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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0471.PDF
advantageously be operated by some type of marine aircraft or amphibians, and estimates have been prepared for a weekly and also for a daily service from Cairo to Basra with aeroplanes, and from Basra to Karachi with flying boats. The land machines considered are of the same type as that for the previous section, but the type of flying boat upon which the estimates were based has the following specification : Two 350/365 h.p. engines; cruising speed at 2,000 ft., 80 m.p.h. ; petrol capacity, 500 miles ; load, 2,000 lbs., exclu sive of pilot. In tabular form, the columns having the same significance as before, this section of the service may be summarised as follows :— Weekly Service. Cairo-Basra Basra-Karachi Cairo-Karachi Daily Service, Cairo-Basra Basra-Karachi Cairo-Karachi £ 790 1,294 5. 13 2,084 £ 318 591 909 T6 8 d. <> 9 7 4 • With regard to the feeder line from Karachi to Bombay the Board are in agreement that this section should be operated by other than landplanes, and amphibians of the following specification have been used as a basis for the estimates : Amphibian flying boat, 400/450 h.p. engine ; load, 1,500 lbs., exclusive of pilot; petrol capacity, 3J hrs. ; cruising speed at 2,000 ft., 80 m.p.h. A weekly service is then estimated to cost ^539 per trip for a weekly service, and £225 per trip for a daily service. The figures for machine miles are 17s. nd. and js. f>d. respectively. Estimates are also given for the London-Constantinople (landplanes) and London-Brindisi (landplanes) and Brindisi- Alexandria (flying boats) routes. The summarised figures of costs work out as follows :— Weekly Service. (1) London-Constantinople (2) London-Brindisi-Alexandria £ 650 1.319 Daily Service. £ (3) London-Constantinople . . 286 (4) London-Brindisi-Alexandria 574 5. d. 8 1 11 2 s. d. 3 7 4 10 It is pointed out in the report that these estimates differ from those prepared for routes in Asia, as aerodromes in most cases already exist. With regard to the available load on these European routes the report states that " it must be remembered that each of the countries would have the right to refuse permission to a British company to pick up and carry local traffic from one place to another within its own boundaries, and would probably exercise this right." The Board state as their opinion that the trans-European route, which could with existing machines be flown in litfle more than 16 daylight hours of actual flying time, will eventially prove to be the quickest route for the transport of mails from London to India and the Empire. For purposes of com parison the following table of costs for the operation of air services throughout from London to Karachi is of interest :— COST. Capital. Per Annum. Per Trip. Per Flying Hour. Per Mach. Mile. Weekly Service. (One machine in each direction once a week) :— (i) London-Constanti nople (landplane). Constantinople- Baghdad (land- plane). Baghdad-Karachi (landplane). Totals 55.000 190,000 190,000 435,000 67.573 98,440 102,036 268,040 650 946 981 2,577 A s. d. 40 12 78 17 59 9 s. d. 8 1 15 9 11 11 Weekly Service continued:— (U) London-Brindisi ~) (landplane). Brindisi-Alexan- dria (ftying boat). Alexandria-Bagh dad (landplane). Baghdad-K ara chi (landplane). Totals .. (iii) London-Brindisi (landplane). Brindisi-Alex andria (flying boat). Alexandria-Basra (landplane). Basra-Karachi (flying boat). Totals Daily Serviee (One machine in each direction daily) :— (i) London-Constanti nople , landplane). Constantinople- Baghdad (land- plane) . Baghdad-Karachi (landplane). Totals .. London-Brindisi . . (landplane). ") Brindisi-Alex- [_ andria (flying | boat). J Alexandria-Bagh dad (landplane). Baghdad-Karachi (landplane). Totals .. (iii) Lond on-Brindisi (landplane). Brindisi-Alex- andria (flving boat). Alexandria-Basra (landplane). Basra-Karachi (flying boat). Totals .. Capital. Per Annum. Per Trip. Per Flying Hour. Per Mach. Mile. ^So00 98,000 190,000 443.5°° 13 7.245 70,265 102,036 309.546 1:55.5°° 109,000 225,000 1.319 675 081 2.975 489,500 it) D,3<- 370,000 370,000 905,500 388,000 197,000 370,000 137.245 82,142 134.592 353,979 1.319 790 1.294 £ s. d. 50 15 2 75 1 59 9 50 15 6.8 13 7 76 2 7 5. d. 11 2 15 o 11 11 3,403 209,093 266,810 288,284 764,187 955,ooo 388,00c 263,500 475,00c 1,126,500 419,069 168,205 288,284 286 36: 395 1,046 875.558 419,06c 232,139 43L705 574 230 395 17 18 30 9 23 18 10 1 1 1,199 574 318 59i 1.483 3 7 4 9 4 10 25 12 23 18 10 27 13 1 4 10 5 6 1,082,913 Estimates cf Receipts The report points out the difficulties of estimating receipts, and states that the Board have felt it to be unwise to pro ceed upon any basis .except one of extremely conservative estimates, and the assumption has been made that an operat ing company could only look for an average maximum in each direction of 500 lbs. of mail per weekly trip. This is equivalent to 5 per cent, of the total mail, or in other wrords, at 25 letters to the pound, 12,500 letters per weekly trip. It is also expected that an average of four passengers each way per weekly trip could be counted upon at a fare of £50. The Post Office assumption of a maximum load of 500 lbs. a trip is based upon a regular service, and on an air fee of is. per ounce letter, and the Board think that, although the distance is shorter, the saving in time is greater to Baghdad, and suggest that the same letter surcharge of is. should be obtained for air-borne letters from Cairo or Constantinople to Baghdad as for those carried to Bombay. On this assumption of 500 lbs. of mail at is. per ounce letter and four passengers at £50 each, the receipts per weekly trip from Cairo os Constanti nople to Bombay would be ^825, and it is also estimated that 471
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