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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0643.PDF
AUGUST 25, 1927 mCHT D RIVA FLYING A Section of FLIGHT in the Interests^ the Private Owner, Owner-Pilot, and Club Member TRAVEL" ACROSS EUROPE ?lRS:..iI:!OTT;1lYN^,a,nd Mr- Hollindrake, a member "of the Mrs. Eliott-Lynn's Latest Tour Central Europe in the former's " Avian." It is interesting for the glimpses it reveals of air travel in Europe and parti cularly in Germany. It seems that the light aeroplane is quite an innovation in some parts of Europe m comparison to its rapidly-growing popularity in this country The start of the trip was on August 2, and after reaching'Brussels in a non-stop flight of 2 hrs. 40 mins., and landing there for petrol they went on to Cologne, taking 1 hr. 30 mins. The Lufthansa staff there were very interested in the " Avian," and many indulged in joy-rides. For the next lap to Kassel the Rhine mountains were crossed at an altitude of 5,000 ft., and at this town a German aircraft factory was visited! Leipzig was the next important stage, Halle being touched on the way. The local aeroplane club were very interested in the air travellers and again much joy-ridingtook place. In return for their pleasure the joy-riders offered hospitality for the night. The next day Breslau was reached via Gorlitz, the first half of this section taking 2 hrs., and the latter half,' Return Flight is indicated by the dotted line on our map. It proved im- possible to get over the Rhine mountains owing to low clouds, and after returning to Kassel, four attempts were made to detour north, the last at an altitude of only 30 ft. After abandoning the attempts for two hours, they tried again in clearer weather, but were soon brought down below the hill summits, making a forced landing in a valley. They eventu- ally got through by going north-west and reaching Dortmund. A night was spent at Cologne, and eight o'clock in the morning proved too early to get petrol in Brussels. But they got it at Ostend, then bad weather sent them to St. Inglevert for a weather report before crossing the Channel. The sea flight was made at 150 ft. Beyond I7olkestone conditions were so bad that even at 30 ft. it was impossible to get through. Finally, the tour ended in a forced landing on Bromley golf links. The most direct course between stages was not followed, and a total cf about 2,500 miles was thus covered during the whole tour. • Northampton LODZ, LEIPZIG • ,-QORLITZDresden .^ i-~ v--. FRANCE 6 FrgnkFurf- 0 20 40 60 60 100 120 140 160 •SCALE-IN- M1LLS- . Praha 7 CZECKO-SlijWiYKDY \ BRNO EUROPEAN AIR TOUR : The thick line indicates the outward course of Mrs. Eliott-Lynn's air tour and the dotted line the return flight. She was accompanied in her " Avian " by Mr. Hollindrake, a member of the Lancashire Aero Club, and at Lodz, in Poland, they were threatened by a hostile hord of " natives," from whom they escaped in the nick of time. Mrs. Eliott-Lynn made a record sprint of 100 yards whilst her companion got the " Avian " ready for the hasty " get-away " 1 hr. 30 mins. The day after Mrs. Eliott-Lynn was asked to give an exhibition of aerobatics over the town in connec- tion with the athletic meeting then proceeding. To visit this was part of the object of her tour. Here, many prominent inhabitants were taken up. Local Hostility There next followed something of an adventure. On August 5, they went on to Lodz, in Poland, but not having permission to fly in Poland, and being apprehensive of a possible scrutiny of their passports if they landed on a Polish aerodrome, a. landing was effected in a field outside the town ; but it proved to be an excellent choice from an aeronautical point of view only. Noticing a group of peasants in a cart trundling along a road running beside the field, Mrs. Eliott- Lynn decided to ask them to post a letter ; but suddenly a hord of " natives " appeared from all directions, exhibiting war-like intentions. They came on brandishing sticks ! Mr. Hollindrake quickly taxied the " Avian " into a good " take- off " position, whilst Mrs. Eliott-Lynn delivered her letter and then sprinted the hundred yards back in record time. When they lifted into safety, the '"' enemy " were near enough to make the escape a near thing. In the afternoon a landing was made in another field near Brno, in Czecho-Slovakia,b ut the inhabitants of the district here were more docile towards an aeroplane. The mountains were perilously near this hayfield and at her best climbing angle, the " Avian " just managed to get away. German Hospitality Commenting on her tour, Mrs. Eliott-Lynn said that wherever the German Lufthansa air lines were encountered she was always treated as a guest, although part of this hospitality included rising at unearthly hours in the morning to see her off. Their aerodromes, she says, are wonderfully well kept. The air liners depart at the signal of a steward who waves a red or green flag. She noticed, as a remarkable fact, that at the civil aerodromes no pilot did anything except long straight glides-in or straight " take-offs." She was told at Leipzig that pilots are not taught to do turns in the air. They apparently find out by experience, which does seem very remarkable. Instead of spending half-an-hour in the air for a lesson, the pupils have only two or three minutes, making one circuit, and then they are taught landings and ascents straight away. Sixty nights are made with an instructor and thirty alone before they take their tickets. They have to pass eight examinations : medical, practical flying, cross-country, navigation, map reading, meteorology, engine work and machine work. One or two qualified pilots who flew with Mrs. Eliott-Lynn were very excited when she put the machine into vertical banks. A fee of Is. 6d. is charged for landing at civil aerodromes, and another fee of 2s. 6d. for " taking-off." All the air lines are illuminated by aerial lighthouses, and there are over 170 aerodromes in daily use. Spare machines are always in readiness to preserve the con- tinuity of the services. . . . 595 E2
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