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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0354.PDF
w ^-w^PSiwS. MAY 26, 1921 measure for this rapid extension of French aerial enterprise, inasmuch as it more or less guarantees the industry against actual heavy loss, and the policy of assisting development as the Government is doing appears to be justified up to the hilt. An example of how far-reaching this development is becoming is to be seen in the long-distance service which is successfully operating between Paris and Casablanca, in Morocco. This is actually in operation on four days of the week, and is now to be increased to a daily service for mails and passengers. It is possible by means of this service to go from London to Casablanca in rather less than two days. The traveller proceeds to Paris by air, but, owing to the present want of night-flying facilities, he travels from the French capital to Toulouse by rail. Leaving Toulouse at 10.30 a.m. next morning, he reaches Alicante the same day, rests there the night, and finishes the journey next morning. The rail and boat journey occupies a full six days, with many changes and delays. In the matter of cost, a ticket from London to Casablanca by airway costs £45 3s. The first-class fare by rail and boat, via Paris, Madrid and Gibraltar, and thence by steamer to Casablanca, is a little over £20. At first sight, therefore, air travel does not seem to compare very favourably in the matter of cost, but against this has to be set the fact that there is a saving of four clear days in time. In other words, the journey by air is accomplished three times as quickly at twice the cost of rail and steamer. This is, on a comparative basis, quite good, and we should be prepared to back the opinion that the business man who had to make the journey would consider the great saving in time well worth the extra cost, without taking into consideration the feeding arrangements for the extra days. In other words, it is a fair commercial proposition even at the present fares, ^ A flight which may well be an out- The Thames standing landmark in the history of Air Port aviation was made recently, when the Napier Lion-engined Vickers-Viking am- phibian machine accomplished the journey from Paris to London in two hours, carrying M. Eynac, French Under-Secretary for Air, and Sir Frederick Sykes, Controller-General of Civil Aviation. There is nothing novel about a flight from Paris to London, but this one stands out as being the fastest ever accomplished actually between the two capitals. Leaving Paris at 10.20 a.m., the machine alighted safely on the Thames above Westminster Bridge at 12.20 p.m. The point is that this flight demonstrates the possi- bility of doing away with the waste of time entailed by the journey out to Waddon or Cricklewood in the case of departure from London, or to Le Bourget if the traveller is journeying in the reverse direction, which means a clear saving of an hour at least when the trip by motor-car at both ends is taken into account. What it really means is that by means of an amphibian service between the capitals a business- man can go down to his office in the morning, attend to his correspondence, catch a machine leaving Westminster at 11 o'clock, and be sitting down to lunch in Paris by 1.30. He can get through quite a lot of business in Paris, and actually be back in London before 6 o'clock if he wants. This is bringing the two capitals close together with a vengeance. . How far it will be possible to use the Thames and the Seine as air ports in order to give effect to the full possibilities of such a service as this flight has demonstrated to be possible, we do not know. Con- siderable interest is being manifested by the Air Ministry. Whether the other authorities concerned are as keen is another matter. However, the demon- stration has been given, and the rest lies in the future. THE LONDON-CONTINENTAL SERVICES FLIGHTS BETWEEN MAY 13 AND MAY 21, INCLUSIVE Route : Croy don-Paris ... Paris-Croydon ... Crickle wood - Paris Paris-Cricklewood Croydon-Brussels Brussels-Croydon Croydon-Amsterdam ... Amsterdam-Croydon ... Totals for week No . o f flights * 28 28 6 6 98 9§ 9§ 103 No . o f passenger s i°5 100 52 58 11 10 17 12 365 No. of flights carrying Mail s 3 15 4 7 8 8 6 51 Good s No . o f journey s completed ! 17 20 4 2 8 7 9 6 7^ 25 21 6 6 8 76 7 86 Averag e flyin g tim e h. m. 2 45 2 51 3 15 3 26 2 14 2 51 4 12 3 16 Fastest time made by BreguetF-CMAM (ih. 36m.) SpadF-CMAY (2h. 18m.) ... H.P. G-EATK (2h. 50m.) .. H.P. G-EATK (3h. 15m.) ... D.H.9 O-BELG (2h. 19m.) ... D.H.9 O-BIEN (2h. 23m.) ... D.H.9 H-NABO(2h. 10m.)... Fokker H-NABJ (2I1. 45m.) Type and No. (in brackets) of Machines Flying j B. (8), Bt. (I),D.H.I8(2),G.<4), Sp. (4). V. (1). B.(8),D.H.I8(I),G. (4), S. (S). v. (i).H.P. (3). .: v :, -. -:. H.P. (3). -• .: D.H.4 (2), D.H.9 (3)- ; ,, D.H.4 (i), D.H.9 (3)- ^^ " D.H.9 (1), F. (3). ••..•,-:.-/•••' D.H.9 (I), F. (3). ••",-:^>. >> .. '•• -.;- r... -...„".' * Not including " private" flights. f Including certain journeys when stops were made en route. \ Including certain diverted journeys. § One to/from Rotterdam. Av. = Avro. B. =Breguet. Br. = Bristol. Bt. = B.A.T. D.H.4 = De Havilland 4, D.H.9 (etc.). F. = Fokker. Fa. = Farman F.50. G. = Goliath Farman. H.P. = Handley Page. N. = Nieuport. P. — Potez. Sa. = Salmson. Se. = S.E. 5. Sp. = Spad. V. = Vickers Vimy. W. = Westland. The following is a list of firms running services between London and Paris, Brussels, etc., etc.:—Co. des Grandes Expre ses Aeriennes ; Handley Page Transport, Ltd.; Instone Air Line; Koninklijkie Luchtvaart Maatschappij ; Messageries Aenennes; Syndicat National pour l'fitude des Transports Aeriens; Co. Transaerienne. • ; .., ... ..... ........ 354 . ' -
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