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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0123.PDF
JANUARY 17, 1929 spread of 10 ft. in place of 1\ ft, Rudder area has been increased with' a larger balanced portion. There is an air heater to keep the carburettor warm, thus preventing any water, which might get in, from, freezing. For the purpose of photography, a 14-in. hole is in the floor cabin to take a camera, and the rear doors have oval holes to take oblique cameras. They are covered with black silk when photography is not required. Wireless apparatus has been installed in the baggage com- partment, having a radius of 2,100 miles, and three aerials will be tried. The standard one is let down through the floor and left hanging, and another type stretches round wing tips and has a wind cone at the loose end which trails. A third type attaches to the wing tips and the tail. Commander Byrd's pilots include Mr. Bernt Balchen, who accompanied him on his Atlantic flight in 1927, and Mr. Dean C. Smith, an air-mail pilot. The primary object of the expedition is scientific and if it is unusually fortunate much flying will be carried out and the explorers will be home before June. On the other hand they may have to winter and stay another year. They are expected at their base in the Ross Sea this month. An Antarctic winter is not so comfort- able as in the North, owing to a more extreme isolation and severer weather. The Antarctic has more influence on the weather than the Arctic, and there is meteorological data to be gained to justify these expeditions. From New Zealand, the base ship has a voyage of 2,300 miles south to the Ross ice barrier, and has to force through the ice pack after which come several hundred miles of ice-strewn water reaching to the ice barrier. Amundsen had his base in the Bay of Whales, and Byrd's base will probably be near there and situated on snow-covered ice which will enable him to have rooms dug in the ice for work places. This will be 2,300 miles from the nearest human dwelling. Seals and birds abound on the fringe of the continent and will supplement the food supply. Nearly 80 Eskimo dogs will be used for hauling and to assist in establishing smaller bases on the route to the South Pole. Bases will possibly be installed at distances of 100 miles, which will give a fair chance of survival in the case of a forced landing near them. On the final flight to the South Pole, after the last base is passed the airmen will depend entirely on their wireless and the reserve machines for rescue if forced down. It is not certain whether a landing will be made at the Pole as the latter is on a plateau 10,000 ft. high and the take-off again would be difficult with the load of petrol and equipment. In the event of a take-off again being impossible there would be no hope of rescue at that extreme position. The Pole flight will be only one of the objectives of Byrd's expedition. It was not the objective of Sir Hubert Wilkins on his first season's work just finished. Capt. Guest's African Flight Iris reported that Capt. F. E. Guest, M.P , who is making a flight to Central Africa, arrived at Algiers on January 9, and was due to leave the following day for Tunis and Tripoli. His companions are Sqdn.-Ldr. Soden and Mr. Fielden. A " Latham " Lifebuoy Found A LIFEBUOY marked " Latham, Paris, ' was washed ashore recently on the western part of North Cape, in Fin- marken. The Latham flying-boat was the French machine which disappeared with Capt. Amundsen and Commander Guilbaud on board, after leaving Tromsoe on June 18 to search for General No bile's expedition. French Experiment Fails A NEW French flying-boat, a Paulhan-Pillard E. 5 mono- plane fitted with three 450-h.p. Gnome-Rhone Jupiter engines, crashed during a trial flight over the sea at Saint- Raphael on January 8, and the crew of five were killed. The body of one, Lieut. Requin, was recovered. It has been stated since that the machine had been previously condemned by the French Air Ministry and further tests ordered to be abandoned. Apparently this order was not made known to the crew by the person responsible. Much had been expected of the monoplane, which was of all-metal construc- tion. Cairo-Cape Flight THE Cairo-Cape Flight of the Royal Air Force will leave Cairo on February 12 A Flight of No. 45 Squadron has been selected for this. The usual routine, via Khartum, will be followed, and field operations will take place in co- operation with the 4th King's African Rifles at Jinja, with the 3rd K.A.R. at Nairobi, and with the 2nd K.A.R. at Taborah. The Flight will arrive at Cape Town about March 14 and then proceed via Durban to Pretoria. From Pretoria to Khartum it will be accompanied by a flight of the South African Air Force. The R.A.F. Flight will return to Cairo about the end of April, having flown about 11,300 miles. Belgian Air Plans FURTHER developments of Belgian aviation services to the Congo are in contemplation. In the second half of January, M. Lippens, Minister for Aeronautics and head of the Belgian civil aviation service, will go to Paris for a conference with the representatives of French aviation. The object in view is the establishment of an aerial liaison between Belgium and the Congo across the Sahara. The line would eventually be extended across the Congo to Madagascar. Belgian Air Budget THE Belgian Budget for military aviation for the year 1929 amounts to nearly /300,000" It makes provision for modern bombing and fighting machines. By July 1 next, air squadrons at Evere, Bierset-Awans and Nivelles will have been brought to full peace-time strength. Gradually the Air Staff will be increased to 25 from the present number of four. Air Mails to Kabul A R.A.F. VICKERS " Victoria " biplane flew from Pesha- war to Kabul and back on January 9, carrying mails for the British and Afghans. Permission has been granted for a weekly air mail service from India to Kabul. In all, 132 people have been taken from Kabul by air. American Air Line for Five Countries THE United States' first international air service linking five countries, including the British West Indies, was started on January 9 with the departure of four machines carrying mails and passengers from Miami, Florida, for Cuba, Haiti, San Domingo, the Bahamas and Porto Rico. A daily service will be maintained between Miami and Havana. New Atlantic Flight Contemplated MR. HARRY LYON, who was the navigator on the Southern Cross monoplane when it flew the Pacific Ocean under the command of Capt. Kingsford-Smith, contemplates a non-stop flight between America and England in the Spring. Nobile's Rescuer in Rome CAPT. LUNDBORG, the Swedish pilot, who rescued General Nobile by air after the crash of the Italia airship following its flight to the North Pole, was received by Signor Mussolini in Rome on January 14. Six Days to India IMPERIAL AIRWAYS will start in April the Empire air mail route of 5,000 miles to bring India within six days of Great Britain. The route will be flown in daily stages.the first being from London to Basle. Then the mails will be taken by train to Geneva and embarked from there on the second day on all-metal flying boats flying the Mediter- ranean to Cairo. That stage will take two days. Across the desert from Cairo to Basra via Baghdad will be flown on the fourth day, whilst the stage down the Persian Gulf to Karachi will absorb the remaining two days. It is pro- posed to extend the Empire air route across India to Calcutta and then via Singapore to Australia. A branch line from Capetown will connect with the main line at Cairo. Sahara Air Service A COMMERCIAL machine belonging to the Compagnie Generale Aeropostale has returned to Algiers from a success- ful reconnaissance towards the Sahara via El Laghuat, El Golea, In Salah and Reggan. An earlier reconnaissance was made via Colomb Bechar and Reggan. Some passengers were flown back on the last flight who had been held up on the Niger motor-car service. 51
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