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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0156.PDF
varied conditions met with on the journey, this fact bears splendid testimony to the excellence of British aircraft and aero engines, no less than to the skill of Mr. Cobham as a pilot, and of Mr. Elliott as an engineer. The fact that any engine under such conditions as existed should never develop the slightest trouble, should be coupled with the meticu- lous care bestowed upon it by the engineer in charge— Mr. Elliott—who, working quietly and without fuss, saw to it that the " Puma " was ready to purr whenever its services were required. To him, there- fore, also much credit is due. The chief of the expedition, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker, has. ever since he took over the position of Director of Civil Aviation, shown his keenness to fly and his determination to encourage, in every way, not least by personal example, the use of flying as a practical, speedy, and safe mode of travel, and by the flight to Burma and back he has still further consolidated the position which he already held as perhaps the most popular, and certainly the most hard-working, head of civil aviation we have ever had. That visits by air of an official as highly placed as is Sir Sefton have impressed the various people with whom he has come into contact during the tour is not to be doubted, and this, coupled with the fact that " the youthful General," as he is often affectionately called on the Continent, has the gift of making friends wherever he goes, will undoubtedly have done a very great deal towards strengthening British prestige in the countries visited. As to the direct results of the tour, it is too early to speak yet, but it can, we think, be said that, on the whole, Sir Sefton has been favourably impressed with the possibilities of air routes to and in the East, and that during the next few months we may hope to see real progress being made with the extension of existing services. It will be a very long time befofe airship services to India and Australia become practical propositions, and a very great deal of research and practical experimental work will have to be done before the possibilities of lighter- than-air can be definitely ascertained ; in the meantime, as Mr. Holt Thomas points out in a letter to The Times, the aeroplane has proved itself, or, as he puts it, " has served its apprenticeship," and we know definitely its capabilities. While waiting for the airship to be developed into a practical transport medium, do not let us lose sight of what the aero- plane (or, of course, seaplane) can do already. Other countries are forging ahead, France and Germany, in particular. Unless we really make a start in the immediate future, we shall wake up one fine day and discover that a network of commercial aeroplane routes has already been spread over Europe and* An Air Tragedy of the Desert AN Air Ministry communique states that the remains recently discovered in the desert in Iraq have been definitely identified as those of Flight-Lieutenant William Conway Day, M.C., and Flying Officer Donald Ramsay Stewart, who were reported missing after making a forced landing on the morning of July 24, 1924. Rescue machines discovered the damaged aeroplane on the afternoon of the same day, and footprints were traceable for about 40 yards in the direction of Jalibah Railway Station. Some rations and a drum containing 3£ gallons of water were found in the aeroplane, and from the position of the drum with a funnel resting on it, it is presumed that the officers had filled their water bottles before leaving the machine. From traces of blood which were found on the MARCH 19. 1925 parts of the East by our competitors, and then it will cost us a great deal more to make up the time lost than if we attack the problem at once. The technical obstacles can, we feel convinced, be overcome. The financial difficulties also. There only remains the question of coming to an agreement with our neighbours in the air, so to speak, France and Germany. Before air routes to Egypt, India and Australia can be inaugurated, it will be necessary to obtain permission to run services across these countries, but delicate as is the position in this respect, it should be capable of being arranged, and we are sure the recent visit to those countries of Sir Sefton Brancker will have done much towards an agreement acceptable to all concerned. Of technical information and experience1 collected on the tour to Burma and back doubtless Sir Sefton will have a detailed report to make, and it may be taken for granted that the dc Havilland Aircraft Co. will benefit bv Cobham's magnificent flight, not only from the credit which the flight reflects on the particular type of machine used, but also in a general way as to how different materials such as wood, fabric, three-ply, etc., behave under widely-varying weather conditions. When we saw the machine at Croydon on the day of its return, it looked very little the worse for its 17,000 miles' journey, its 200 hours in the air and its many more hours on the ground in all sorts of places. The flight has, therefore, demon- strated that even aeroplanes of ordinary construction are capable of use on Imperial air routes, and that all-metal machines, desirable as they may be, and offering a? they ultimately may do the best solution, are by no means essential for a start, at any rate. Incidentally, it would also appear that the three- engined aeroplane, although it may offer somewhat greater freedom from forced landings, is far from being an absolute necessity, for day-flying, at any rate. Although lacking in spectacular interest, the flight to Burma and back is nevertheless a highly meritorious one, and we think it will be found that its chief merit lies in the convincing manner in which the aeroplane was used for a practical business trip. Sir Sefton Brancker had to make calls in many capitals, as well as studying geographical and atmospheric conditions, and no attempt was made to cover dis- tances in record time. The actual flying hours, however, were only a little over 200, so that, with any degree of luck, the out-and-home journey should be capable of being made, over organised routes, in about three weeks. Even if the flight had done nothing but demonstrating this fact., it would have been worth while. As it is, the tour has done a good deal more, and British aviation in general owes much to those responsible for its organisation and successful execution. machine it appeared that the pilot, Flight-Lieut. Day, had sustained a slight injury, but no message had been left in the machine, and in spite of exhaustive search by every available means for four days no trace of the missing officers could be found. In the light of the recent discovery it is considered probable that on account of Flight-Lieut. Day's injury both the officers were prompted to seek assistance at the Railway Station at Jalibah. about 12 miles due north of the spot where the aeroplane landed, but from the positions where the remains were found it was obvious that the unfortu- nate officers had lost their way in the attempt. In view ol the time of day and the season during which they were sub jected to exposure, there is no reasonable doubt that death ensued from heat exhaustion. 156
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