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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0417.PDF
JULY 20, 1922 LONDON TERMINAL AERODROME Monday evening, July 17, 1922. THE weather is as persistently against aviation this year as it was in favour of it last year, and during the week there has been a mixture of good, bad, and indifferent flying weather. The morning newspaper services to Paris, Brussels, and Holland have been held up some mornings in the latter part of the week, and pilots have had some pretty rough trips at times. Generally speaking, however, the persistent bad weather is not interfering now to any great extent with the regularity of the services. Competition is becoming so keen that flights are being made in weather which, a month or two ago, would have been considered unfit. In fact the spirit of the early days of the air services, when it had to be very bad weather indeed to stop flying, is slowly returning. The number of air travellers still shows a slight increase, and it is now hoped that in August and September the expected "boom" in passengers., may to some extent be realised, and that there will be enough traffic to keep all lines reasonably busy. The French lines still continue to carry the bulk of the goods traffic to Paris, while an over whelming majority of the passengers travel by the British lines. The Instone Air Line have no.w got the Vickers Vimy " City of London " back from the Vickers works at Weybridge, where she has been fitted with a new set of wings. It is claimed that these give greater lift, as well as bigger speed in the air and lower landing speed. The " Vimy " has been on the service during the week, but owing to engine trouble had to land twice on a return journey from Paris. Entrants for the Round-Britain Race THE Surrey Flying Services have been having a busy time lately. They have been erecting another Avro to add to their joy-ride fleet, and, with this completed, have now started on the erection of a D.H. 9. This machine is, I understand, being built to the order of the Duke of Suther land, President of the Navy League, and is to be entered by him in the round-Britain race for the King's Cup, which is at present fixed for September 9 and 10. The machine is, so far as is at present arranged, to be flown in the race by Capt. A. F. Muir. Another Croydon entrant for this, race, by the way, is Mr. Courtney, who is to fly a Siddeley " Siskin " with a Jaguar engine. Capt. Muir informs me that owing to the success which attended the reduction in the price of joy-rides to 55., on the occasion of the Royal Meteorological Society meeting at Croydon, the Surrey Flying Services have decided to try the experiment of reducing the fare to 55. during the week end, when there is a crowd at the air-station, and when the weather is suitable for dealing rapidly with numbers of joy riders. This scheme was started on Saturday last, and, although the weather was not exactly of the type to encourage joy-riding, a good number of passengers were carried in" two Avros by Capt. Muir and Mr. Youell. In addition, Capt. Muir has been making flights for the testing of parachutes during the week. Turn Indicators for " Air Expresses " THE D.H. 34's, both on the Daimler and Instone lines, are now being fitted with Reid turn-indicators, and the pilots are extremely pleased with the sensitiveness and efficiency of these instruments. In one test, made at dusk on Friday in misty weather, the pilot put his head down inside the cockpit so that it was impossible for him to see the ground and, using the indicating lights of the turn-indicator to guide him, kept the machine flying straight for mile after mile without the slightest difficulty. Handley Page Transport are now running their services exclusively with W. 8's, keeping an 0-400 in reserve. The D.H. 18 they were running has been taken over by the Instone Air Line, and the Bristol ten-seater is being recon ditioned at Bristol, after which, I understand, the Instone Air Line will also take over this machine. Iheir fleet will be even more mixed than at present, as they will have D.H. 34's, D.H. 18's, one D.H. 4" one Vickers " Vimy " and a Westland or two ; while they are expecting the return of the Vickers " Vulcan," together with one or two more of the same type, which, with the Bristol, will give them no less than seven different types of machine. It is certainly a striking contrast in policy to the other two British firms, who are confining themselves to one type of machine. Mileage of the Aerial Cabin-Boy DURING the week the first air cabin-boy completed his first 20,000 miles flying in the Daimler D.H. 34's. He has made over 90 trips between London and Paris and is becoming quite a seasoned air traveller. It is interesting to note also that the D.H. 34 G-EBBS has, under the Daimler management, now completed something like 50,000 miles of flying in a period of three months. The entrance to the aerodrome has now been further ornamented by the addition of a number of sign-boards giving the number of the buildings and the names of the firms occupying them, the Post Office having a special sign-board all to itself. The different styles and sizes of the letters used have caused no little comment amongst those firms whose names are " writ small." The K.L.M. still continue to " get the goods," and on several occasions recently have had to duplicate their services, being unable to carry the number of passengers wishing to travel, in addition to the regular consignments of goods. One firm of hat manufacturers in Holland are consigning their entire output of hats for the English market per K.L.M., and it is no unusual sight to see anything up to 30 parcels of hats unloaded from an incoming monoplane. IS EI III EI IN PARLIAMENT All-Metal Aeroplane SIR W. JOYNSON-HICKS, on July 10, asked the Secretary of State fer Air whether his attention has been called to the statements in reference to the mode in which the Air Ministry has dealt with Messrs. Short Brothers' all- metal aeroplane ; whether the said 'plane has been tested by pilots in the Air Force ; what is their opinion upon it; whether any machines have been ordered ; and, generally, what is the view of the Ministry in regard to this machine ? Captain Guest : My attention has been called to the statements which have appeared in the Press and to which I assume my ion. friend refers. The history of this case is as follows : This aeroplane was built and exhibited at Olympia by the firm in 1920. It was not designed to meet any particular Service requirement. Nevertheless, with a view to the encouragement of originality and enterprise, it was immediately purchased by the Air Ministry, and, as the structure incorporated certain novelties, the use, in particular, of a certain alloy of aluminium, the aeroplane was in 1921 sent to the Royal Aircraft Establishment to test the suitability of this material to withstand corrosion and vibration. In this connection, the problem of corrosion (tests of which must necessarily take a considerable time) is one of the greatest importance, and is, at the present time, being investigated by a special Sub-Comm»ttee of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Pending a Report of this Sub-Committee, and until a satisfactory solution of the problem has been arrived at, it is clearly most undesirable to place a large order for these aeroplanes. It is, therefore, not intended to order any more at present. In answer to the second and third parts of the question, owing to the doubt as to the strength and reliability of the material used, it was not considered desirable to put this aeroplane through full air tests but permission was granted to a pilot of the Experimental Section to fly it without load and without unnecessary manoeuvres. As a result of these modified tests, a favourable report on the behaviour of the aeroplane in the air was received. • . ,, Sir W. Joynson-Hicks : Do I gather that they have been testing the metal of this machine for nearlv eighteen months ? Captain Guest: Yes. I think it is apparent that the process of testing for corrosion must take a considerable time tor us to satisfy ourselves. Viscount Curzon : Pending the Report of the Sub-Committee, will Messrs. Short be allowed to construct any further machines to the same drawings ? Captain Guest: No. No further orders can be given until the test is completed. , , . ... Viscount Curzon : Will they be allowed to make further machines on "their own account, and without Government orders for them ? Captain Guest: I think it would be inadvisable for the Government to do so. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks : Can any date be given for the completion of the test ? Captain Guest: The moment the Industrial and Scientific Research Sub- Committee have reported, we shall get on with the business or close it down. Territorial Air Force. LIEUT.-COL. POWNAIX asked whether it is intended to recruit a Territorial Air Force service ; if so, whether the Territorial associations will be made use of in this connection ; and what grants will be made to them for the expen diture which this extra duty will involve ? Captain Guest: The answer to the first question is that it is the intention to form an Auxiliary (or Territorial) Air Force, but the date at which it will be possible to introduce the Bill, which is already drafted, is at present doubtful; it has not been decided whether it will be proceeded with this year, as the whole policy of Home Defence is still under the consideration of the C.l.D.; to the second, in the affirmative ; to the third, that the scheme will provide for grants being made to the county associations concerned, proportionate lo their responsibilities and services. Air Defence Brigades CAPTAIN VISCOUNT CURZON on July 11 asked the Secretary of State for War whether an anti-aircraft brigade for the defence of London is to be formed in the Territorial Army ; if so, what is to be the strength of the ffcrce and what will it cost ; whether the War Office have any figures to show how large an anti-aircraft force would actually be required to defend London from attack by an air force as large as that of France ; and whether trie decision can be reconsidered, with a view to devoting the money to aircraft in lieu of ground defence ? Sir L. Worthington-Evans : As the answer to this question is somewhat lengthy, I will, with my hon. and gallant friend's permission, circulate it in the Official Report. Viscount Curzon; Could I not have an answer to the last part of my question, as to whether the decision can be reconsidered with a view to devoting the money to aircraft in lieu of ground defence ? Sir L. Worthington-Evans : I think my Noble Friend had better see the entire answer. If the House likes, I can read it, but it is very long. Following is the answer : As a beginning to the future organisation for the air defence of Great Britain, two air defence brigades, Territorial Army, for the defence of London
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