Clearwater Republican., 1921-04-22
Plan to Fly Giant DirigibIes From
London to America, Aus
traIia and Africa.
SPEED 60 MILES AN HOUR
Craft, With 100 Passengers Aboard,
Expected to Fly From England
to California in Four Days-
Commercial Airship Is Al
ready a Success.

LondOn.-PlanS are now under dis
cussiOn here for linking up all parts
Of the world by passenger air routes,
on which giant dirigibles, flying two
miles above the surface at 60 miles an
hour, will join London with North
America, Australia, India and South
Africa. If these plans are carried
out air liners 800 feet long, equipped
with berths, dining rooms, smoking
rooms. libraries and observation plat
forms, will speed from England to
San Francisco in four days, stopping
TO discharge passengers and mails at
New York and Chicago. Each ship
will carry 100 passengers, and the fare
will be only so per cent more than
present steamship rates. Ships capa-
BILE Of this service are now in COM
mission, and trial passenger flight
will be made to Egypt by a British
government alrship to determine the
feasibility Of opening such passenger
routes.
"The commercial airship already
has proved its success said Sir Tre-
vor Dawson of yickers. Limited,
when asked whether he thought the
plan practicable. Yickers, Limited,
is now building airships for the Brit
ish government. and Sir Trevor is an
expert ON the lighterthanair craft.
"Day Of Passenger Liner Here"
1.-The success OF the R-34 showed
the possibilities Of transatlantic
SERVICE" he continued. ut is now only
question of building more and larger
ships and eQuipping suitable landing
fields. sheds and moOring stations on
both sides Of the Atlantic. The air.
ships are speedy, safe and reliable.
They can carry large cargoes. have u
wide cruising range, and can ride out
almost any weather.
''The day of the passenger air liner
is here, and If the task of organizing
air routes Is undertaken by big finan-
cial interests 1t should be possible to
begin a regular passenger service over
Europe within SIX months with the
ships and bases already In existence.
The American service would require
somewhat larger ships and landing
stations in North America. But 1t
could be In operation in less than
three years. We need such a service,
and believe that 1t will come"
The R-34 is the type of craft sug-
gested for the proposed service. but
the contemplated ships. although
built on the R-34 lines, would be much
larger and have far greater cruising
radius. 1t Is said that a rigid airship
could be built that would be 1,1O0
feet long. carrying 1876 tons of freight
or passengers. and having maximum
range of 1920 miles. cruising radius.
Maitland Supports Project.
Brig. Gen. f. NJ. Maitland, who
commanded the R-34 in the transat-
lantic flight, is believer In the plan
for world air routes.
Even the existing airship Of today
can be regarded as reasonably safe
public conveyance" he says. "They
already have proved themselves capa-
BILE of flying through practically any
type of weather, and the larger air.
ships of the future, fitted with more
powerful machinery, necessarily will
be even safer. Fogs do not prove q
real menace to airships, as with the
present methods of navigation 1t is
not necessary to see the ground in
flying between bases. 1t is true that at
present the most violent forms of cleo
trio storms are an undoubted danger
TO all forms of aircraft, but at the
most this danger appears to be less
than the danger of rocky coasts and
shadows to the seagoing ship.
"Airships of this type Of the R-3S,
which is now being built Mt Bedford,
or the German LII, would be capable
of flying from England to Egypt. a
distance of 2.2o0 miles, without stop
in two and one-half days. These
ships would carry about so passen-
gers. with 100 pounds of baggage for