Airways In

Pacific

Big Developments Afoot

Suva, Aug. 3.

rERE seems little doubt that Suva will become the airways cross roads of the Pacific. Already, mili tary and semi-military services run regu larly between Suva and Auckland; between Australia and Honolulu, calling at Suva; between Suva and Rarotonga, calling at Nukualofa and Apia.

The Pan American Airways service between North America and New Zea land, via Honolulu, Canton Is., Noumea and Suva (which was suspended after Pearl Harbour) will be resumed with Skymaster land-planes before the end of 1945; and about mid-1946 very large new land-planes will enter the service.

Mr. Harold Gatty, who inaugurated the service before the war for PAA, was here last week, making preparations for resumption. He expects that the PAA service will be extended to Australia soon —not via Auckland, but via Noumea.

Present indications are that the big planes calling at Fiji will use the big dry ’drome at Nadi, on the northern side of the island, instead of the ’dromes nearer Suva, which is in the wet belt.

But if a suitable landing-ground can be found near Suva, that will be used.

Honolulu and Canton Island were equipped with suitable airfields for the larger planes, said Mr. Gatty. In the service between Suva and Sydney, the aircraft would call at Noumea. A field at the north of New Caledonia would have to be used temporarily until one near the town was extended. Mascot aerodrome at Sydney was being prepared for the large land-planes.

THE new DC-7 aircraft, which are expected to be in the service by the middle of next year, will cost 1.500,000 dollars each. Twenty-six of these machines have been ordered from the Douglas Aircraft Company by PAA, whose engineers co-operated to develop the advanced type. They will have a crew of 13 and spacious pressurised cabins will provide comfortable travel at an altitude of 20,000 feet. Twice as large as the former Clipper flying-boats, the DC-7’s will have, in addition to two large cabins, a modern galley equipped for serving full-course meals, dressing-rooms, toilets, cargo compartment, flight deck and compartment for pilots.

The wing-span of the new machines is 176 feet, the height of a 16-storey build ing, and they will be powered by four new Pratt and Whitney engines, details of which are a military secret, but which are known to be even more powerful than the 2.100 h.p. Double Wasp engines. They will have a cruising speed of 300 miles an hour. Mr. Gatty said that these new aircraft were under production and one would be flying within a few weeks.

As regional director, Mr. Gatty will be responsible for the Fijian. New Cale donian, Australian and New Zealand branches of the service, and he expects to be stationed at Suva. Mrs. Gatty and the two younger boys are at oresent liv ing in New York, but Mr. Gatty’s eldest son. Leading-Aircraftman Alan Gattv. who is 19. joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and is now in training at Christchurch.

Since leaving Australia, where he was director of an Allied forces air trans port service in 1942-3. Mr. Gatty has been engaged in navigational research. He published a book on emergency naviga tion to assist Servicemen adrift at sea

and was later employed in further navi gational research for the United States Navy.

The Rev. Fuata Taito, a Fijian mem ber of the Methodist Mission, commenced deputation work in Victoria in July. He is a missionary to Australian aboriginals.