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Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0028.PDF
-mmmm is expected that with the new Liore and Olivier amphibian flying boats the Corsica-Tunis section will be in operation during the present year. Probably calls would be made at Sicily en route. As regards developments in French African air lines, it is intended to extend, during 1923, the line from Casablanca to Cape Juby, which is slightly less than half-way to Dakar. For 1924 the programme includes a further extension from Cape Juby to Dakar. Most of the work of surveying and organ- ising this route has been done by Latecoere, who will operate the services. Quite recently some Citroen motor-cars with cater- pillar propulsion have succeeded in reaching Timbuctu. This feat has opened up possibilities of organising air lines from Colomb Bechar via Taourirt to Bourem, and hence to Timbuctu and Bamako#in one direction and Bourem to Ouagadougou in another. The sug- gestion emanates from Gen. Estienne, in a recent interview. At the moment it is but a suggestion, but experiments are being carried out with the storage and carriage of petrol in special containers having double walls, and it is thought that other problems connected with such services are in a fair way of being solved. The point is that France is showing herself keenly alive to the possibilities of air transport, while we '• • *> • What Ar ^ne cJuesti°n naturally arises, What are We Doing ? we doing in the matter of future develop- ments ? It is true that the British subsidised lines have been re-laid, and that they now cover routes to Holland, Germany and France, while a seaplane service is to be inaugurated in the spring between Southampton and the French coast. But i=> that enough ? Is any permanent good going to be done by continuing to spend money upon short services which are never likely to be able to pay their way ? To us it seems that, unless we decide that we can afford to organise services much farther afield, we had better decide that commercial aviation is not for us, that it costs a lot of money, and that there is no hope of it ever being able to " fly by itself." Only by increasing the length of the routes can we hope to make further progress, and to continue to spend m Jt: Duke of York Betrothed THE following announcement was made in the CourtCircular on Januaiy 15, 1923 :—" It is with the greatest pleasure that The King and Queen announce the betrothalof their beloved son the Duke of York to the Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmoreand Kinghorne, to which the King has gladly given his consent." His Royal Highness is a Group Captain in the R.A.F., and isPersonal Aide-de-Camp to the King. Obtaining his pilot's certificate in 1919, he was promoted to Wing Commander,and later to Group Captain—his present rank. In 1918, the Duke of York was on the staff of the Independent AirForce in France, and his first connection with aviation dates back to late 1917. Apart from his good work in the R.A.F., the Duke of Yorkis, perhaps, best known for the very practical interest which he takes in welfare work As President of the IndustrialWelfare Society, he has worked hard to promote a better understanding and greater confidence between employers andemployed. Malta Aerodrome Opened ON January 16, Lord Plumer, at the request of Air- Commodore Charles Samson, C.M.G., D.S.O., A.F.C., Air JANUARY 18, 1923 money on short routes is sheer waste. It would appear that the moment has come for us to decide. Which is it to be ? Night- Intimately connected with the question Flying °f tne utility of commercial aviation is the problem of being able to fly by night as well as by day. Over short stages the gain in time is not so important, but over longer routes the capacity to fly by night has the effect of virtually ,* - doubling the speed of our machines. When we come to consider such routes as England to India, the saving in time resulting from night-flying is enormous, : and is, in fact, so great that even if air transport is a good deal more expensive than other means it will be more than compensated for. It is therefore with satisfaction that we note that the night-flying experi- ments between London and Paris are to be resumed next month. There is still a very great deal to be learned, and a great many problems to be solved, ~ ; but the gain to be expected is so tremendous that it should be well worth the expense. While on the subject of night-flying, we cannot refrain from referring once more to an old theme of ours : seaplanes. While night-flying over land is * and always will be a somewhat risky procedure, - owing to the unknown nature of the country below, ':•'. and will necessitate a fairly expensive organisation : ' in the way of lighthouses, wireless service, etc., those * best qualified to speak on the subject hold that in ". I flying over the sea the danger is very much smaller, - owing to the constant presence of an " aerodrome " -.._";• below, while no special lighthouses are required beyond those already in existence for shipping. That •> being so, would it not be possible also to hold a series ., ; of experiments with night-flying over the sea ? The \:' problem appears to resolve itself to this :—Seaplanes ..-_.-, should be more economical than land machines, as .'-T they are not required to compete in speed with -; anything faster than a steamer; they require no ; :J ground organisation beyond one or two direction- '';..;• finding wireless stations ; they offer less danger in i... >- the dark or in a fog. Why not, therefore, devote a little more of our time and money to a thorough "^ testing-out of the seaplane ? Officer Commanding R A.F. Mediterranean, opened the Halfar aerodrome, Malta, in the presence of the leading Service and civilian officials. Lieut. Simpson, the officer in charge of R.A.F. works, stated that the aerodrome had been constructed not only for military use, but also in view of present and future developments in aerial communication. Malta might become a connecting-link in an all-red aerial chain, and full provision had been made for such a develop- ment. Lord Plumer formally opened the aerodrome by hoisting the Union Jack. Three flying boats flew over firing rockets and dropped a bouquet for Lady Plumer by parachute. The aerodrome is situated close to the existing seaplane base, so that when the need arises, arrangements can be made for re-fuelling, etc., of both land and sea types of machines. Sir Percy Cox Flying Home BEING urgently required to attend conferences with the Cabinet Committee on matters relating to afiairs in the Middle East, Sir Percy Cox, High Commissioner of Iraq, is leaving Baghdad tomorrow (January 19) by air. His route over the Arabian desert will be that of the Cairo-Baghdad air service, i.e., Baghdad-Ramadi-Kazr el Azrak-Amman- Ramleh-Heliopolis (Cairo). The ordinary journey would occupy at least 8 days, so that by making use of the air service, Sir Percy will save a whole week. 28
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