FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1229.PDF
SEPTEMBER II, 1919 WHAT a distributing centre for up-to-date information, 186, Fleet Street, must be. Starting from that address for London via Dundee, " our own (London) correspondent " of the Advertiser of the city of cakes tells us that " the Board of Trade Committee is at present considering a comprehensive scheme for the establishment this coming winter of an ex tensive landing ground for aircraft in the heart of London. This aerodrome, the only one of its kind in the world, will be situated on the roof of a large central clearing house in Clerkenwell, which is now being built for London's goods traffic. Sheltered on all sides by tall buildings, equipped with powerful searchlights, and covering some quarter mile square of level surface, aircraft will be able to depart for and arrive from all parts of the world by night and by day, and in all sorts of weather, in safety . . . The new scheme will fulfil a long-felt want, and will entail the saving of an hour on every flight made to and from the Metropolis. Several of the more important aircraft companies will share in the use of the new aerodrome, and steps are to be taken to amend the existing rule of the Air Ministry that aircraft must not fly over London at a low altitude." We are indeed delighted to hear of this enterprise, which looks like going one better even than the suggestion of roofing in the Green Park for a similar purpose. Unfortunately the "affaire" is merely the putting into words a vision of the future, & 'la Gattie, as an addi tional inducement to the Government to put into opera tion Mr. A. W. Gattie's great and admirable clearing house scheme. This, irrespective of the utter inadequacy of the 'drome space which the roof of Mr. Gattie's building would afford, according to the latter's own figures. No, we fancy " our own correspon dent " will have to hedge pre sently over that " this coming winter" creation of his. Gracious to goodness, but such a scheme as Gattie's if success ful, would knock out half to threequarters of the Geddes bureaucrats which are now in the process of creation ! FOLLOWING is a letter from Sir Charles Bright on " Air ship Economy " which he has sent to the Press under date September 2 :— " Today's announcement that the Air Ministry have decided to stop airship con struction will corneas a shock to all who rightly recognise (1) that the Air Force is going to be the most essential weapon of national defence, and (2) that airships are capable of becoming a highly efficient factor in transport- and communication betwixt the Mother Country and the outlying portions of the Empire. The same applies, of^ course,^ to international trade. Let us, by all means, work for a closely restricted expenditure in directions where, owing to bad organisation expensive contracts, and much overlapping between Depart ments, money has been ill-spent — literally poured out indeed. But if our economy is either at the cost of Imperia security or acting as a check to inter-Imperial commerce, our position will surely become worse than ever." TRACKING Sinn Fein murderers by aeroplane is the latest airy item. Following the murder of the military at Fermoy by the Sinn Feiners, a hunt by car and otherwise for the criminals was at once set up, but the murderers having got through on their motor car, accomplices blocked the way for the authorities' vehicles by means of felled trees across the road. Delay thus gained enabled, at least temporarily, the fugitives to escape. Under the circumstances aeroplanes from the flying station were then sent up, 18 machines, it being stated, taking up the chase. Unfortunately these were brought into action a bit late, and it is hardly surprising to learn that they failed to ts&pressiosas Squadron-Leader McCrindle, M.C., of the H.P. Com munication Squadron, who, at the time of; the Peace Conference, flew many celebrities across to, Versailles. find any trace of the fleeing motor cars. SYNCHRONISING with our aircraft downing policy, from Germany it is announced that the Prussian Ministry of Trade has sanctioned the formation of a limited liability company for air traffic in Frankfort-on-the- Main, with a share capital of 15,000,000 marks (nomin ally ^750,000). The company will begin with a post and passenger service of some 200 aeroplanes, which will fly between Cologne and Frank fort, Stuttgart, Basel, Berlin, Breslau and Hamburg. A COMPLAINT from Bradford in connection with air defence waste will take a lot of ex plaining away. It is stated that a station established in that city at Beacon Hill during the Zeppelin raids still exists, with an anti-aircraft gun mounted and 17 men in charge. It is hardly sur prising to hear that this is denounced as wasteful ex travagance. It is now an nounced, after a public outburst of indignation, that steps are being taken to dis mantle the station and release the men. But what about it ? AT Dover last Sunday night a novel open-air service was held within the walls of the Wesley Memorial Hall, which was one of the " hits " of the bombing season, it being un roofed and blown to pieces by German eggs, well and truly laid. It has since been cleared inside and rendered safe, but it is still open to the sky. FROM Maj. C. H. R. John ston (late R.A.F.) the follow- 1231
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
