§ 4. Mr. William Teelingasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation whether he will give a list of the airports where the Brabazon will be able to land in parts of the world served by British airlines; and how many of these are within reasonable distance of each other in case of one of them being unserviceable.
§ Mr. LindgrenThe Brabazon I was designed for the North Atlantic route. It is anticipated that a re-designed undercarriage, to be fitted to the operational aircraft, will allow of the use of aerodromes on the route as developed for contemporary types. Pending the outcome of a series of engineering experiments, I am unable to give more definite information.
§ Mr. TeelingWhile I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask if he will make it quite clear, because so many people seem to think that the Brabazon is going to be used elsewhere?
§ Mr. LindgrenIt is designed for the North Atlantic. Whether or not it will be used on other routes will depend on the characteristics of the aircraft when it flies.
§ Mr. William ShepherdIs there any aerodrome at present capable of accommodating the Brabazon?
§ Mr. LindgrenIt is not a question of aerodromes, but of the bearing strength of the runways. If we can so redesign the undercarriage to take the weight, the existing aerodromes will take the aircraft.