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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0257.PDF
FEBRUARY 7, 1929 THE AIR ROUTE TO INDIA IMPERIAL AIRWAYS, LTD., have issued a provisional time- table for the Empire air service between London, Alexandria and India which will commence from London on March 30 next for the eastbound service and from Karachi, India, on April 1 next for the westbound service. India will be brought within a 6 days' 5J hours' journey from London, and the passengers will cover the stages by aeroplane, flying-boat and train. Air mail and freight will also be carried. On the first day of the journey from London passengers will leave Croydon at 6.45 a.m. (B.S.T.*) on a Saturday in an Armstrong - Whitworth " Argosy " (Armstrong - Siddeley " Jaguar " engines) and fly via Paris to Basle, a distance of 485 miles, landing at 1 p.m. The stay at Paris on the way will last for three-quarters of an hour. At 2.42 p.m. passengers will enter the train at Basle and travel through the night under the Alps to Genoa, a distance of 150 miles, which will be covered by 3.40 a.m. On the second day's (Sunday) stage they will leave Genoa at 7 a.m. in Short " Calcutta " flying-boats (fitted with Bristol " Jupiter " engines) and fly a distance of 700 miles to Syracuse with an intermediate stop of one hour at Rome ; arriving at Syracuse at 3.25 p.m. Gwadar. The total distance flown will be approximately5,000 miles, and flying time will be 52 hours. When night flying is introduced the time will be shortened. On the return flight a start will be made on Monday at7.30 a.m. (local time) and Jask reached by 1.50 p.m., after a pause of 45 mins. at Gwadar. The next day, Tuesday, Jaskwill be left at 6.30 a.m. and Basra reached by 3.55 p.m., with stops on the way at Lingeh and Bushire. On Wednesday,the third day, Basra will be left at 5 a.m. and Gaza reached by 4.45 p.m. with pauses at Baghdad West and Rutbah. Thurs-day, the fourth day, will find the stage at Alexandria (Aboukir) covered between 7 a.m. and 10.25 a.m., and on to Tobruk by3.10 pm. Leaving Tobruk the next morning, Friday, the fifth day, at 6.30, passengers will cross the Mediterraneanto Navarino by 11.45 a.m., and reach Syracuse by 4 p.m. Saturday, the sixth day, will see the stage to Genoa flownbetween 7 a.m. and 3.25 p.m., after a stop at Rome of 1 hr. Basle will be reached on Sunday morning at 6.16 by train andthe last stage to Croydon flown by 3.45 p.m., after a pause in Paris of 45 mins. That is the provisional programme, which is subject toalteration without notice. The fares will be notified later AEROPLANE SLEEPINO CAR;- FLYING BOAT... - [" FLIGHT " Copyright Sketch map of the Empire Air Route to India which will be opened by Imperial Airways, Ltd., in April. The dist- ance of approximately 5,000 miles will be covered in less than seven days by aeroplane, flying-boat and train. Passengers, mails and freight will be conveyed. The night will be spent there and the following morning, the third day (Monday), they will leave at 6.30 and fly to Tobruk on the North African coast, a distance of 750 miles, stopping on the way at Navarino, Greece, for one hour. In the event of strong head winds necessitating refuelling, an emergency landing place will be Suda Bay, Crete, on the second stage of the Mediterranean stretch. Tobruk will be reached at 4 p.m., and after a night there passengers will start again at 6.30 a.m. on the fourth day (Tuesday) for a short flight of 350 miles to Alexandria, arriving at 11.45 a.m. That will mark the end of the journey by flying-boat. By car they will be conveyed from the harbour to Aboukir where the D.H. " Hercules " (Bristol " Jupiter " engines), which starts from Cairo, will be boarded at 1.15 p.m., and a flight of 280 miles to Gaza made by 4.40 p.m. On Wednesday, the fifth day, the machine will leave Gaza at 6.30 a.m. and fly 912 miles to Basra with inter- mediate stops of 45 mins." at Rutbah and Baghdad. Basra will be reached at 6.45 p.m. On Thursday, the sixth day, a start will be made at 6 a.m. and a stage of 800 miles flown to Jask by 5.15 p.m., with intermediate stops of 45 mins. at Bushire and Lingeh. On Friday morning, the seventh day, the passengers again leave at 6.30 and land at Karachi, India, at 4 p.m., after an intermediate stop of 45 mins. at * Other times given are Local Standard Time. During the winter the section between London and Basle will be subject to modification in the time-table, which will also apply to the other service to be started by Imperial Airways and Societa Anonima Navigazione Aerea between London, Genoa and Alexandria. This service will take 3£ days, and the times of arrival and departure and the route are the same as for the route to India, except that the start will be on a Wednesday from London, and passengers will fly in Dornier Super-Wai flying-boats belonging to the Italian company from Genoa to Alexandria, which will be reached on the following Saturday. The return flight begins on a Sunday and concludes the following Wednesday. Negotiations are now being made for obtaining the approval of Greece for the use of the Navarino port. Co-operation is being received from the Egyptian Government also, who has authorised a combined marine and land airport at Dekheila, near Alexandria. Alexandria Harbour will be used in the meanwhile. At Bushire and jask the Persian Government is erecting wireless stations, and for the purpose of operating them Persian wireless operators are now in England for training. Imperial Airways, Ltd., have engaged more pilots for these Empire developments. A third Short " Calcutta " fly ing-boat and three Armstrong-Whitworth " Argosies " are being constructed. . . . , -99
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