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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0219.PDF
JANUARY 31, 1929 EDDIES QUITE, but under such conditions, no doubt, our little air boys would be busy at " footer " or some equally sporty -war occupation ! Sure ! THE above—which got lost in the " fog " of press-night—was the little " tail-piece " that should have followed my penultimate paragraph last week, noting a rather vitalphase, which apparently had been lost sight of, in connection with the " arm-chair " critic's suggestion for landing armiesvia the Channel Tunnel. A POINT which has been apt to be rather overlooked is that this tunnel business is not altogether a British pigeon— that France has a very important say in the matter—as Lord Newton very rightly pointed out the other day in the House of Lords. Ridiculing the absurd suggestion amongst others made by responsible people in the past, that a number of soldiers disguised as tourists might make their way over here and seize Dover, Lord Newton added that if any Govern- ment entertain a scheme of that kind, it would be much simpler and more effective to send over a lot of aeroplanes some night to lay London in ashes than to rely on a scheme which might be upset by a vigilant ticket-collector. With which most folk will agree. NOT unnaturally the Prime Minister does not for the moment ventilate any very drastic views of his own upon the just now very much vexed question of the Channel Tunnel. That sooner or later some official guidance will be forthcoming, there is no doubt, and in the mean- time Sir Wm. Bull is countering very effectually the various verbal attacks which are being launched against the project. Challenged to mention the half-dozen ways of quickly and successfully blocking the tunnel temporarily in emergency which Sir William said existed, he has now set forth the following as a few of the many ways without destroying it either partially or entirely :—(1) A water dip either end ; (2) poison gas ; (3) cutting off the electricity. Curiously enough the authorities seem also to favour simpler mechanical devices, such as (4) a huge steel door or port- cullis, which could fall at once, and (5) two or three shoots down which shingle could automatically fall on to the line. There can be no secret, he says, about these, but, of course, the authorities will have others in reserve. ALL of which are good and valid reasons for the tunnel. What, however, concerns more and will concern this lil ole sea-girt country—forget the Island—is how to trip up un- welcome visitors via the air. THE tragedy reported from Peshawar in which at least three Indian officers and ten men are reported to have been killed, and others wounded, is one of those unfortunate happenings which occasionally in strange territories mar otherwise successful operations which Great Britain has so continuously to enter upon in connection with her widely- spread possessions. The misunderstanding causing the calamity is said to have arisen from permission being given for the R.A.F. to practice bombing, etc., over.the same ground as that where combined cavalry, tanks and infantry were already in possession. The R.A.F. contingent was then signalled " Don't bomb," but one machine, it is stated, at a height of some 4,000 or more feet, owing to clouds and bad visibility, misinterpreted the signal as " All clear, carry on." Then a bomb was released, falling 200 yards wide of the target, into the middle of the cavalry squadron, with the above-mentioned results. Investigation will no doubt let light in upon the happening. As an accident this incident is indeed deplorable, butit should nevertheless suggest a moral in the hope that at least when bombing in reality specific objects, the effectsare equally or more disastrous, thereby reducing the possi- bility of over-prolonged punishing operations. VERY illuminating are the methods which the enterprising film producer evokes for the thousand and one " realistic " effects which he seeks to " shoot." Aeroplane propellers, as a goodly few visitors to 'dromes can testify, are very suitable for the creation of stormy winds on land, and now this method has been extended to a similar use on the sea. The Calcutta seaplane was reported last week to have thus been brought into action in the Solent in connection with the " Down Channel " film now on the stocks—a small cutter with its two occupants being gradually tossed to pieces and driven to the bottom of the sea. As conjurer Bertram in the days agone used to say, " Isn't it wonderful ? " WHAT a pity aviation is so little in evidence with the B.B.C. ? Surely no better medium could be imagined than through the ether to spread air-mindedness in the public. But no, however important and vital to this country that the entire community should support aviation and each thereby do his or her little bit towards putting Britain in the forefront in the Air, not only from the Service point of view, but also from the commercial and economic standpoint, the B.B.C. will have none of it. Yet look at the ghastly " turns " in the form of dryasdust talks and tenth-rate alleged amuse- ment items which are forced upon the helpless listener hour by hour, day by day, week by week, ad infinitum. Oh, for that switch on our sets by which one—or the lot of listeners— could just tell the " producer " and the performers what they reallv think about them and their show. YET what a different tale is told when we look abroad. There one of the regular leading items is devoted to matters a viatic. Merely take one station—Warsaw. There they have aviation as a regular topic twice daily—not merely giving crashes and other similar enlivening items as news, but real aviation information, interesting and instructive, with the result that nine out of even,' ten listeners at that station are acquiring real airmindedness with beneficial results to themselves, their country and the future genera- tion. Again, oh, for that switch ! ALDERMAN KINGSTON'S opinion, expressed at a BrightonCouncil meeting recently in response to an inquiry by the Air Ministry for views as to the provision of an aerodromein the district, to the effect that an aerodrome at Brighton would be unpopular, and that " nobody wants to hear thedroning of aeroplanes day and night," savours strongly of the since much regretted views of certain Midland towns whenstations were suggested in convenient central spots of the leading towns in the early days of Stephenson's " PuffingBilly," following plans to establish railways in England. Certain short-sighted magnates would have none of thebeastly, dangerous, and useless contraptions, with the result that in those cases the halting places were selected well awayfrom the centres, to the everlasting inconvenience and lament of the inhabitants, who had for years to travel, in some cases,miles to board trains. A like cry will probably go forth in the days to come, not very far distant, when would-be airpatrons, passengers and goods, will deplore the long journey to an outlying aerodrome and wonder why to goodness theauthorities that were should have fixed upon an so utterly ungetatable place. AGAIN aviation has scored by helping members of the ByrdAntarctic expedition to get into wireless telephonic com- munication for some minutes with New York and the SanFrancisco broadcasting station over a distance of about 9,000 to 10,000 miles. That this wonderful result was duelargely to the fact that Mr. Mathew Hanson, the Byrd wireless expert, was working from an aeroplane — the " Stars andStripes "—at an altitude of 3,000 ft., there is little doubt, and this record of a two-way telephone conversation betweenthe Bay of Whales in Ross Sea and San Francisco will stand out as a milestone in wireless telephony. THAT aeroplane which last week was given as an " Alpha- Avian " and so helpfully accompanied Lady Bailey upon her final stage from the French coast to Croydon was, after all, a " Genet-Avian " sent by " Airways " just for the love of the thing and in recognition of the successful termination of Lady Bailey's great effort. Mr. Youell, accompanied by Mr. Spriggs, piloted the Avian over to Berck aerodrome in very bad weather and there found Lady Bailey waiting without anyone in evidence to assist her. Two hours' work by these volunteers put things right, and Lady Bailey was then happy in being able to finish up under the more promising conditions and helpful guidance. Therefore do I honour Airways, " Genet-Avian " and those concerned in this generous and human episode. AEOLUK 83
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