Sir, - While Antoin Daltun (March 1st) is correct in saying that Foynes was always regarded as an interim site for a transatlantic airport, it is not the case that landplane activities were planned "from the beginning". In November 1936 a special Inter-Departmental Committee concluded progress on these should be postponed "until it is possible to foresee future developments with a greater degree of certainty than can now be attained". On November 30th, 1937 the Government approved the preparation of permanent fl in boat facilities at Rineanna, together with the construction of a "land aerodrome".
The remains of the flying-boat mooring basin can still be seen, though it was never completed. Even as work proceeded, it was becoming evident that the future lay with land-planes, and when in 1944 Pan-am, the major operator then on the Atlantic, took the decision to abandon flying-boats, its fate was sealed. - Yours, etc.,
Sallins, Co Kildare.