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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0309.PDF
MAY 5, 1921 mobile with three trailers, 1 freight automobile, 6 officers and 20 men. (b) Captive Helicopters for Observation from Battleships.— Adapied in a suitable manner, the captive helicopter might prove to be the best possible means of taking long-distance observations from battleships. (c) Captive Helicopters for the Protection of Open Towns and Coasts from Aeroplane Raids.—A series of captive heli- copters would not only be able to give warning of the approach of enemy aircraft, from a long distance, but might also be able to open effective defensive firing, if properly armed. (d) Captive Helicopters without Crew for Radio Purposes.— Tests hitherto carried out with kite-balloons or antenna have always been unsuccessful either on account of a break- down of the kite-apparatus at a low wind velocity, or because of disturbing motion of the balloon antenna during squalls. These difficulties would be avoided by the use of captive helicopters, and are therefore of particular utility for colonies and districts where stable mast-construction cannot easily be carried out, and which may also give rise to great outlay. (e) Captive Helicopters for Meteorological Work.—By means of the captive helicopter, registering devices can easily be taken up and measurements carried out rapidly in all weathers. LONDON TERMINAL AERODROME, CROYDON Monday Evening, May 2. THE passenger traffic on the " airways " is now growing rapidly. Nearly forty applications for seats have had to be refused during the past week, and the sooner the absurd arrangement of the subsidy that prevents the British com- panies from running more than one machine three times a week is altered the better. They have ample fleets to run a daily service, and thus carry twice the number of passengers. The Instone Air Line have, despite the bad weather, completed all their scheduled flights. The B.A.T. flew over to Northolt on Saturday with a spare pilot, who brought back the Instone Line's D.H. 4a, which has been overhauled there. The D.H. 18 G-EARO is dismantled for painting and overhaul. The Air Ministry have now insisted that the portion of the leading edge of the wing that comes into the slip-stream of the 450 h.p. Napier engine should be covered with either three-ply or aluminium. Considering the amount of service these machines have seen without this modification, it appears rather unnecessary. Mr. Hearle, of the De Havilland Aircraft Co., visited the aerodrome on Friday, and witnessed the departure of the D.H. 18 G-EAUF. Another Bristol " Tourer," ordered by Senor Bayor of Madrid, left for Paris piloted by Mr. Uwins. At Paris Major De Havilland will take it over and fly it to Madrid. Mr. Basil S. Foster, who runs the passenger car service to and from the aerodrome, and provides amongst other things a garage and a Bureau de Change on the aerodrome, has enlarged his office and waiting-room. Mr. Shaw is now in charge of Mr. Foster's activities on the aerodrome, and on busy days is ably assisted by a troop of boy scout.-. The Aircraft Disposal Company is busy on an order for about forty D.H. o/s for the Dutch Government for use in Java, and on Friday several of these were lined up for inspec- tion by a Dutch committee. The Disposal Company is still delivering " Avros " to the Belgian Army. The Shell-Mex petrol company, have now pegged out a site on which to sink a tank for bulk petrol storage. This is just by the public enclosure, and will be arranged so that machinss can be filled up with petrol as they are lined up ready to leave for the Continent. This arrangement is long overdue, and will mean a great saving of time and money. Friday was again a day of great events. In the afternoon Capt. Muir took the aerodrome's most regular " joy-rider " for a trip to Brighton. At 3 o'clock Messrs. Cockerell and Broome left Croydon in the Vickers " Viking " and landed on the Thames between'the Lambeth and Westminster bridges. Here Gen. Sykes and Col. Beatty were picked up, and flown in the " amphibian " to Paris. The " Viking " returned to Croydon on Saturday afternoon. Whilst in Paris exhaustive tests were made in alighting on, and getting off, the Seine. Numerous French officials were carried during the tests, and were, I understand, much impressed. This experiment brings a step nearer the idea of a service of " air expresses " from the Thames in London to the Seine in Paris. The " R. 33" flew down from Pulham on Friday night in order to carry out further tests on the night-lighting arrange- ments. All the aerodrome lighting was in working order—the illuminated landing " L," the " cone " light with its vertical searchlight, the ordinary searchlights and, of course, the lighthouse. The tests gave good results, the lighthouse being visible 30 miles away, the " cone " light 25 miles, and the searchlights at 20 miles. A miniature " Brock's benefit," in the form of rockets and bursting star shells, helped to enliven the proceedings. After leaving Croydon, the airship went along the " airway " to Lympne and across the Channel. I understand that the real reason for the Channel trip was to examine the marine lights with a view to their use both as marine and aircraft lights. The light from the Varne lightship was subjected to exhaustive tests, as this important light is about half-way across the Channel. The K.L.M. have issued information as to the loading of their monoplanes. This is an interesting example of the loading of civilian machines. It runs as follows :— Petrol (300 litres), 495 lbs. ; pilot (with personal baggage), 187 lbs. ; water, 88 ; oil (44 litres), 8S ; Verey pistol and 18 Verey lights, 11 ; log book and maps, 3\ ; three pickets for picketing, 13 ; cord, 6| ; " First Aid " box, 3^ ; tool box and spare parts, 11 ; four passengers and luggage, 792. Total,, 1,698 lbs. The pilots of the K.L.M. are an amusing crowd. Mr. Duke has apparently a weakness for monkey-nuts, and also is by way of being a composer, while Mr. Holmes has for a boon companion a woolly dog, which he affectionately calls " Pip." The joy-ride firms had a good time over the week-end, and were out in force—the Leatherhead Aviation Company with a D.H. 6 and an Avro, and the Surrey Flying Services with two Avros. The enclosure has been enlarged to about four times its orginal size, and both on Saturday and Sunday presented an animated appearance. On Monday the Messageries Aeriennes commenced new services between Paris and Croydon. In future machines will leave Paris at 9.30 a.m., 12.45 p.m., and 4 p.m., while the return services from Croydon will be at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. NOTICES TO AIRMEN List of Notices Operative and Cancelled THE undermentioned notices, which were in most cases of a temporal character, are no longer operative. The " List of Notices operative and cancelled " issued on April 1, 1921, should be amended as follows :— Year 1920 To be deleted from para. 1 and added to para. 2 :— ; Nos. 38, 72, 84, 101, 108, 113, 115, 131, 134 and 141. Croydon Aerodrome : Telephone Number IT is hereby notified :—The telephone number of the London Terminal Aerodrome, Croydon, is Purley 1180, and not as published on page 222 of the April Edition of the London Telephone Directory. Arrangements have been made for the Purley Telephone Exchange to transfer calls to the above-mentioned number. (No. 38 of 1921.) Alighting Tests on the Seine FOLLOWING on the Air Ministry tests made by Messrs. Vickers, Ltd., with their amphibian " Viking HI " of alighting on and starting from the Thames, it is announced from Paris, that the Trench Under-Secretary of State for Air is engaged on plans for carrying out similar tests on the Seine. If a suitable place can be found, which should not be difficult, it would bring a good deal nearer the day when a passenger could step on board a seaplane (or amphibian) at Westminster and leave it again in the centre of Paris, avoiding the tedious journey between London and Croydon and le liourget and Paris. A Paris-Amsterdam Air Service GRADUALLY France is extending her air lines while we at home seem to rest content with our one London-Paris line. On May 2, two machines left the Paris air port at le Bourget for Schiphol Aerodrome, Amsterdam. These two machines inaugurated the new service by carrying two passengers each, and it is hoped to maintain a regular service between the two cities. 309
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