§ 55 and 57. Mr. VIANTasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) what is the estimated cost of the repairs to the R. 33; when will this airship be ready to continue here experimental flights; when will the experts be able to decide upon the improvements to be embodied in the repairs to the mooring mast at Pulham; and when will the mast be ready for use?
(2) when the completion of the mooring mast and air station, including hydrogen 2199 producing plant, at Ismailia is expected; when will the R. 36 be ready for the experimental service to Egypt; and what is the estimated cost of re-conditioning the R. 36 for this service?
§ Sir P. SASSOONI will answer the hon. Member's questions with regard to the R. 33 and R. 36 together, a differentiation of cost between the two airships being extremely difficult, both because they have been under repair simultaneously and because the accident to the R. 33 has affected the work on the R. 36. The cost of the direct labour and material for the repair of both the airships is estimated at £32,000, to which must be added the cost of a complete set of gas bags, namely, £24,000: this was necessary be cause only one set of serviceable gas bags could be made available out of those originally in the two airships. The repair to R. 33, which has involved practically a re-design of the forepart of the airship, should be completed by the middle of September, and the airship should be fully inflated and ready for flight three weeks from that date. The details of the repairs to the mooring mast at Pulham will be completed very shortly and the mast should be ready for use at the end of September. In view of the delays in the original programme that have been caused by the accident to the R. 33, it is not now proposed to carry out the mooring mast and other flying trials in Egypt before the late spring or early summer of 1926, by which time both the base at Ismailia and the repair of R. 36 should have been completed.
§ 56. Mr. VIANTasked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the fact that the nearest mooring mast, at Ismailia, is approximately 1,900 miles away, and the safety and reliability of air ships for commercial purposes has not yet been proved, it is intended to try out the vessels which are intended for this service regularly on a route in this country, where mooring masts are already in existence, before attempting the Egyptian service?
§ Sir P. SASSOONThe hon. Member is apparently under a misapprehension, there being no intention to establish a State airship service to Egypt. I may say, however, that, in view of the fact that the two new airships are to be of much larger dimensions than any hitherto 2200 built, an exhaustive programme of re search and experiment is being carried out in connection with their construction.