FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0330.PDF
MAY 12, 1927 The Service African Flight THE R.A.F Fairey III F machines (Napier "Lion ), under Air Commodore Samson, left Pretoria on May 9 in the course of their return flight to Cairo. A mishap occurred at the start, Sergeant Johnson being unseated when one of the machines was dipping in salute and damaging the fabric with his feet as he was flung on his back in the cockpit. The repairs were made in half-an-hour and the flight resumed. Lieut. Macdonald was indisposed, and therefore did not accompany the flight.Khartum-Kisumu Service DESPITE the recent bad luck in Western Kenya of the new air line between Khartum and Kisumu, it is hoped that before the end of the year the service will be in regular operation. One machine'which came to grief is being repaired in Greece, and it is expected that another start will be made in a few months' time. Captain Gladstone, of the North Sea Transport Company, who is establishing the service, is still very optimistic that it will be a success, for his recent investiga- tions have convinced him that there is sufficient business to be done with Kenya, Uganda, and the north-eastern corner of the Congo to justify expectations of a paying commercial venture. The Tanganyika Government has agreed to partici- pate on a permanent basis. Proposals for the transport of gold from the Kilo and Moto mines in the Congo have been mentioned. It is thought also that the saving in time to passengers should attract European settlers who go home every year.Pinedb Gets Going Again THE Marchese de Pinedo resumed his famous flight on May 8 in the Santa Maria II, the new machine sent out from Italy. He left New York for Boston, where he arrived at 11.15 a.m., being met in the bay by two Navy and six Army aeroplanes. He was also greeted by city officials, Rear Admiral Phillip Andrews, Commandant of the Navy Yard, and numerous Italians, and received a very enthusiastic reception. On May 9 he set out for Philadelphia, intending to stop at New York en route, but fog forced him to descend at Norwalk, Con.Captain St. Roman Missing WE regret that the safety of Captain St. Roman who, in spite of the French Air Ministry's ban, attempted to cross the South Atlantic on his " Goliath " with the floats replaced by wheels, is still uncertain. They left Saint-Louis, near Dakar, on May 5, at 7.15 a.m., to cross to Pernambuco, and have not been heard of since. The removal of the floats naturally offered grave risk in the event of a forced descent in the Atlantic. Although wireless was carried and the airmen intended communicating every half-hour, it does not appear certain that any message was received from them at all. The usual unconfirmed rumours have arisen, but the only hope now is the possibility of them landing on a remote part of the Brazilian coast.U.S. Pan-American Flight Ended THE Pan-American flight covering 20,000 miles has been completed. The four machines arrived at Washington on May 2, and were welcomed by President Coolidge, and other high officials. The original five Loening amphibians, fitted with 400 h.p. " Liberty " engines, set out from Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas, on December 21, 1926, under the command of Maj. Herbert A. Darque, and their course lay down the west coast of South America to Chile, thence over the Andes to Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, and back up the east coast. It will be recalled that an unfortunate tragedy marred the flight on February 21, when two of the machines collided over Buenos Aires and Capt. Woolsey and Lieut. Benton lost their lives.The Yugoslav Long-Distance Flight CONTINUING their flight from Villacoublay, Capt. Son- dermeyer and Lieut. Bardac arrived at Karachi at 4.45 p.m. on April 26 after a difficult passage down the Persian Gulf owing to heat, mist and low clouds. They left for Bombay at 9.15 the next morning, but reached Deolali, 113 miles from Bombay, at 2.30 p.m. the same day. An interesting fact is that although in these long flights across so many countries language difficulties must often arise yet neither of these officers know English or French. Bombay was reached on April 27 and the return flight to Belgrade begun the next day, but owing to sandstorms which forced the machine to land, in order that sand should be cleared from the engine, it took five days to reach that town. On May 8 they landed in the evening and were welcomed by the King, the Prime Minister, members of the diplomatic body, and thousands of people.Glider Towing Experiments FURTHER experiments have been carried out in Germany with towing a glider from an aeroplane, to which reference ha> already been made in these columns. This time cross-country flights have successfully been accomplished, on one occasion a journey being made from Karlsruhe to Frankfurt, with an intermediate landing at Darmstadt ; this was followed by a trip from Frankfurt to Cassel. The next step, it is stated, will be to tow two gliders, and then — ? A Gliding Reco rd IT appears thattheworld'sduration record for an "aerostat- sans-moteur " of 10 hrs. 29 mins. 43; sees, set up at Vauville by Massaux in 1925 has been beaten by a German pilot, Herr Ferdinand Schulz, who recently remained aloft for 14 hrs. 7 mins. near Konigsberg.A New Balloon Record ? WHAT is claimed to be a new altitude record for balloons was established last week at Scotsneld, 111., U.S.A., by Capt. H. C. Gray, who ascended to about 41.000 ft.The Changing East A STRIKING illustration of the change in modern trave- is the journey of Sheikh Hafez Wahba, chief adviser to the Wahabi King, and Lamlouzi, his Foreign Secretary, wh", summoned by their master in connection with the negotiation* with Sir Gilbert Clayton, the British representative, travelled by car to Basra from the Koweit neighbourhood, thence by air to Cairo, and thus reaching Jeddah in a week instead of taking more than a month in the old-fashioned caravan way.Two U.S. Pilots Killed Two well-known U.S. Naval Flying Officers, Lieut.-Com. Page and Lieut. Pollard, have met their death in a flying accident. They were returning to Hampton Roads when their machine caught fire and crashed in flames." Mr. Jones " and R.33 ACCORDING to the " Daily Mail " correspondent, Lieut.- Col. Robert Loraine—the actor-airman, otherwise known, in the early days of flying, as " Mr. Jones "—is negotiating for the'purchase of'H.M. Rigid Airship R.33. It is not stated for what purpose "Mr. Jones" requires R. 33 — perhaps he is considering the use of an airship for a touring theatrical company for light comedy or opera ! Why not '.Italian Minister's Air Tour THE Under-Secretary for Air in Italy, Signor Ball*', completed his visit to the principal air stations in the Itali;in Mediterranean Colonies and the Dodecanese Islands on May ~i• The last stage of his journey from Tripoli to Vigna di Valle, on the Lake Bracciano, near Rome, a distance of 620 mile-, was covered in six hours. The air tour has been very successful, and in less than a fortnight he has visited Ler<>-, Rhodes, Tebruk, Bengazi, Jarabub. Ghadames and Tripoli.Air Survey of N.W. London Boundaries APPLICATIONS by Harrow, Wembley and other autn<>- rities to the north-west of London for the extension <> boundaries and redistribution of areas may mean an ''>('"'L survey, for the use of the motor-car and existing ordmmce maps has been so difficult and unsatisfactory. It is suggc^'1'' that the expense should be shared by the various authorities The Royal Air Force Memorial Fund , THE usual meeting of the Grants Sub-Committee oi i • Fund was held at Iddesleigh House on May 5. Lieut-Cow • H. E. Perrin was in the chair, and the other members ot w committee present were : Mrs. L. M. K. Pratt-Barlow ,V.i> <— Mr. W. S. Field; Sqdn.-Ldr. Douglas Iron, oBf\rt thc, committee considered in all 14 cases, and made grants ^ amount of ^162 16s. Sd. Thc next meeting was nxe • May 19, at 2.30 p.m. 298
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
