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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0066.PDF
JANVARY -2 THE HOLLAND-LONDON AIR-SERVICE LAST week we mentioned the formation of the organisation to carry on an Air-Service between Amsterdam, London, Berlin, etc., in which Siddeley " Puma " engines and Fokker machines would form the major portion of the operating fleet. This news is now amplified by further particulars received dealing with details. The Times states that the Company making this bid for our air custom is the " K.L.M." (De Koninklijke Luchtvaart-Maatschappij Voor Nederland en Kolonien). April i is the date given for a start. It is proposed to inaugurate a regular service from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to Brussels, Paris, and London ; from Amsterdam to Bremen and Hamburg; and also between Hamburg and Copenhagen and Copenhagen and Malmo. The service will cater for both passenger and goods traffic and passengers will be able to take with them personal luggage up to 30 lb. weight to any destination to which they may be flying, irrespective of distance. The K.L.M. is also prepared to cater for parties, to let out aeroplanes for private hire, and to accept contracts for regular journeys both for passengers and freight. The following table shows the fares to be charged for passenger journeys :— • Amsterdam or Rotterdam to— Brussels. Paris. London. Single .. .. 50L I25f' I25f- (£4 3s. 4d.) G£io 8s. 4<Z.) (£10 8s. 4rf.) Return . . . , 751. 2cof. 2cof. (£64s.) (£16 13s. 4/*.) (i.6 13s. 4<*-) The fare between Amsterdam and Rotterdam will be 2Sf. (£2 is. Sd:). Amsterdam to Bremen single will be icof. (£& 6s. 8d.), and return I5of. (/12 10s.), and to Hamburg as to Paris and London. It will be seen that substantial reductions in fares are made to passengers taking return tickets. With regard to the charge for luggage all freight above 30 lb. weight will be charged to Brussels is. for every 2 lb., to Paris, London, Bremen, Hamburg, is. per lb., and to Copenhagen, is. $d. per lb. An arrangement has been made by which for the unused portion of a return ticket there will be returnable to the holder the difference between the return fare and the single fare, less 20 per cent. The charge to be made for private flights varies with the type of machine. Two persons in an open machine will pay 125! (£10 8s. 4d.) for the first hour or part of an hour and ioof. (£8 6s. 8d.) for each hour or part of an hour afterwards. In a closed-in machine the charge will be i?of. (^12 10s.) for the first hour, I2sf. (^10 8s. $d.) for the second, and ioof. (£8 6s. 8d.) for each hour or part of an hour afterwards. Five persons in a limousine will pay 175! (^14 TIS- &d) the first hour or part thereof, igof. (^12 10s.) for the second, and I25f. (J£IO 8s. 4^.) for each hour or part of an hour afterwards. There will be special charges for private flights abroad. The rates for goods sent on the freight flights work out at about is. id. a pound to Brussels, is. 8d. to Paris, and is. yd. to London, with reductions for quantities. Packages received at the companies' offices in the morning will be delivered the same day, and those received at noon the next morning. ., The following table shows the saving in time the K..L.M. expects to make over boat and train services :— Hours. Rail. Air- 14 (Boat) 3i 12 (Boat) 36 *k- *i 1 4i i\ • From To Amsterdam .. London Rotterdam .. ,, Amsterdam .. Brussels Rotterdam .. ,, "-.;.. .-»>••. 4$- Amsterdam ,. Paris ,. '.. 12, Rotterdam .. ,, .. .. 10 J Amsterdam .. Bremen .. 10 Amsterdam .. Hamburg ._ 14- Amsterdam .. Copenhagen .. 28$ 6£ Amsterdam .. Malrr6 .. .. 31 7i "*"" Fokker machines will no doubt be very largely used on -»--; these services, particularly so far as that portion of them connecting up with German towns is concerned ; but it is understood that a large number of the machines plying -~ between this country and the Dutch terminus will be of British origin, flown by British and Dutch pilots. There is a possiblity that the service *o London will be developed inland, and machines, after stopping for customs purposes at . -__ Croydon, will resume their journey inland to the destination, for which their cargo is intended. IN regard to the International Air Traffic Association. • mentioned in connection with the organisation of air services. General Sir \V. S. Brancker supplies the following history of the origin of this combine :-— " In the spring of 1919 the British Aircraft Transport and Travel Company, under the chairmanship of Mr. Holt Thomas, invited the representatives of the leading aerial transport companies in Holland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to meet and confer with a view to coming to some co-operative arrangement for a through air service from London to Scandinavia. "In the summer of 1919 the first meeting was held at the Hague under my chairmanship. Great Britain was represented by the Aircraft Transport and Travel Company, Holland by the Koninklijke Lutchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Kolonien (K.L.M.), and the leading aerial transport com- panies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were also present. At the request of the Dutch company, a German company— the Deutsche Luftreederei—was invited to attend. The conference was held by the courtesy of the Dutch Govern- ment in a Government building, and occupied three days, during which various questions, including the organisation of through mail services and through rates, Customs arrange- ments, standardisation of aircraft, through time-tables, etc., were fully discussed. Finally, a short agreement for future co-operation, under the title of the International Air Traffic Association, was signed by all the companies. Throughout the proceedings, England, having instituted the meeting, led the way ; the proceedings were conducted in English, and, as you have noticed, the association was given an English title. It was hoped to start a through service last summer, but financial trouble prevented this enterprise. Now, as we have heard, a through service to Berlin will be started this year, but, unfortunately, the British element of the Associa- tion—the Aircraft Transport and Travel Company—is defunct, having withered away through lack of financial support and assistance from the Government. " Presumably the German company, by virtue of Germany's great experience and resources, will now take the lead." A Spanish Height Record FROM Seville it is stated that Lieut. Gonsalez, a cadet of the Flying School, on January 22, when going for his height test, found that after an hour's mounting his altimeter had ceased working. He continued to climb, and subse- quently, after landing safely, his sealed recorder was found to have registered a height of 5,700 metres, thus, it is claimed, creating a new Spanish height record. •"-.'••• ".'.'•"•• Are Aeroplanes of Any Use ? THIS question, which, like Sir Percy Scott's " The Use of Battleship" query, is often asked by the unthinking street loafer—and others. Probably a more direct reply could hardly be found than in the new air postal service between Aleppo and Alexandretta, which has just been formally " inaugurated " by General Gouraud, Commander- in-Chief of the French Army of the Levant. These two important commercial centres have mainly to rely upon an inefficient railway and very circumscribed road communica- tion. At present the railway is not even working, owing to the bad state of the bridges and tunnels, and the road by Katma el Hammam is quite impracticable for motor-cars or motor transport vehicles, and very third-rate horsed vehicles with armed escort have therefore to be relied upon for mail carriage, etc., these providing hazardous adventure by reason of the constant attacks upon them by brigands and footpads who sally down from the Anatolie mountains At present the regular mail has to travel between these two cities by" utilising the railway as far as Beyrouth. It then takes to the sea for the rest of the journey to Alexandretta, stops being made at three ports on the way, giving a total period for the journey of from eight to ten days, as a minimum. By aeroplane, on the other hand, the distance is about 120 kilometres, giving a duration for the journey of about one hour. The 'planes for the air service start from, the Muslimie aerodrome, 15 kilometres to the north of Aleppo, and land about 800 metres from the town, at the Alexandretta aerodrome. Although only just officially inaugurated, this- service has been in regular work since November 25 with a three-days-a-week service, dealing both with military and civil requirements, the postal authorities utilising it regularly, for which a special surcharge air-stamp has been issued. Following this success another service is promised between Hama and Lattaquieh. _•-; ,. 66
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