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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0013.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 2, 19 -.•lating to the Regulation of Aerial Navigation ? Of course, where the public is concerned the pilot could just use the international signal SOS (sound or visual), or by firing Very- iights (white) at short intervals. The point being that should any aircraft make such signals, the public in the vicinity would know what to expect: and could both get out of"the way and stand by to assist afterwards. Or the pilot might intend to drop a message, there being no aerodrome near or A.A. patrol to pick it up. Especially would such, recognition be useful in the event of a forced landing on around that might, as viewed from the air, seem suitable, but there are occasions when those on the ground can detect hidden dangers, and by means of signalling back to the pilot intending to land, could thus prevent an accident, and even indicate a more suitable spot. If the general public does not know the recognised distress signals (various) as authorised by the aforesaid Convention, it is possible they might think the aircraft in question was merely undergoing signalling tests, etc., and instead of being able to help they might be the unwilling witnesses of one more air crash . . . perhaps of one more life added to the names of those who have made the Great Sacrifice, that fellow pilots may fly in greater safety. M\RY KNIGHTLEY Golders Green, London, N.W.ll. December 28, 1930. THE SYDNEY-BRISBANE RAIL SERVICE 23571 As a Queenslander and reader of your journal, 1 would like to correct some statements you made in your Editorial Comment of November 28. You were referring to the success of the Australian National Airways service between Brisbane and Sydney as compared to that obtained between Sydney and Melbourne, and you attributed the success of the former service to the bad train service between those capitals. I quite agree. You miss the whole point of the argument however. The train service between Brisbane and Sydney takes approximately 28 hours going via Wallangarra where the gauge changes from 3 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. 8£ in., whereas that between Sydney and Melbourne takes about 15 hours via Albury, where the gauge changes from 4 ft. 8| in. to 5 ft. 3 in. A few months ago the 4 ft. 8£ in. gauge was opened from Kyogle to Brisbane I think. This will shorten the distance between the capitals approximately 100 miles and should considerably lessen the time, especially as it is not necessary to change trains at the border. Furthermore, sleepers are provided on all long-distance trains in Queensland and I have found that there is very little to choose in comfort between them and those in use on the wider gauges of the southern states. You can quite see from the above that it is the time factor and not so much the comfort which is responsible for the patronage business men have given to the Brisbane-Sydney air service. And you can take it from me that there is not so much comfort in an aeroplane when all one can see is the inside of a paper bag ! Still that is an extreme example. Stretford, Manchester, T. E. COLLINS. December 5, 1930. [2358 J Permit me to point out an error in your most inter- esting paper. I refer to the Editorial Comment in FLIGHT, dated November 28, page 1380, column 2, line 14. Here it is stated, that no sleepers are provided on the Sydney- Brisbane mail train. I know quite definitely that sleepers are provided, and have been for the last 20 years. They are just as easy to procure on this line as they are on the Sydney-Melbourne one. JI have lived 24 years of my life in Australia, and travelled on both these lines many times. As a matter of fact the Sydney-Brisbane line has recently been modified. The gauge is now uniform, and 6 hours' has been knocked off the journey. Q JT SAMPSON. Northolt, November 29, 1930. [We are obliged to our correspondents for the correction. Our information was obtained from an Australian officer We have heard from several sources that the railway journey between Sydney and Brisbane is very unpopular with travel- lers.—ED.] CROYDON WEEKLY NOTESL AST week I had the opportunity of approaching Croydonpurely from a passenger's point of view by flying to ; Holland on a machine of the Royal Dutch Air Lines,[ better known as the K.L.M. The uninitiated must have | been very impressed by the efficiency of the service. We^ left the Hotel Victoria in a most comfortable motor coach, I which I understand was designed specially for the K.L.M.f by Capt. H. S. Leverton, their London Manager. There > was a very thick pea-soup fog in Trafalgar Square, but at; Croydon it was only misty. A slight delay in starting the flight was due to their making certain that weather con-ditions were good throughout the route. The flight in the Fokker F VIT1 was extremely good, andwe cruised throughout at 100 m.p.h. The cabin accom- modation is as roomy and comfortable as it possibly could be,•ind compares very favourably with any passenger plane 1 have seen. So free from vibration was it that I couldwrite throughout the journey without its having any apparent effect on my hand—an impossible thing to say of eithertrain or road transport. But the most impressive feature "t all from a passenger's viewpoint was something whichalmost enters into the everyday life of pilots. We flew in brilliant sunshine over a continuous sea of cloud withoutseeing a landmark. After some two and a-half hours, the engine noise faded out, and we went down through thecloud to find ourselves over the centre of Rotterdam. The courtesy and help of all the K.L.M. officials at London,Rotterdam and Amsterdam was remarkable, and the accom- modation in the Aerodrome Hotel at Schiphol most com-fortable. The continuous fog right up to Christmas caused manyservices to be cancelled, and this, together with the closing down of all services on Christmas Day, has resulted in adrop of traffic figures this week to 206 passengers and 22 tons ol freight. This is a great pity, for bookings had been veryneavy, and in one morning the Air Union had to turn away three complete machine loads of passengers on account ofadverse weather. Mention was made a fortnight ago of the extremely heavymciian Mail outward bound. The inward mail has been fn vier> and represented about 76,000 letters, weighing 15 The work of lighting the Indian routes is progressing well in the hands of the Air Ministry, and similar work is going on throughout the Cairo-Cape Line. Here it is being done by the different Governments along the route. But all arc- using the experience gained at Croydon with flood and beacon lighting. Some of the mountain spurs in Africa will have permanent beacons to warn airmen against their dangers. The building and equipment of hangars, hotels and so forth at the African aerodromes has been almost completed by Imperial Airways. The opening date is still uncertain, but is likely to be very soon. This service is sure to appeal to the big diamond and gold interests of South Africa, and heavy cargoes of bullion may be expected. The questions of insurance are extremely difficult and intricate. But the saving in time of eleven days against the fastest steamer service of seventeen days, will give a great increase in the earning power of the bullion. Mr. Hoi man of Cirrus Aero Engines, Ltd.. is exceedingly cheerful, and appears to think that the new year will be both busy and prosperous for his firm. Orders for " Hermes " II engines continue to roll in, and now a demand for more has come from Sweden. This continued revival in Cirrus engines is good news for Croydon. At the end of November a Tri-Motor Ford " 5 AT " came to Croydon, and it was mentioned in these " Notes " as being luxuriously fitted out to meet the requirements of a wealthy private Owner. It went to Paris at the time of the Aero Show, and has there been sold to the Earl of Lovelace, who was flying out to Tanganyika for big game hunting. With Mr. C. D. Barnard as pilot, he left Le Bourget on December 28 in his new purchase. A notice has appeared on the wall of the pilots' room of the Aerodrome Hotel, announcing the formation of an Aerodrome Island Club. The qualifications for membership are that the applicant must have struck an island or refuge head on between the front wheels of his motor-car at a speed of over 10 m.p.h. The objects of the club are to get a reduction on the retail price for quantities of islands, to petition for the erection of rubber lamp posts, and to form a hospital visiting committee. The President is Capt. Horsey, the hon. secretary Capt. Bernard Wilson, and Capt. Willcockson is hon. treasurer. M. L.
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