The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-29
COMMANDER READ
TALKS ON FUTURE
Of AIR VESSELS
Expects Commercial Lines To
Be Established in Year Or
Two Across the Atlantic.
will Use DirigibIeS.

Commefcial lines Of llghter-than-alr
machines, making regular trlps back
anu forth across the Atlantic ocean.
VIII be established within 4 year or
Two, an the opinion OF Lieut.. Com, A..
&. Read, Of the NC-4, first craft TO nv
across the Atlantic, Commander Read
discussed the future 6t transoceaulc
tiylhg IN ON interview given The News
Sclhitar TN his room at the Chlsca
MOTEL where he Is staying during the
oItlciai visit Of himself and his famous
hydroplane to Memphis.
me -thanair craft will be
the first to put transatlantic flying on
y commercial hAsia, said Commander
read, because they are more ready
Tor that sort Of thing than the heavier
LhRh-hlr craft, 1t viii be necessary to
pulld much larger aeroplanes than the
Atlantic"
IN the belief Of Commander Read air
craft VIII never be 30 deyeoped that
they win take the place Of water going
vessels N ocean transportation. "Air
craft VIII be used for transporting pas
singers AMI light, valuable freight
where the desire for quick passage con-
trolls the choice" he said "bnt there
" no more chance, as some people be-
heNe, that air craft viii supplant ocean
going ships than there Is that railroad
trains will entirely eliminate eoastwise
coastwise transportation where quick
delivery 10 destination Is required but
there Is stu an immense lot Of coast
wise trade carried on. The ships carry
the passengers who are not In an es-
pecial hurry and heavier freight that
does not require very prompt delivery"
With reference to his statement that
larger planes than the NC-4 would
have TO be built to put trans Atlantic
Tying on u practical basis, Commander
Read was asked to say whether he
thought there was an reasonable limit
to the size an aeroplane could be built.
He answered that this was IAN en-
gineerlng problem" upon which he
would not undertake to give a profess
sonal opinion. But he declared that
II deemed impractical to construct as
large plane as the NC4 which would
fly but It had certainly been done,
He explained that the theory adverse
to mammoth heavier than air craft was
that the weight Of power plant Is
heavier thanNair craft was that as the
size OF the craft was increased, the
so great in relation to a plant that
one sufficiently large to develop power
enough to weight Of the power plant"
would become relatively so heavy that
1t could not lift the craft.
The heavier than-air flying Is still
In the adventure" stage Of develop
ment, Commander Read said. THE
Idea now Is, he said, to see Just what
can be done with an aeroplane. There
Is talk OF flying to the poles and across
the Pacific transcontinental flying and
all sorts of experimental feats to test
out the possibilities In aeroplanes."
Commander Read said the use Of
aeropane for travelling about the coun~
try, carrying mails and valuable freight
will become general as soon as cap
ltal learns to have more confidence In
aoronatic ventures and begins to invest
its mercy In such projects
Speaking again OF transocean flying
Commander Read said the heavier than
air craft was not yet practical for COM
mercal purposes because "it is not con-
ceivable that an aeroplane could re-
main In flight more than day While
the British dlrigible, ! believe, was
about three days en- route from England
to America"