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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0110.PDF
can be done quite satisfactorily. When it comes to work of such magnitude as that involved in determining rotary derivatives, however, the task becomes very heavy for any private firm or small laboratory, and we would strongly urge that the present affords an excellent opportunity for our great establishments at Teddington and Farnborough to push ahead with work of this description. When commercial aviation really begins to go ahead, as it undoubtedly will very soon, the results of such work would be of inestimable value. " The best hope for the future of Aeronautics, whether in its uses for commercial and civil purposes or for defence, lies in the continued development and extension of research. There is a wide field to be explored—as yet we have scarcely advanced beyond the border line—and no one can say what possibilities lie hidden in the unknown country beyond. But already we can see far enough to be assured that its exploration is of immense importance for future civilisation, and that no effort should be spared in carrying forward the work." This sentence, quoted from the last report of the Advisory Committee, we can heartily endorse, and it behoves us to see to it that no sense of false economy is allowed to hamper the work in the immediate future of those responsible for aeronautical research. • • • The Xhe alighting experiments on the Tn Thames> which we were able to illus- port trate last week, mark what may be a most important development in the history of civil aviation in this country. We say may be advisedly, since the present situation is by no means reassuring and we are at a stage when literally anything may happen. The Air Ministry has for some time taken the view that development of the civil side of the movement is being hindered by the distance of suitable aero- dromes from the centres of population. So far as London is concerned the obvious solution of the undoubtedly important question involved is to be •*.';::';.' •-'..,-' • V FEBRUARY 17, 1921 '-<*' ^found in the Thames, provided the river can be used *as an air-port without prejudicing trje public safety or interfering with riverine traffic.' With this in view, a detailed survey of the river, from the Nore upwards, has been made and, in consequence, the stretch between Westminster and the Albert Bridge selected as the most suitable for " landing " machines of the amphibian type. The Board of Trade, the Port of London Authority, and the Commissioner of Police, were called into consultation and arrangements were made to demon- strate to these authorities the ease and safety with which amphibian aircraft can be manoeuvred in crowded waters. Hence the experimental landings of last week. These so far have been quite success- ful, but the intention is to carry out further experi- ments with a view to reaching a decision as to whether the use of this area by commercial aircraft can be arranged. Obviously, landings made under any single set of conditions are insufficient for the purpose and it will be necessary to test the possibilities under all sorts of variations 01 wind, weather and tide. There seems to be no good reason to think that these further experiments will result in any other way than to demonstrate that the practical diffi- culties are comparatively slight and that they will have a considerable bearing on the future of aerial transport between London and other parts. The fact that existing aerodromes are situated at a con- siderable distance outside London itself is in some directions an obvious hindrance to expansion. The time occupied in reaching Waddon or Cricklewood is a serious addition to the total time of transit, apart from the inconvenience entailed by the change of transport between the terminal air-port and the actual destination. If the cross-Channel passnger could step right on board an aircraft at Westminster and be " landed " on the Seine in the middle of Paris, for example, it would clearly encourage travel by air to an extent which is but imperfectly realised. We have great hopes that the Air Ministry experi- ments will be productive of a great deal of good to development. REPORT OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS BY AIR THE following summary and figures have been issued bythe Air Ministry :— The value of imports and exports by air during 1920-'exceeded the million pounds' mark, the respective amounts being ^677,047 and ^339,108, and the grand total ^1,016,155. For the last quarter of the year (October-December)the value of imports and exports conveyed by aircraft were approximately four times greater than for the same periodof 1919, although there was a reduction in traffic for the month of December as compared with the preceding months. The principal classes of merchandise carried during theyear were clothes and furs. Among the imports the largest From. ,• • - • ."-•_ Belgium FranceGermany Italy .. Netherlands .Switzerland Total . Imports by Air Free. Dec, 1920. 559 46,618 — — — — 47,177 Oct.- Dec,1919. 176 51,796 — — — — 5L972 Oct.- Dec,1920. 1,718 209,769 9 227 — 211,723 Dutiable Dec, 1920. 1 3,952 560 — 142 4,655 Oct.- Dec, 1919. 2 3,357 6 1 — 3,366 Oct.- Dec, 1920. 20 11,425 3 652 7 334 12,441 item was one of about £307,500 for women's outer clothingbrought from France. Fur goods amounting to about ,£78,000 were also carried from France. In the export tradedifferent classes of goods dealt with were- more evenly repre- sented. One of the chief items was men's and boy's woollenclothing, etc., to the value of about £27,700. Among other goods forwarded were matches, electriclamp parts, wireless apparatus, human hair, paintings and cinematograph films. Exports by Air To. BelgiumDenmark France..Germany Italy ..Morocco NetherlandsSweden , Spain ..33 Switxerland Total British Exports Dec, 1920. 482 19,241 4 288 61 20,076 Oct.-Dec, 1919. 9,582 16,112 1 25,695 Oct.-Dec, 1920. 8,829 95780,109 22 5 10,294 2 86 100,307 Re-exports. Dec., 1920. 11,362 Oct- Dec, 1919- 2,400 2,400 Oct-Dec, 1920. 828 35.536 4,649 110
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