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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0684.PDF
FLIGHT, ^, 1929 tube being employed for the fuselage. This machine has also been fully described in FLIGHT (June 10, 1926), so it will be sufficient "to say here that the " Hercules " has already proved its qualities for some time past on the Cairo-Basra service, and is also being used on Australian air services. The principal characteristics are:—Span, 79 ft. 6 in. ; length, 56 ft. 6 in. ; wing area, 1,547 sq. ft. ; weight, empty, 8,855 lb. ; seating capacity, 7-15 passengers ; speed range, 52-130 m.p.h. The Wireless Organisation The wireless organisation for the airi mail service to Indiahas been completed so that the aircraft engaged will be in touch with aerodrome ground stations throughout the5,000 air miles of the journey. As wireless will play a very- important part in this—as indeed it should in any big airservice—we think the following details of the wireless equipment will be of interest. All the aircraft are equipped with Marconi wireless apparatusof the latest type, and an inter-communicating chain of ground stations* has been arranged. On the first section A part of the third and final section of the route, throughBasra and over the Persian Gulf to Karachi, has already been in operation for some time, employing De Havillandaircraft fitted with Marconi AD6 apparatus and com- municating with R.A.F. stations, and a |-kw. station at Rut-bah Wells which was supplied by the Marconi Company to the Iraq Posts and Telegraphs Department. During theflight from Basra to Karachi the machines will be in touch with two Marconi stations in Persia, at Chabar and BundaAbbas. Persian operators for these stations have been trained at the Marconi Company's works at Chelmsford.The terminal wireless station at Karachi is one of the most powerful aerodrome stations installed at any air port, con-sisting of a 6-kw. Marconi transmitter with direction finder receiving apparatus. Many features of the Marconi apparatus for this servicehave been specially designed to meet the conditions existing on this new Empire route. The constant-speed windmillgenerator which provides power for the wireless installation will also supply current for the internal and external lighting ENGLAND—INDIA AIR SERVICE. Provisional Time Table. Eastbound LONDON (Airways House) (Croydon Aero.)PARIS (Le Bourget Aero.) BASLE (Birsfelden Aero.) (Central Station) GENOA (P. Principe Stn )„ (Air Port) ROME — Ostia NAPLES".. '.'. '.'. CORFU '.'. '.'. '.'. j; • • . - - - ATHENS SUDA BAY '.'. TOBRUK . . '.'. '.'. • » • • « ALEXANDRIA (Harbour),, (Aboukir) GAZA ,, BAGHDAD BASRA .. '.'. '.'. ,, BUSHIRE ,, LINGEH ,, . . . . . . JASK,, GWADAR KARACHI dep. dep.arr. dep.arr. dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr. dep.arr. dep. arr.dep. arr. dep.arr. dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr. dep.arr. dep. arr. dep.arr. dep. arr.dep. arr. LST 09.10 10.0012.30 13.4517.45 21.55 09.1510.30 13.3014.30 15.45 07.45 13.15 14.1517.30 10.30 12.45 13.4516.00 06.00 11.3014.05 17.3006.30 15.0015.45 18.45 06.0009.00 09.45 14.10 14.5517.15 07.30 12.3513.35 17.15 GMT 09.10 10.0012.30 13.4516.45 — — 09.3012.30 13.3014.45 06.4511.15 12.1515.30 08.30 10.4511.45 15.00 05.00 09.3012.05 15.3004.30 12.0012.45 15.45 03.0005.40 06.2510.15 11.0013.20 03.35 07.0508.05 11.45 DAY Sat. ,, Sun.,. ,, lt fl Mon. „ Tues. ,, JF ,, Wed. ,, ,, Thur. ,, Fri. (r t f 'Sat. i i i i Note.—LST = Local Standard Time Westbound KARACHI GWADAR JASK LINGEH BUSHIRE BASRA BAGHDAD jt GAZA,, ALEXANDRIA (Aboukir),, (Harbour) TOBRUK SUDA BAY it • • ATHENS CORFU .'. .'. .'. NAPLES ,, ROME—Ost»a .,GENOA (Air Port) ,, (P. Principe) BASLE (Central Stn.)(Birsfelden Aero.) PARIS (Le Bourget Aero.) LONDON (Croydon Aero.),, (Airwavs House) dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr.dep. arr. dep. arr.dep. arr. dep.arr. dep.arr. dep.arr. dep. arr.dep. arr. dep. arr.dep. arr. dep.arr. arr. GMT = Greenwich Mean Tinu LST 10.00 13.4014.40 15.3506.30 08.50 09.3512.50 13.3515.55 05.00 08.3009.15 16.4508.00 11.25 13.30 17.0009.30 13.45 14.4517.00 08.4512.00 13.0016.30 10.45 12.3013.30 16.30 19.05 06.1608.30 10.45 11.4514.15 15.00 GMT 04.30 08.1009.10 11.4002.35 04.55 05.4009.30 10.1512.55 02.00 05.3006.15 14.45 06.0009.25 11.30 16.0008.30 11.45 12.4515.00 06.4510.00 11.0015.30 09.45 11.3012.30 15.30 — — 07.30 10.45 11.4514.15 15.00 DAY Sun. ,, ,, ,, Mon. ,, ,, Tues. Wed. • •Thur ,, Fri.„ Sat u ,, Sun. 11 t, ff t, of the route, London-Basle, the present wireless organisationfor continental aviation will be employed. This consists of the powerful Marconi aerodrome station at Croydon,French stations at Le Bourget and other intermediate places on the route, and the Marconi station at Basle. The machinesoperating this section of the route are fitted with Marconi sets of 150-watts power, of the well-known type AD6, adaptedfor communication over distances of 200 to 300 miles either by telephony or telegraphy. From Genoa to Alexandria it is operated by the three" Calcutta " flying-boats, which are fitted with the more powerful Marconi type AD8 sets. These sets are alsoadaptable for telegraphy or telephony, enabling the pilots to keep in touch with Italian and British Air Ministry wirelessstations until arrival at Alexandria. In addition. Imperial Airways, who are conducting the London-Karachi service,have stationed a depot ship at a point in the Greek Archi- pelago. This has been fitted with a Marconi valve trans-mitter of J-kw. power (type U), and suitable receiving equipment (Marconi type RG19 receiver), and will be capableof communicating with Malta, Alexandria (Aboukir), and other stations concerned with the service. of the aircraft. In the unlikely event of a forced landing being necessary the same generator can be used to supply emergency power to the transmitter either by the use of the battery normally used for lighting or, if it is required to work for long periods, by means of a special coupling arrangement to the small petrol engine used for starting the main engines of the aircraft. Thus, even if a machine were forced to land in the solitudes of the desert country which is to be found along the route, wireless communication could be established with the nearest ground station and any required assistance could be obtained. The Air Ministry and Imperial Airways, Ltd., with the co-operation of the Marconi Company, have given very careful consideration to the wireless requirements of this first long- distance Empire aviation route, and the comprehensive system of communications provided both for the ground stations and aircraft should render the England-India air route among the safest and most efficient in the world The Inauguration On March 30, at 10 a.m. (or, to be strictly accurate, one minute and a half later), the Imperial Airways Armstrong- [Continued on page 288) 274
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