FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0422.PDF
JULY 27, 1922 PROGRESS OF CIVIL AVIATION Half-Yearly Report A HALF-YEARLY- REPORT on the progress of civil aviation— the sixth of the series—covering the winter period from October 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922, has been issued by the Air Ministry as a White Paper. As before, the report is divided into two parts, the first containing information regarding Civil Aviation in Great Britain and the Empire, the second dealing with Progress in Foreign Countries. In accordance with the announcement made at the Air Conference held in February, 1922, a permanent Civil Aviation Advisory Board, to take the place of the Advisory Committee on Civil Aviation, of which Lord Weir was Chairman, has been established under the Chairmanship of the Under-Secretary of State for Air " to advise generally on the development of Civil Aviation and to report upon any specific point which may from time to time be referred to the Board by the Secretary of State for Air." In addition to the Director-General of Supply and Research and the Director of Civil Aviation, representatives to serve on this Board have been nominated by the General, Post Office, Royal Aeronau tical Society, Air League of the British Empire, Royal Aero Club, Society of British Aircraft Constructors, Lloyd's, Association of the British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of British Industries, Accident Offices Association, and the Institute of Transport. At the present stage of civil air development the tables appended to Part I, dealing with civil flying and accidents, have considerable value as showing that in spite of difficulties there is no actual decline in the use of air transport, but that on the contrary a steady rate of increase has been maintained and that the efficiency of the British Continental services has improved. Taking the passenger traffic to and from the Continent, it is shown that during the six winter months/October, 1921, to March, 1922, the total of passengers arriving and departing on British machines was 1,686 as compared with 1,418 during the same period in 1920-21 and 796 in 1919-20. That the British companies have had the major share in the total traffic is also plain, since the arrivals and departures on machines of all nationalities flying on all cross- Channel routes during these three half-yearly periods were 2,511, 2,023 and 887 respectively. The report states that a considerable increase in traffic is essential if the air transport firms are to obtain a commercial basis of operation, but points out that the traffic figures for the first quarter of this year are, at least, encouraging. During these three months, the total number of passengers carried by both British and foreign companies between London and the Continent, was 981 ; 676 of these were carried by British firms. The British position has, therefore, been improved as compared with the same period last year when the total number was 670, of which 240 only travelled by British lines. Imports and exports of goods by air did not maintain in the 1921-22 winter period the high level attained in 1920-21, but this may possibly be due to general trade depression. Between August, 1919, and March, 1922, the total value of imports by air amounted to £1,157,556, and of exports £6o5,759, a grand total of £1,763,315. The report draws special attention to the increase in efficiency of the British Continental air services duing the winter months as compared with former years ; during the three months, December, January and February, the average efficiency of the services was 79.4 per cent, as compared with 66.2 per cent, for the corresponding months in 1920—21. For the whole year 1920, the efficiency of operation was 80.2 per cent., and only in four months was this figure exceeded. For 1921, the figure rose to 89.2 per cent., and only in four months did the efficiency fall below 90 per cent. The 90 per cent, efficiency rate was not reached in any month in 1920. It is satisfactory to note that for the first time there has been no fatal accident during a half-yearly period. <s> «> British Airway Efficiency THE official returns show that the flight efficiency figures for the three British companies on the London-Paris route for June, flying having taken place on each day of the month, are as follows :— Handley Page Transport, Limited, made seventy flights, of which sixty-nine were completed within the required period of four hours, the efficiency being 98.6 per cent. Daimler Hire, Limited, carried out eighty-five flights, of which eighty-two were made within the required time, showing an efficiency of 96.5 per cent. International Air Convention.—An* amended form of the proposed declaration relating to Article 5 of the Convention was prepared by Great Britain, and it was hoped that agree ment to this formula would enable ratifications of the Convention to be deposited. (The Convention was actually ratified on June 1, becoming operative in the countries which ratified 40 days after that date,-and the first meeting of the International Air Commission was held at Paris, July 11, 1922). The temporary agreement between Great Britain and France has been amended with respect to the corridors of entry for aircraft. The French corridor now extends from Etaples to the Belgian frontier, while the British corridors have been abolished. Communications (Signals and Navigation).—At the suggestion of the Handley Page Co., a system has been introduced at Croydom aerodrome for locating aircraft by sound and informing pilots of their position in relation to the aerodrome when arriving in bad weather. This system is effective within a radius of about 10 miles from the aerodrome. The officer in charge of the control tower at Croydon determines the direction of the aircraft by means pf a sound locator, and informs the pilot by wireless telephony in which sector of a circle surrounding the aerodrome he is flying. Regulations are to be introduced for the compulsory carriage of wireless by British passenger and goods aircraft. Meanwhile, all British aircraft (with the exception of two small machines) operating on the air routes between England and the Continent under the subsidy scheme are already equipped with wireless telephonic apparatus. The French Air Transport companies have agreed that all their larger passenger-carrying aircraft on the London-Paris service shall be so equipped by the middle of August this year, and the Dutch authorities are making similar arrange ments. Estimates.—The estimates for 1922-23 include £364,000 for Civil Aviation* and in addition £86,500 for the Headquarters Staff, of which £51,000 is for the Meteorological Office Staff. £200,000 of the vote for Civil Aviation is to be applied to the direct assistance of " approved " British firms operating cross-Channel air services ; £79,000 is allotted for Meteoro logical services (excluding Headquarters Staff); £38,000 for the upkeep of aerodromes ; £15,000 for expenditure on air routes, surveys, wages of W./T. personnel, etc. ; ^8,000 for technical equipment; and £61,000 for works and buildings at Croydon, Lympne, Malta and the Kidbrooke wireless station ; and the illumination of air routes at home and in Egypt. From the section of the report dealing with civil aviation in foreign countries we quote a few figures relating to France and Germany. France.—-The vote for Civil Aviation in 1922 amounts to 147,210,970 frs., including 45,382,000 frs. for air transport subsidies, an increase of approximately 14,000,000 frs. on 1921. In consequence of this increased assistance, air transport companies are extending and amplifying their services. The statistics of French civil aviation in 1921 show that approximately 1,460,000 miles were flown and 10,305 passengers were carried, in the course of 6,513 flights. A committee has been formed, called the Comity Francaise de Propagande Aeronautique, with the object of contributing in every possible way to the development of France's air power. Germany.—At present there are in Germany five important air transport companies, and twelve mail air routes have been approved for regular operation by the Ministry of Transport. The amount of work carried out by German civil aircraft, flying on regular air lines, between April 1 and October 31, 1921, is shown by the following figures: — Number of passengers carried, 6.S20 ; miles flown, 1,033,700 ; weight of mails carried, 67,600 lbs. ; percentage of scheduled flight carried out, 90.8. The Instone Air Line made one hundred flights, of which ninety-six were completed within four hours, giving an efficiency of 96. o per cent. One French company carried out ill flights, with an efficiency of 80.2 per cent., and the other companies forty- two flights, the efficiency being 76.2 per cent. Avanti Savoia DURING the last six months fifteen Savoia flying boats have flown 18,050 kms. (11,200 miles) over the Mediterranean without accident, most of the flights being made during the winter months. 422
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
