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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0309.PDF
MAY 5, 1927 compare them with trains leaving one of our great termini for all directions. There seemed plenty of passengers, who were catered for in an excellent way. At the Tempelhof Aerodrome the booking office, passengers and luggage depart- ments, weighing arrangements, waiting rooms and restaurant are on the scale of those in our railway stations. Luft Hansa were very helpful, and British air travellers touring in Germany can rely on getting most prompt and efficient service everywhere. While in Berlin a visit was made to Oberregierungsrat Geyer, who is the Director of Civil Aviation, and a discussion took place on the present regulations under which we in England have to obtain permission from the German Embassy before we can fly into Germany. Capt. Broad and Mr. St. Barbe explained that this permission takes three or four days or even more to obtain and that it is very inconvenient for the private owner who may suddenly make up his mind to spend the week-end in Germany, in the same way as he now goes to Land's End, Paris or Brussels. The director was very sympathetic, but explained that the uncompromising attitude of the French makes it impossible for Germany to improve their facilities for air tourists as they obviously could not make an exception in the case of the English without giving equal benefit to the French, who would certainly not reciprocate. But predominant over all their impressions of this interesting visit to deliver the first British aeroplane purchased by Ger- many since the war, is the extreme cordiality, friendliness and hospitality with which they were everywhere received. THE BRISTOL AND WESSEX AEROPLANE CLUB AT the present stage in the development of the light aeroplane movement it is showing a tendency to evolve in three separate directions : first, through the subsidised clubs ; secondly, through the private-owners; and thirdly, through the unsub- sidised clubs. Of the three the latter, perhaps, have the hardest struggle for existence, for they must become estab- lished entirely by their own efforts and survive for some time before they can hope for any official assistance. With them it is a case of the more they accomplish for themselves the more hope they will have of receiving help from elsewhere ; for when the Air Ministry come to consider an extension of their benevolence towards the light aeroplane movement it will only favour those clubs who have the best prospects of making an adequate response. Until this wand of generosity sweeps wider these clubs must remain in a class by themselves, and to distinguish them from the others we could, perhaps, most appropriately term them the very private clubs ; for this description will most conclusively define their privacy, •dissociate them from all official patronage, reveal them in their struggling independence, and guide those sympathetic sponsors of private aviation like Norwich is blessed with, in case they are seeking a further outlet in which to bestow their kindness. As we know, one of the most progressive of these potential very-private clubs is Bristol, which is going to embrace the air enthusiasts of the Hardy country. Follow- ing on the same sound plans as Norwich, we know that they have recently had a public demonstration, not quite on the same grand scale, but then they already have the advantage of being an old centre of aviation interests. It has been one of their industries and they probably want very little coaching on " airmindedness." They still have two famous aircraft firms active in their midst. Now, as a further stone in the foundation of the club they have determined the conditions that shall rule their existence, and to some extent they are similar to those of the established clubs with which FLIGHT readers are familiar from the last issue. The important details that differ concern the question of finance. For instance, there is an entrance fee, which is not the rule with all the subsidised clubs; but, of course, no comparison can be made with their circumstances. As a sort of compen- satory adjustment for this, the cost of instruction has been fixed at 25s. per hour up to 4 p.m. each day, after which it is the usual 30s. per hour, the week-ends and holidays being excluded. One cannot help reflecting that this consideration will be misplaced, for it is a natural assumption that the pupil who has the time to learn to fly before 4 p.m. in the day has hardly to plod at industry for a living, which means that he is more affluent than the pupil whose leisure is limited to the evening and week-ends. This is, no doubt, merely an incidental and unintentional effect of the rule, and its real purpose is to try and equally distribute flying instruction over the whole flying time available each day and avoid any congestion in the evenings : for it will be an inducement for those who can find time to fly before 4 p.m. to do so. The membership is to be divided into three classes, namely, Pilot Members, Observer Members and Associate Members, in that order of distinction. The exact differences between the last two is that the former pays an entrance fee of £2 2s., a yearly subscription of £2 2s., and pays 255. per hour for passenger flying. The Associate member pays an entrance fee and yearly subscription fee of 10s. 6d., respectively, and is entitled to short flights at 5s. each ; so apparently the advantage the Observer member gets for the privilege of being an Observer member is like that of the stallholders TJfl PRODUCTION TYPE " AVIAN '' : One of the first Avro " Avians " to be completed under quantity produc- tio;i conditions was purchased by the R.A.E. Aero Club of Farnborough (the amateur designers and constructors of " Hurricane " and " Sirocco " machines), and was used, almost immediately after delivery, for racing in *he various events at the Bournemouth Easter Meeting. This is the machine shown in the photograph, the registration letters being G-EBQN. The engine is a "Cirrus " Mark II. 277
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