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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0678.PDF
1, 1927 Conquered Again As a part of their flight round the world, the two Americans, Mr. Edward Schlee and Mr. William Brock, crossed the Atlantic from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to London in 23 hrs. 19 mins. They arrived at 10.33 a.m. on Sunday, August 28, having covered 2,350 miles in their Stinson mono- plane, which is htted with a Wright " Whirlwind " engine Their object is to fly round the world in 15 days. The yellow monoplane was sighted over Plymouth about 7 a.m. on Sunday last, but as this was the first land the airmen had seen after a long flight through cloud and mist they had the impression that it was Ireland. They circled for a long time and then flew up the South Devon coast to Seaton, where they dropped messages asking for the name of the town and country. A large Union jack spread out on the ground immediately answered for the country, but the names scrawled on the sands were apparently not read. But their knowledge was evidently sufficient for them to carry on, and in due course reach Croydon. They were at considerable disadvantage over tins country through the inadequacv of their crude maps. There were about 50 people at Croydon to greet them, because, as no news of them had been reported since they were seen at Plymouth, it was thought they might have gone over to the Continent. In mid-Atlantic a storm had raged and the pilot, Mr. Brock, described it as appalling. At times they descended to as low as 200 ft. and as high as 10,000 ft., but at that altitude it was too cold to be comfortable in, and a lower altitude was chosen. Just before sunset over the ocean they ran into cloud, and when dawn arrived cloud and fog still enveloped the course. Only two ships were sighted during .crossing. They thought a light glimpsed in the morning was the Fastnet Light. Mr. Schlee is the President of the Wayco Oil .Corporation, and is able to fly a machine. Mr. Brock learnt to fly at the age of 16 years, and has a considerable reputation in America. He has been a U.S. air mail pilot. Continuing their ambitious flight with as little delay as possible, they left Croydon for Munich on August 29 and arrived at 3.59 p.m. Belgrade was reached about noon on_August 30. Air Minister Returns i SIR SAMUEL HOARE has returned from his air cruise with the latest types of the R.A.F. flying boats. He left Copen- hagen on August 24 in the Blackburn " Iris " and arrived at Esbjerg soon after noon. The " Iris " took off again about an hour later and reached Felixstowe at 5.30 p.m. via Heligoland. The weather had been rather rough during the whole of the Air Minister's tour, and the flight from Oslo to Copenhagen, a distance of about 300 miles, was carried out in the teeth of a heavy gale. He covered 1,400 miles by air all told. The " Iris " is again joining the other boats to complete the programme in the Baltic cruise, which will embrace Danzig, Helsingfors, Stockholm, Copenhagen and then Felixstowe via Helder. Director of Civil Aviation in Germany SIR SEFTOX BRANCKER has recently inspected German aerodromes and aircraft factories and is very enthusiastic about air progress in the country. He said that the Germans had organised civil aviation with great courage and had not failed to spend money when it was necessary. Now the whole nation is patriotically interested in flying. The Dornier works at Friedrichshafen are constructing fine machines. At Dessau Sir Sefton interviewed the German pilots who are attempting the Atlantic and saw their machines, which, he thought, should get through. He was pleased with the co-operation in civil aviation between England and Germany. Newspapers by Air CAPTAIN STACK, A.F.C., has been delivering the Daily Mail to Belgium with remarkable regularity. A fast motor- car has conveyed the papers to Lympne in the early hours of the morning, and from there Capt. Stack has flown them across to Ostend, arriving punctually at 6.20 a.m., in spite of fog, sea mists and storms. On many occasions he has been forced to fly across the Channel as low as 10 ft. Mr. Levine's Latest I WHILST Mr. Levine of Atlantic fame is interested in aviation we can always expect to be startled by his adventures. He accomplished the extraordinary feat of flying his " Columbia" monoplane from Paris to Croydon unaided, on August 29, although he is not a trained pilot. He made Le Bourget gasp by unexpectedly taking oft and he made Croydon gasp by landing safely after veering to the edge of disaster again and again. The ambulance awaited him in vain. An eyewitness at Croydon said that he stalled at a low altitude but managed to survive it, missed the observation tower by a few feet, touched the ground once but shot up again ! One of the Surrey Service pilots took oft then and acted as a guide for him. Finally he made a good landing and stepped out of his machine as cool as ice ! After leaving Le Bourget a few machines chased him but he shook them oli. His French pilot, M. Drouhin, is very annoyed with Mr. Levine and so are French aviation circles generally. As soon as weather permits the " Columbia " will attempt the Atlantic flight, piloted by Capt. Hinchlittc, the Imperial Airways pilot, with Mr. Levine as passenger. Apparently the difficulties with the French pilot were over the language problem. • Canada's Attempt Fails CAPT. TULLY and Lieut. Medcalf started their Atlantic flight on August 29, at 6.48 a.m., but were compelled to return after four hours' flying owing to rain and fog over Eastern Ontario. There is the possibility of a race between them and Mr. C. A. Schiller and Mr. P, Wood, who are starting from Windsor, Ontario, for Windsor, England. In the Throes of Adjournment ONE of our own efforts to make the westward crossing of the Atlantic is still held up—mostly through bad weather. Capt. Courtney has made repeated endeavours to get away, but the last time the " Whale " would not lift, although it was actually carrying less load than on previous occasions. Col. Minchin and Mr. Leslie Hamilton have had to make a modification to their tail unit before the Air Ministry would grant an airworthy certificate. They flew their Fokker monoplane from Bristol to Upavon, Wiltshire, on August 26. They started for Canada ou August 31, Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim accompanying them as a passenger. The Princess is said to have a financial interest in the flight. Long-distance Flight Mystery AN American airman, Paul Redfern, who left Brunswick, Georgia, alone for a 4,600-mile flight to Brazil, is missing, and it is feared that he is lost in the ocean. He started on August 25 in a Stinson monoplane and was sighted 300 miles east of the Bahamas by a steaner the same afternoon. Air Freight in Germany AN agreement has been drawn up between Lufthansa (the German " Imperial Airways ") and the German State Railways. From October 1, anyone sending freight or parcels in Germany may designate the route desired, whether entirely or partly by air, for the air lines and railways will work in unison. Lord Apsley a Trustee of National Fund CAPT. THE RT. HON. LORD APSLEY, D.S.O., M.C., M.F. (Cons., Southampton), has become a Trustee of the National Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics in addition to LOKI Ossulston, Sq.-Ldr. the Rt. Hon. F. E. Guest, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.P., and Mr. Lendrum. Air Union Make Reduction THE Air Union is making a reduction of 20 per cent, on all their passenger fares for members of the American Legion in Europe for the French Convention. Legionaires will 1"-' required to produce their special passports at the aerodrorue of embarkation as a means of identification. The single fares on the London-Paris air line will be :—" Earlybiru service, £4. 4s.; 11.15 a.m. service and 3 p.m. restaurant service, £5. On the 3 p.m. service afternoon tea is served free of charge in the restaurant machines. 624
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