{ 
SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—G. 465 
less costly to maintain. Use of heavy oil will effect enormous reduction in 
fuel and engine maintenance costs. 
Basic problem unsolved—the education of the public. Public support 
dependent on realisation of safety and reasonable fares. Duty of the Govern- 
ment to give financial assistance to enable such fares to be charged until 
increased traffic and improved aircraft make air transport commercially self- 
supporting. 
Operational problems being studied ; present experience points to 2,000 hours’ 
flying per machine per annum as practicable and desirable, and to a 200 per 
cent. engine reserve per machine; 600 hours’ flying per annum not an undue 
strain on pilots. 5 
. Passenger comfort being studied and improved. Experiments being carried 
out in heating, ventilation, silencing and general comfort. Silencing the greatest 
difficulty, but progress being made. 
Air-sickness not nearly so prevalent as alleged; most uncommon in open 
_aireraft; in closed machines limited to a small proportion on rough days; 
eauses being investigated; improvements in heating, ventilation, and silencing 
will do much to eliminate. 
Rival merits of airships and aeroplanes; conflicting claims of large and 
small aeroplanes. 
Airships and aeroplanes not rivals; the airship the instrument of sustained 
flight; latest designs permit twelve days’ continuous cruising with day and 
night flying; rates for commercial loads lower by airship than aeroplane. Little 
practical experience of transport work by big rigid airships; estimates there- 
fore largely theoretical. Large capital expenditure involved in airship organisa- 
tion ; destruction of an airship fleet unit a serious financial loss. 
Aeroplane operational costs now estimated on bases of practical experience ; 
measure of reliability similarly capable of estimate; the aeroplane easily and 
cheaply handled and able to land frequently and to deal with local traffic; the 
aeroplane more adaptable to frequency of service. 
Broadly, the economic airship stage is never less than 1,000 miles; the 
economic aeroplane stage rarely more than 300 miles. The two should grow 
up together, and one will help the other. 
Design expert opinion calls for an airship of not less than 34 million cubic 
feet to provide an economic service, and is satisfied that ships of such size can 
be constructed easily and handled ‘efficiently ; the scheme now under considera- 
tion by the Government caters for a bi-weekly service to India with an eventual 
extension to Australia. 
Present difficulties of night-flying by aeroplane; due to lack of visibility 
coupled with lack of inherent stability; when stability is secured night-flying 
completely practical for aeroplanes;-in these circumstances the aeroplane will 
achieve speed superiority over airships on long-distance routes, but the airship 
will still provide greater degree of comfort. 
Large aeroplanes, carrying 100 passengers, will come, but the first step is 
to develop the efficient small aeroplane and utilise on new services; the small 
aircraft more easily handled; gives a greater load percentage and the advantages 
of frequency of service. 
Standardisation of operational methods on every route impossible. Cross- 
hannel air services require high speed to compete with established transport, 
frequent services, absolute regularity in spite of adverse weather conditions ; 
on a route such as Cairo-Baghdad these considerations do not apply. Each 
route must be taken on its own merits, bearing, however, in mind the economic 
value of standardisation on connecting routes; reduction in fleets and stores 
which would result from standardisation on routes now radiating from London, 
distance, non-stop flights. 
_ Desirability of transport experts taking part in development of air transnort. 
New trade routes available to air transport; utilising the shane of the globe; 
the North-East passage to the Pacific; weather conditions in the Arctic Circle 
‘probably more friendly to air transport than those of London; cold but fine and 
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