Sydney-Rabaul Air
p. 12 · Read in the full issue
Service Will It Be Ready In January?
OO far as the operating’ company (Messrs. W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd.) are concerned, the new weekly air mail service between Sydney and Rabaul, via North Queensland, Port Moresby, and Salamaua, will commence in January next.
The three machines (De Havilland 86B), with which the service is to be carried on, will be delivered and assembled in plenty of time. At the beginning, the trip from Australia to New Guinea will occupy 2i days—pre sumably, one dav from Sydney to Cook town, one from Cooktown to Sala maua, and half a day from Salamaua to Rabaul.
There is, however, considerable doubt whether the Commonwealth Government will carry out its part in time to allow the service to start in January. The aerodromes at Cooktown and, to a lesser degree, at Pt. Moresby and Rabaul, re cmire enlargement and improvement.
Apparently, it is also intended to use the Salamaua ’drome. That aerodrome is not at all suitable for large aircraft.
It is subject to treacherous air currents, and it is of a swampy character —it was actually under wate 1 * for two or three davs at the end of August.
There is also important work to be done in the installation of directional radio at Cooktown, Pt. Moresby, Rabaul, and, presumably, Salamaua or Wau. It is a certainty that the service will not commence until this safety apparatus is available.
It is also necessary that there shall be a complete meteorological organisa tion to supply the pilots with weather data and forecasts. This, no doubt, the Commonwealth can provide in a few weeks. But there is, as yet, little indi cation that the improvement of the ’dromes and the installation of safety apparatus are being carried on accord ing to any time schedule.