WesWorld

[SIZE=1]Author's note: As I am waiting for news from the South American War to catch up, my news posts here will be slightly scattered: I am making a single post to hold the entire Q1 news, and will update this post in a non-linear fashion.[/SIZE]

January 8
Runoff from the summer's glacial melt has caused part of the Trans-Andean Railway grade to wash out in three different locations. The Chilean Army has dispatched all available army engineers to clear debris, lay new gravel, and repair the track.

January 14
The Trans-Andean Railway opens again for traffic. Three thousand men worked with everything from shovels to heavy equipment to clear the line for further travel.

February 7
Valdivia Aviación has announced that it has concluded an engine agreement for it's upcoming line of aircraft. Valdivia will work with Canadian Orenda and British de Havilland. The production line will be composed of two aircraft: the Condor and the Twin Condor.

Valdivia Condor:
Length: 28.5 feet
Wingspan: 44 feet
Height: 8 feet
Wing area: 275.15 ft²
Weight: 1,200 pounds
Crew: One pilot, three passengers
Speed: 87 knots (100mph)
Rate of climb: 600 feet per minute
Ceiling: 15,000 feet
Range: 250-300 miles (engine dependent)
Powerplant: De Havilland Gipsy Minor (90hp), Gipsy Major (130hp), Gipsy Six (200hp), or Canadian Orenda engines
Remarks: STOL, parasol wing, taildragger

Valdivia Twin Condor:
Length: 47 feet
Wingspan: 59 feet
Height: 16 feet
Wing area: 410 ft²
Weight: 5,520 pounds
Crew: One pilot; 16 passengers
Speed: 150 knots (172mph)
Rate of climb: 1,100 feet per minute
Ceiling: 18,000 feet
Range: 700 nautical miles (engine dependent)
Powerplant: Gipsy Six (200hp), or Canadian Orenda engines
Remarks: STOL, parasol wing, fixed tricycle gear

February 10
Teniente Emilio Esteban, an Chilean pilot flying for the Argentine "General San Martin Squadron", has been shot down over Paraguay and presumed lost. Teniente Esteban's TNCA A-1 Mapache ground-attack fighter failed to return to the airfield, and no news has been received of his survival within the past two days. Esteban had 6 kills, with another from the Chilean-Bolivian War.

February 15
A Chilean maritime patrol plane spotted what was believed to be a South African submarine lurking in the Straits of Magellan. The destroyer Almirante Williams was called to investigate, but failed to make definite contact with any submarines. There was a moment of panic, however, when a lookout shouted a warning for inbound torpedo tracks. It was proven shortly after to be a trick of the waves and the light. No shots were fired nor depth charges dropped. The Chilean aerial spotters were fairly certain that it was an RSAN submarine, but the captain of the Almirante Williams said that to reporters in Punta Arenas "The plane had spotted a whale." The pilot offered the following rejoinder: "Whales don't have conning towers. Unless it was an evil South African whale."

February 19
A squadron forming much of Chile's naval might has anchored in Punta Arenas, composed around two heavy cruisers and two armored cruisers (CA-1 Nevado Ojos del Salado, CA-2 Volcan Osorno, AC-4 Capitan Oyama, and AC-5 General O'Higgins). Despite their proximity to the battle zone, the squadron remains painted in the regular camouflage and not the high-visibility identifying colors of the Horn patrol ships. This comes four days after an RSAN submarine was supposedly spotted in the Straits of Magellan.

Chilean naval spokesmen, when asked about the presence of so many large warships so near to the battle zone, shrugged. "What? Just because our neighbors are fighting a war, does that mean we can't have our fleets anchor in our own territorial waters, at our own naval bases? I'm sure the South African navy will take the appropriate steps to make certain no accidents happen in Chilean territorial waters, yes?"

February 21
The Chilean congress issued a statement to the Argentine, Brazilian, and SAE embassies calling all three nations to make another attempt to draw a ceasefire and end the war.

February 22The Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs spent all day at the Atlantean embassy. Government spokesmen indicated that they were discussing the difficulties which will follow a post-war South America.

(Holding March news for now.)

The Twin Condor could be interesting for Persian Airways

The specs for the Twin Condor are basically a super-upgraded Dragon Rapide, but I'm seeing it look like the Twin Otter in appearance and STOL capability.

It should be almost perfect for domestic flights with Gypsy six engines, when will production begin?

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
It should be almost perfect for domestic flights with Gypsy six engines, when will production begin?

Honestly, don't know. I was saying the trial airframes were put together in my Q4/35 news, and waiting for engines; perhaps full production by Q3 or Q4/36?