies 

 would be much fjnicker, and could bo far more freijuent. 



One thing Cf>ncerniiig an air service has t') be 

 carefully considered and that is the question of 

 landing. Flying is easy, but landing is difficult. 

 There would be many olistacles to landing in an 

 undeveloped country-. This le.ids one to consider 

 the piissibilities of lighter than air machines. The 

 small air-ships, known as ' blimps ', used in subin uiiie 

 patrol work, might prove iisefid. They could travel 

 with safety at very low altitude.--. Their speed in-cd be 

 no more than that of a slowly moving motor-car. The 



observers would then have every opportunity of noting 

 matters of interest connected with the land, and 

 landing itself would not be so difficult as from an 

 aeroplane. 



The position then, would seem to be that, for inter- 

 colonial passenger and mail transit the seaplane is 

 required. For mapping and surveying we require 

 the aeroplane. For tours of inspection, some form of 

 small air- ship. As matters stand at present 

 it would seem very jirobable that an aircraft 

 service will eventually become established in British 

 Guiana. The thing most likely to hasten the adoption 

 of such a service would be for the members of the 

 British Guicni Colonization I)eputation first to arrange 

 a labour immigration scheme. That would tend to 

 stimulate development and enterprise in every direc- 

 tion. 



The following information, taken from a semi, 

 ofhcial source, namely the Colonial Journal, is that 

 referred to in the preceding article. It will be 

 observed that the cost of overhauling the machines is 

 extraordinarily high: — 



Enquiries ha^e beea mudo on behalf of colonial govern 

 ments with regard to aircraft for local communications 

 Suitable land machines, to carry ten |)ai'yengcr.s. or one 

 ton of inai's, cost from £6,000 to £7,000, with an additional 

 £1,700 to £1,800 for eacli engine. The life of such 

 ma'hines, if they are well cared for and h'uised, is about 

 600 flying hours, an J in this period two overhauls would be 

 required, each cosii-i^; a'ooai XDoJ fur the autiiine only. 

 Eich engine abo should be overhauled every 150 hours, 

 this costing £1500 c ach time. The life of an engine might 

 be placed as high an \,'iOO dying hoirs. For some services 

 tlying-lioats would be more suitable, liut the cost is greater 

 being £9,000, e.xclusive of engines 



.\n aeroplane of the above typ^ wnuM, with the load 

 have a range of abo ii oOO mile.s, at a .speed of '.)•") to 100 miles 

 and would weigh about T) tons. The petrol required (or 

 that flight would be 300 to 3.')0 gallons, and the oil about 

 one ([uarter of that amount. Kacli machine requires the 

 full time work of about four skilld mechanics, io, two 

 wood workeis and two engineers experienced in peirol 

 engines : also some unskilltd labour is wanted for handling 

 purposcf. The c^s'- of an aero ironie must ile|'>.o;d on local 

 conditions ; for finding, such m ichinns require an aerodrome 

 of 500 to 800 yr.ls each way, on a flat s-irface. 



It is important that the approaches to the aerodrome 

 should be, as lai as po.ssible. free from obstructions, such 

 as treu.i or tall buildings, for at least a mile. A few 

 buildings or obatacl-.s do not niatttr, provided there are 

 clear spaces to enable an aeroplane to approach the aero- 

 drome at low altitude. Good approaches would render 

 a relatively small aeiodrome suitable 



The aeroplams of the pre.=i nt day are certainly of suffi- 

 cient reliability in a commercial sense for .^hnrt sea journeys 

 and over mountainous country, provided that the engines 

 used are of a well-known type with which considcable exneri- 

 ence has been gained 



