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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0428.PDF
JUNE 23, 1921 PROGRESS OF CIVIL AVIATION -" - .:/•-•.. Half-Yearly Report ^ •, As briefly recorded in our issue of June 16, a report on the progress of civil aviation during the period from October i, 1920, to March 31, 1921, when civil flying in Britain passed through a difficult phase, was issued on June 13 as a White Paper, bearing the signature of Sir Frederick Sykes, Controller- General of Civil Aviation. The report shows that, in spite of inactivity in some directions, there has in fact been a steady advance in the organisation and development of civil aviation at home and abroad, and that obstacles which were hampering progress are now being overcome. The report, besides dealing with civil aviation in Great Britain, describes the progress that is being achieved in the Dominions, and also, in briefer form, in foreign countries. International.—It has been arranged that the International Air Convention will be ratified by the British Empire as a whole. One of the reservations adopted by the British Empire will allow Canada freedom of action vis-a-vis the United States. Temporary agreements for the control of air traffic have been concluded between Great Britain and Denmark and Great Britain and Sweden, and it is expected that a similar agreement will shortly be signed between Great Britain and Norway. Organisation.—Further steps have been taken to improve the general ground organisation at the Customs aerodromes at Croydon and Lympne. The installation at Croydon of a night-lighting system to permit regular night-flying on commercial services is now nearly completed, and steps have been taken to provide two new lighthouses on the English section of the London-Paris route. The value of direction-finding and wireless communication has been proved on many occasions, instances being given in the report. As a result of the conferences with the French and Belgian air authorities, details and conventional signs, required in aeronautical maps, have been agreed upon, and a preliminary edition of general and local aeronautical maps has been prepared. The distribution of meteorological information throughout the country has been developed, and an extension of the wire- less telegraph facilities has been found necessary, in order to make this possible. Commercial Services.—From tables in the report it is found that whereas during the six months from April to September, 1920, British air traffic was about four times the foreign traffic, from the beginning of 1921 to the end of March it has been only about one-quarter of foreign traffic, the number of arrivals and departures of British aircraft to and from the Continent having fallen from 1,997 to 644- During the period under review the machine mileage for civil aviation was 212,200 miles, the number of passengers carried 10,103 and the weight of goods 38 tons, as compared to 689,000 miles, 32,345 passen- gers and 861 tons for the previous six months. It is significant that the value of imports by air has only fallen from £376,606 to £305,831, and of exports from £168,300 to £167,731. Thus whereas from April to September, 1920, British air traffic was about four itmes greater than foreign, from January to March, 1921, it was only about one quarter of the foreign traffic. But a distinct improvement was at once recorded at the latter part of March, 1921, on the re-opening of a British service to Paris, when on an average seven passengers per machine were carried. Meteorology.—A service of weather reports from ships in the North Atlantic commenced on March 26. The number of distributing stations of the Meteorological Office has now been brought up to twelve by the opening of a station at the Isle of Grain. New marine agencies for organising the collection of meteorological information from ships have been estab- lished at Hong Kong, Vancouver and Melbourne. Pilots and Aircraft, Etc.—The licensing of air personnel and aetodromes and the registration of aircraft have proceeded normally. Up to March 31, 1921, 617 pilots had been licensed and 635 heavier-than-air craft registered. Research.—Investigations into the use of metals in t_Jie con- struction of aircraft are being continued, and various new types of propellers have been tested, including variable pitch propellers, adjustable during flight, and'propellers with metal hubs and detachable blades which can be set at any desired pitch before flight. In the development of engines special attention is being paid to direct fuel injection super-charging and engine starters. It has been decided to hold an open competition, particulars of which will be published shortly, for self-scaling and crash- proof petrol tanks. Dominions and India.—In Australia, an Air Board has been established, and an Air Navigation Bill and Regulations have been brought into force. The Australian Government has approved the operation of an air mail service, and the merits of two routes are being discussed. A private scheme for the establishment of regular air services is also under consideration. A Canadian-Inter-Departmental Conference has been held to consider the use of aircraft for forest and fishery protection, survey and exploratory work. 7,350 miles of air routes were surveyed during 1920. The trans-Canada flight from Halifax to Vancouver was successfully carried out in October. The Air Board of India, under the Commerce Department, is a purely advisory body without executory functions. As soon as funds are available, the Government of India has decided to prepare a trunk air route from Rangoon via Calcutta and Allahabad) to Bombay. "When this route, or a section of it, is completed, tenders will be called for for an air mail service over the completed portion. Local governments in India have also been empowered to lay out air routes within their own boundaries. In New Zealand, contracts iave been approved by the Cabinet for an air mail service, between Auckland and Whangarei and between Christchurch and Timaru. An Air Board has been appointed in South Africa to advise the Government on air questions. Foreign.—Part 2 of the report reviews the air activity abroad. The most conspicuous features of the period are the increased French subsidies to air transport companies and the energy with which Germany is prosecuting air schemes with the limited resources at her disposal. Although late enemy countries are forbidden to maintain a military air force, Germany, Austria and Hungary will be permitted to retain a number of aerodromes in order to facilitate international commercial aviation. The French Civil Aviation Vote for 1921 shows a consider- able increase on that for 1920 and amounts to Frs. 147,374,012, of which Frs. 31,700,000 is for subsidies to air transport companies, and Frs. 25,575,000 for the construction of two rigid airships, bases and equipment. Beyond this vote, Frs. 4,500,000 have been voted for aviation under the Minister of Colonies. The effect of the French subsidies has been to permit the reduction of single fares from Paris to London to 300 francs, from Paris to Strasburg to 150 francs, and from Paris to Prague to 500 francs. In 1920, 989,270 miles were flown by French aircraft as compared with 221,320 miles in 1919. The Belgian Government has provided about Frs. 10,000,000 (including Frs. 800,000 for subsidies) for the encouragement of civil aviation. The Societe Nationale pour l'Etude des Transports Aeriens, now no longer a syndicate but a limited liabilty company with a capital of Frs. 4,000,000, will secure the greater part of the subsidy, which is allocated on a system similar to that of the French. The total estimate for civil aviation in Holland amounts to Fl. 715,000. The Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij is being granted Fl. 200,000 as a subsidy to meet two-thirds of the company's losses in the year 1920-1921. On the Amster- dam-London service operated by this company 584 trips, covering 146,000 miles, were carried out without accident. Civil aviation in Germany is confined to the use of about 125 ex-military machines, with the exception of the civil type machines specified in the last report. The Government has carried out the instructions of the Inter-Allied Commission of Control by prohibiting the flight to foreign countries of any of these ex-service aircraft, but internal services have been in operation on nine routes. Preparations are being made for a service between Munich and Lake Constance to be extended to Geneva, via Zurich, in conjunction with a Swiss Air Trans- port Company. The German Post Office pays a subsidy of 21 marks per km. flown on regular air lines. The Roumanian Minister of Communications has been authorised to sign a contract with a French company, the Franco-Roumaine de Navigation Aerienne, under which the company has the right of air transport in Roumania on the Paris-Strasburg-Prague-Vienna, Budapest-Belgrade-Buchar- est, Constantinople air route over a period of 20 years. The agreement carries with it an annual maximum subsidy of 6,500,000 lei to the company in return for certain guarantees, including the placing of its material and personnel at the 428
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