FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0273.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 20, 1931 • , to be a weekly one, and the contract will run from October 20, 1930, to January 8, 1939. We see from Fig, 3 that the quantity of mail was much greater daring the six summer months, which was fhieflv due to poorer regularity in winter, but we also notice that the winter mail has largely increased in 1930 compared to 1929. If we examine the average revenue which the Americanairways companies received last year per mile, at the rate of •layment under the Hague Convention for European air mailservice, we arrive at the following figures :— U.S.A. Average Revenue per Mile. $0-85 = 4-4 gold francsfor an average weight of mail of 620 lb. per tripduring 1930. This consti- tutes an average revenueof 0-7 gold centimes per lb. and mile. Europe.Revenue under Hague Convention. Per kilogram and 1,000km. = 6 gold francs,which is equivalent to approxi-mately 0-5 gold centimes per lb. and mile. NIGHT AIR MAIL CRUISING SPEED '. l!W«k . SOOU.k. N Fig. 4. It is thus proved that the payment received by the Euro-pean airways companies is lowef than that received in the United States, although the airways companies there possessthe advantage of getting much bigger quantities of mail. Future Night Air Mail Service in Europe After this account of the present situation in Europe andthe United States with regard to air mail service, I shall pass on to a scrutiny of the problem regarding the near future,and its prospects of development for night air mail service in Europe.In order to explain the question from a British point of view, I shall show a map (Fig. 4), from which it will be clearwhat distances mail planes from London are theoretically able to reach in the course of the night with an estimatedspeed of 124 m.p.h. (200 km. per hour). I have called the map theoretical because any possible landings at inter-mediate stations have not been taken into account. In Fig. 5 I have graphically marked with differentthick lines and figures in pounds the quantities per day of all outgoing first-class mail (letters and postcards) fromEngland to various countries in Europe. From these figures it will be seen that the weight of first-class mail fromEngland is no greater than the whole amount which might be conveyed by aeroplanes, although all first-class mail hashere been included, e.g., even such for which a separate air fee has not been paid. The figures are calculated on thetoasis of international postal statistics. It will also be seen from the map that the quantities ofniail to certain countries are so trifling that a separate air mail line to such a country cannot be thought of, as it wouldn<*t pay. It is not impossible to convey this mail in the course of anight from England to practically the whole of Europe. In order to demonstrate clearly and in detail the savingof time by conveying the mail by air during the night from |-ondon, I have, however, drawn up a separate map (Fig. 6).We see that mail conveyed by a train leaving London, let ^s say, on a Monday night is not delivered in Helsingforsuntil the Friday morning, in Stockholm and Oslo on Thursday T PER OAy Oilta) OF UTTERS AND POSTCARDS DCSfiftTCMED 5R0T1 THE UNITED KINGDOM TO THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF EUROPE Fig. 5. morning, and in Copenhagen, Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Rome,and Madrid on the Wednesday morning ; whereas the same mail, if it were forwarded by night air mail from London,could be delivered at all these places by Tuesday morning. What this would mean to English commerce and industry ifequally good postal communications were obtained by her with distant European countries such as we now have withour next-door neighbours, is perfectly obvious. England would in this way get just as good postal communicationswith, for example, the Scandinavian countries as Germany now has with them. A letter posted in Berlin on Mondayevening reaches Stockholm by night air mail on Tuesday morning, enabling a reply to be received on Wednesdaymorning ! A letter posted in London on Monday evening, and despatched by rail, is not delivered in Stockholm untilThursday morning, and the reply does not reach London until Saturday evening and is, as a rule, not delivered beforeMonday morning. The business man in Berlin thus gets his reply from Stockholm after 36 hours, whereas a business manin London requires a week to get an answer from Stockholm. This is the case if no night air mail sendee is established fromLondon. But even the British postal connections with the neigh-bouring countries of France and Belgium will gain con- siderably through night air mail service. Mail dispatchedby train arrives in Paris at 10.30 a.m., and can, therefore, not be delivered until after lunch. In view of the livelyand intimate business relations which exist between these large capitals, the improvement in the exchange of mailwhich will be gained by the night air mail services is of great value and importance. By establishing a night air mail service as well on the line DELIVERY TO THE ADDRESSEE OF CORRESPONDENCE DESPATCHED FROM LONDON MONDAy 8 p-m. __^i I Brmsfr AIR SERVICE] SAVINS OF TIME LON DON - STOCKHOLM 48 HR5 -OSIJO 46 " -HELSIMGFORS 69 • -COPENHAGEN 24 • -BERLIN 24 • -WARSAW -VIENNA -ROME -MADRID 24- • 24 • 27- 24 • Fig. 6. 257
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
