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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0382.PDF
APRIL I, 1920 THE OPENING OFJWADDON AIR PORT : After serving as the London Terminus for continental air trafficfor several months, Hounslow aerodrome has been relinquished for the use of Cavalry, and the port arrangements have been transferred to Waddon, near Croydon, from which air port traffic was inaugurated on Monday of thisweek. ^Our photos, show the Farman Goliath ready for the trip to Paris, and, inset, M. Comte starting off for ^ ^Switzerland on the machine on which he brought over Robert Loraine recently. the^Congressmen whojatjpresent are looking askance at avia-tion and its future. Therefore, according to the New York cable to hand, the American aeroplane manufacturers arebesieging Congress with frantic appeals for protection against British and French competitors, who, they contend, aredumping their products on the market in a manner which threatens their industry with extinction.Special complaint is made against British competition. British manufacturers are accused not only of advertisingmachines at very low rates, " which are made doubly attrac- tive because of the cheapness at which the pound sterlingcan be bought with dollars," but of profiting from oppor- tunities furnished them by the British Government. AnInter-Allied Aircraft Corporation is cited as a particularly grave offender in this respect, it having just purchased fromthe Government 10,000 areoplanes at from 10 to 30 per cent, of the original cost of manufacture.The American manufacturers declare that British firms are offering at £700 to £1,000 machines which it would costthem £2,000 to £3,000 to make. What is worse, the British are not only selling surplus War stock, but are continuing toproduce new machines at a prodigious rate in what the American manufacturers describe as " a tremendous drive "to control the commercial aeroplane industry of the world. THAT'S assuredly done it. So now, with these facts beforehim, it's up to Mr. Holt Thomas to withdraw his resignation and get on with it again. IF plain John Smith predicts anything startlingly out ofthe orthodox, as a rule the world passes by. But when a Mr. Athmanatha Iyer predicts great doings, the public isever ready to swallow any old story, and never care a jot as to reasonable facts. Therefore comes it about thatalmost every other man you meet who follows things, you know, keenly, queries one as to that thousand miles an hour aerial propeller. From Madras this wonder-tale has emanated,based upon the claim of the said A. I. that he has invented a prop, which will revolutionise air travel by surpassing allrevolutioning props, hitherto in being. It is to give a speed of 1,000 miles an hour in the air, it can be fitted to any existingair-conveyance as fancy suggests, and any fuel can be used—• coal, oil or gas. Apparently the inventor thoroughly under-stands the latter article of furniture, as friend Athmanatha is very careful to let it be known that the invention is beingkept a secret, and it will be up to the purchaser to secure his patents after they or he have been—sold and presumablypaid for. THERE appears to be only one little drawback to this littlerevolutionary stunt, and that is that its maximum speed is only limited by the engineers' skill to overcome natural diffi-culties I IN case landlubber and seadog transport service folk mayget the wind up at the prospect of their number being up, it may be reassuring for them to learn that Mr. A.I. has arrangedthat his power unit is equally applicable to any sort of con- veyance on land and water. Nothing like not doing thething by halves while you are about it. THE other day a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealiswas witnessed in the early hours of the morning, the illumina- tion being so brilliant that it is alleged the smallest news-paper print could without difficulty be read at Barnet, and that poultry were inveigled into starting their daily avocationsof crowing and laying at about one in the morning. This little manifestation recalls to mind that the Huns during theWar were alive to the possibilities of this phenomena, and during the later stages of the War under similar conditionsmade an unexpected air-raid upon England. Cairo to Cape Flight. THE Air Ministry announces that the following message has been received by the Secretary of State for the Coloniesfrom Lord Buxton; Governor-General of the Union of South Africa :—" The Union Government Ministers request me to convey to the Air Ministry the Government of the Union of SouthAfrica's warm appreciation of the high enterprise and fore- sight of His Majesty's Government in laying out the aerialroute from Cairo to Cape Town,, thus making possible the accomplishment of the wonderful air journey from Londonto Cape Town by Wing-Comdr. van Ryneveld and Flight-Lieut. Brand, despite all difficulties, dangers and mishaps. " The Government of the Union of South Africa is deeplyindebted to the Royal Air Force for making these two South African officers available and for the invaluable assistancethey were given, more particularly at Cairo in placing another aeroplane at their disposal and assembling it for the trans-continental flight. " The Government of the Union of South Africa is especiallygratified that the first use to which the Air Ministry's magni- ficent gift of 100 aeroplanes and equipment was put has beenthe employment of one of these machines, christened the " Voortrekker " (a D.H.9 with Siddeley Puma engine),to carry through this extraordinary and most noteworthy enterprise. My Ministers are convinced that the knowledgeand experience thus gained will be of the greatest practical benefit and the utmost use to the development of long distanceair communication over most difficult countries in all alti- tudes and climates." The Government of the Union of South Africa greatly regret that other attempts to complete the journey have nothitherto proved successful and desire to express the greatest admiration of the pluck and enterprise of those who embarkedon this very formidable venture.—BUXTON." Lord Buxton has also sent a cable to The Times statingthat Capts. Cockerell and Broome have handed to him the letter from His Majesty, entrusted to Dr. Chalmers Mitchell, as well as the letters from Lord Milner and Lord Allenby. The log of Wing-Comdr. Ryneveld shows that his actual flying time from Brooklands to Cape Town, a distance of 7,500 miles, was 4 days 13 hours 30 mins. 382
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