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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0752.PDF
AUGUST 9, 1928 and Native, bad come in from the surrounding districts to see the Flight arrive.The whole shore and the quay were packed with natives, who remained watching the flying-boats until long after dark, and were there again bydaylight the following morning. Wednesday, December 28. At Mangalore.—Many residents, bothEuropean and Indian, visited the flying-boats during the day. It was a fine, clear day, and the noon conditions were, wind, W., 5 m.p.h.; temperatures,strut, 81° F., hull, 82" F.; sky, clear. The crowds on shore remained watch- ing the boats all day.Thursday, December 29. Mangalore—Cochin. 195 miles. (3 hrs. IS mins. ; 60 knots.)—At 11.00, the Flight took off in succession, each boatremaining at its buoy until the boat before it was in the air ; this was neces- sary, owing to the smallness of the area with a sufficient depth of water.The water-front was crowded ; the whole population of the district appeared to have come down to see the Flight leave, and they shouted and cheered aseach boat took off. After picking up formation and circling Mangalore, the Flight set course down the coast, circling Calicut at 13.00, and landing information at Cochin at 14.15. As the Flight were the first aircraft to visit this coast, the Port Officer, Mangalore, had informed the authorities of thetowns on the route of the approximate times the Flight would pass over, and the beaches near the towns and villages were crowded. The coast was verypicturesque, with many rivers, lagoons and backwaters, which appeared from the air to be very suitable for emergency landings if the depth of water isadequate. On arrival at Cochin, the Flight secured to buoys in the harbour about one-quarter mile N.E. of the town. Friday, December 30. Cochin.—The Flight, being the first aircraft tobe seen at Cochin, aroused the greatest interest; crowded boats of all descriptions were continually passing round the area reserved for the flying-boats, and crowds watched the aircraft all day from the shores of the harbour ; even the water-front of Ernakulam, the native capital of Cochin,which is 1J miles from the flying-boat moorings, was crowded with people, although they had been told that the Flight would not leave until 0900 on thefollowing day. The weather conditions at noon were : Wind variable and under 5 m.p.h.; sky, 0 2 clouded ; temperature, 80" F. strut; 83° F. hull.Saturday, December 31. Cochin to Colombo. 315 miles. (4 hrs. 30 mins. ; 39 knots.)—The weather was fine and clear with light detachedclouds to the S.E. and a N.E. wind of 5 m p.h. The hull and strut tempera- tures were 78° F". The Flight slipped together and took off in formation at09.00 in 35 sees. After circling Cochin and Ernakulam the Flight left for Colombo, circling in close formation over Alleppi, Quilon and Trivandrumand dropping a message of greeting to the residents of Quilon in accordance with requests which had been received. Throughout this part of the routethe Flight appeared to arouse great interest ; the beaches and open spaces near the towns and villages being crowded. As Cap Cormorin was approached, the weather became overcast and thewind increased to about 20 knots from the N.E., raising a nasty sea in the Gulf of Manaar, which moderated near Colombo. The Flight landed insuccession in Colombo Harbour at 13.30 near the S.W. arm of the breakwater, and secured to four buoys which had been specially laid near the northernend. 1928. Sunday, January 1 to Wednesday, January 11. Colombo —Many visitors were shown over the flying-boats, including the Master Attend- ant, the Senior Naval Officer, the Chairman of the Special Commission onCeylon Reforms, Sir Geoffrey Butler, the Inspector General of Police and many naval and harbour officers. During the stay at Colombo there were several heavy rain and thunder-storms, mostly in the evening and at night. The average hull temperature at noon was 82° F. The eight airmen of the flying crews were sent to the Naval Rest Camp atDiyatalawa in two parties, the first from January 3 to 6, and the second from January 7 to 10. This complete change was of great value to the Flight.Thursday, January 12. Colombo to Trincomali. 290 miles. (4 hrs. 45 mins.; 60 knots.)—The duty officer and all airmen slept on board.Remaining officers on board by 07.00. The weather conditions were dull. Wind, N.E., 10 m.p.h.; sky, half-clouded at 1,000 ft. to 1,500 ft. ; hull andstrut temperatures, 77° F. A considerable crowd collected on the S.W. arm of the breakwater to see the Flight leave. The Flight took off in succession at 08.00, the times varying from 45 to55 sees., being much the worst experienced so far during the cruise, more especially as the fuel load was only 400 gallons in each machine. The longtake-off was due primarily to the thick deposits which had formed on the hull bottoms during the stay of 12 days at Colombo. An examination of thehull bottoms during the flight from Cochin to Colombo had shown them to to be practically free from growths. The swell in the harbour may havelengthened the get-off a little, but it was not serious and the poor acceleration was noticeable directly the engines were opened out. Whilst S. 1150 wastaking off, a seagull flew into the starboard airscrew, and its dead body remained jambed at the base of the " V " struts under the engines untilthe aircraft landed at Trincomali; the metal airscrew was undamaged. After circling Colombo in formation the Flight left for Trineomali, S. 1149and S. 1150 flying round the south of the Island, S. 1151 and S. 1152 round the north. The former found the clouds very low near Galle, and camedown to 20 ft., flying along the edge of the beach for about 10 mins. The clouds then lifted'and the aircraft climbed to 500 ft. off Dondra Head, andshortly afterwards a torrential rainstorm was passed through. S. 1150 steered out to sea for a mile or two, and thus avoided the centre of whatapparently was a small cyclonic storm, but S. 1149 in the centre of the storm had a most anxious five minutes. The rain, descending in torrents, almostblinded the pilot, who could not see the water above 20 ft. The whole surface of the sea was covered with swirling foam, and the heavy bumpsmade the aircraft almost uncontrollable. The engines dropped revolutions and ran unevenly and the pilot had thegreatest difficulty to avoid being forced on to the water, which was too rough for a safe " landing " and " take off." After about 5 minutes the conditionsimproved, the aircraft regained touch and no further difficulty was experienced although several heavy rain storms were seen, and avoided. When passingthe game reservation on the south coast, a number of elephants, buffalo, boar sambar. deer and monkeys were seen. S. 1149 and S. 1150 landed at Trincomaliat 12.45. A number of large lagoons, which appeared from the air to be suitable for seaplanes, were seen on the south and south-east coasts of Ceylon.S.1151 and S.1152, flying north-about, experienced north-east winds up to 20 m.p.h. and occasional light rain on the west coast ; they passed overPunerin and followed the water ways across the north of Ceylon and thence down the east coast with an easterly wind of about 20 m.p.h. and a rough sea.The aircraft landed at Trincomali at 12.35 in an interval between the showers. Friday, January 13, to Wednesday. January 18—Trincomali.—TheWeather was generally fine but there were several short periods of heavy rain. The hull temperature during the day averaged 80' F. and the wind wasgenerally north-east up to 15 m.p.h. All the flying-boats were taxied in turn to the shallow water (4 to 5 ft.) in front of the naval sick quarters, where thereis a smooth sandy bottom, and were secured to the pier there and the shore so that they were just afloat. The officers and airmen of the flight, assistedby three seamen and six coolies, removed the weed and barnacles from the bottoms with hand scrubbing brushes and pieces of wood. The barnacleswere firmly fixed to the paint, which generally came away with them, and as most of the cleaning had to be done with the head under water, it wasmost exhausting. A rope passed under the boat and worked backwards and forwards above the water line was found very useful for clearing the areanear the keel. The time taken to taxy in the boat, secure it, clean the bottom, flight test and secure to the moorings, was about 2J hours per boat, and thework on the four boats was spread over two days. As far as could be judged by inspection under water and by flying low over observers, practically thewhole of the deposits on the bottoms had been removed. The flight tests showed that the average time for take-off with the clean bottoms was 30sees., compared with the 50 sees, required with the dirty bottoms at Colombo with approximately the same load and weather conditions. This result wasconfirmed by " get-off " tests of S.I 150 immediately before and after cleaning. As a result of the hard work under water, a number of the officers and airmensuffered from ear-ache. This was cured by syringing out the ears. Thursday, January 19—Trincomali to Pulicat, 325 Miles (5 hrs.30 mins : 60 kts.).—Airmen slept on board ; all officers on board by 06.00. The morning was fine with a N.E. wind of 5 m.p.h. sky : 0-3 clouded ; hulland strut temperatures : 77 F. ; barometer : 29.00. Flight took off in formation at 06.50 in 40 sees. In accordance with requestswhich had been received from local authorities, ithe Flight followed the coast, dipped at Muletivu (07.45) and circled in formation over Point Pedro (08.30).Madras was reached at 12.00, and after circling the town twice in formation, a message for His Excellency the Governor was dropped. The Flight landedat Pulicat Lake at 12.20, in an area of adequate depth marked by flags, near the south end of the lake, and secured to the four buoys which had beenlaid for it. Throughout the flight the wind was approximately N.E. 12 knots, rather more in the Palk Straits and rather less and more easterly farthernorth. South of Madras the open sea was too rough for a '• take-off" in the open to be safe. The flying conditions generally were good with shortperiods of heavy bumps over the land. The only trouble experienced during the flight was a water leak in the starboard engine of S.I 152, due to the failureof the small washer on the rear water connection to the starboard cylinder head. The throttle of the starboard engine was then closed until the flightreached its refuelling base at Pulicat at 12.20. The aircraft lost about 400 ft. during the 20 mins. flight on one engine. On landing, the defect was made goodand examinatiin of the engine showed it to be undamaged. Friday, January 20—Pulicat to Coconada,300 miles (5 hrs.; 60 kts.).—A fine morning except for a few drops of rain at 06.35 ; wind : N.E., 10 m.p.h. ; hull and strut temperatures : 77 F.; 0-8 clouded; barometer:29-05 ; lake, calm. At 06.45 Flight took off in succession, having warmed the engines throughat the moorings. Average "take-off" time : 26 sees. (350 gallons fuel). Throughout the flight the weather was fine with blue sky. A few cumulusclouds about 1,000 ft. were met occasionally, causing bumpy conditions beneath them. The wind was E.N.E. from 8 to 12 knots. The open sea,which had been moderate off Pulicat, gradually reduced to slight at Coconada as the Flight went farther north. Saturday, January 21, and Sunday, January 22, in Coconada.The weather was fine, and the hull temperatures during the day averaged 78s F. The wind was composed of the land and sea breezes up to about10 m.p.h., which, at times, raised sufficient chop in the shallow water of this exposed anchorage to make it advisable to close the scuttles. Monday, January 23. Coconada to Chilka Lake. 225 Miles. (3 hrs.45 mins. ; 60 knots).—A fine morning with 0-7 cloud ; wind : N.E. 5 m.p.h.; barometer: 29-1; hull and strut temperatures : 75° F. Maj. C. Hodding (Officer Commanding East Coast Battalion, AuxiliaryForce) was carried (with the approval of Army Headquarters, Madras) as a passenger on this flight, in S. 1151.The Flight took off in formation in 30 sees., and after circling in Coconada, left for Chilka Lake at 07.00 following the coast the whole way and circlingover Vizagapatam, where large new harbour works are in progress. When completed, this port might be suitable for a seaplane base. Several riverswere passed, which appeared to be suitable for emergency landings. After circling the large crowds which had collected near the Rambha Palace, andon the shores of the south end of Chilka Lake, the Flight landed in formation at 10.40. The Flight was welcomed by the Rajah of Khallikote and Atagada,who entertained the Flight most generously during their stay. The Flight were the first aircraft to be seen in this area, and their visit createdgreat interest. The Rajah of Khallikote had invited a large house party to meet the Flight, including the Rajahs of Nilgire and Mandasa, and the DistrictOfficers from the neighbouring districts. Large crowds of Indians had assembled on the shores of the lake, and special trains were run to bring inthe residents from the more distant areas. The Rajah gave large luncheon and dinner parties, and after the latter, the villagers of the surroundingvillages gave very interesting displays of sword-dancing and their ancient methods of warfare. Tuesday, January 24, to Thursday, January 26.—Chilka Lake.—Theweather during the stay was fine with light land and sea breezes. The day temperature in the hull varied from 77 to 84. On two days there weremorning mists on the lake from 06.00 to 08.30, which would have made it dangerous to take-off or land during this period.S. 1149 made a local flight on 26th, carrying the Rajah of Khallikote and the Rajah of Mandasa and his brother as passengers. The native boatmenmade large profits by taking parties from the shores of the lake round the flying-boats.Friday, January 27.—Chilka Lake to Calcutta, 290 Miles (4 hrs. 10 mins. 70 knots.)—A misty morning with no wind. Temperature 74° F.;barometer 20.00. The mist did not clear sufficiently for the flying boats to take off until 07.40 ; theFlight then slipped, took off in formation, and aftercircling and dropping a message of thanks at Rhamba Palace, left for Calcutta at 07.50. The low clouds and mist slowly cleared with the sun, leaving somedetached clouds about 1,000 ft. and a slight haze. The sea was calm and the surface wind light easterly at first, backing to northerly near the Hoogli ;the upper wind appeared to be southerly. The coast, which is low lying and has many rivers apparently suitable for emergency landings, was followedto Maipara Point, and the course was then set for the mouth of the Hoogli and thence up-river to Calcutta, which was circled at 11.45. The Flight landed at Ichapur, on the Hoogli, some 15 miles north of Calcutta,at 12.00 and secured to the buoys which had been laid there about 100 yards from the east bank of the river. The tide was running out at about 3 knots,and the R.I.M. seamen in the skiffs attending the flying-boats found consi- derable difficulty in bringing their boats alongside the aircraft safely.Saturday, January 28 to Thursday, February 2. Calcutta.—In spite of the distance to Ichapur, His Excellency the Governor and manyvisitors came out to the flying - boats, and were shown over them. The officers and airmen on duty in the flying-boats found many mosquitoes onboard at night. Friday, February 3. Calcutta to Akyab. 315 miles. (4 hrs. 30 mins.;70 knots.)—A fine morning with no wind ; slight mist; hull and strut tem- peratures : 65° F. ; barometer : 29-1 ; tide running out at 2 knots.Colonel Shelmerdine, Director of Civil Aviation, India, embarked in S. 1151 at 06.30 for flight to Akyab. and Rangoon, in connection with the proposedCivil Air Route. Flight slipped at 06.45, and whilst taxying slowly S. 1151 touched a sandbank near the centre of the river about half a mile below the mooring site ; 696
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