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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0609.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 19, 1931 moct-'l) and the tare weight 18,555 lb. (also " Western "model). Thus in the " Hannibal " Western model the rati.i gross weight to tare weight is 1.59, which is evenbetter than for the Junkers G.38, and corresponds to a disposable load of 59 per cent, of the tare weight as com-pared with the 45 per cent, of the Junkers. The wing and power loadings of the " Hannibal " are 9.8 lb. /sq. ft. and15 lb. h.p. respectively, both figures considerably lower than those of the G.38. This difference results, of course,from the far greater gross weight of the Junkers (46,200 1b. against 29,500 lb.), while the wing area and total enginepower are approximately identical in the two machines. On Friday last, when both machines passed overheadrepeatedly, the Junkers was noticeably the quieter of the two. The water-cooled engines, entirely cowled-in, seemed far less noisy than the air-cooled engines in the " Hanni-bal." This must be mainly due to exhaust and mechanical engine noises, as the engines of both machines are all ofthe geared type, so that the propeller noises should be approximately the same in both. The German pilot" threw about " the Junkers considerably, doing very steeply-banked turns, which showed the large machine tobe very controllable. The " Hannibal," on the other hand, was handled with respect, due doubtless to the factthat the British pilots have not yet had an opportunity of becoming thoroughly familiar with the machine, whichhas but recently been delivered to Imperial Airways. Not that there is any point in " throwing about " a largepassenger machine in any case, except as part of its acceptance tests before it is put in service. U.S. Bookings and Imperial AirwaysTHE Postal Telegraph Company, which has 22,000 offices in the United States, has entered into an agreementwith Imperial Airways to act as booking agent in that country for all lines in the Imperial Airways system. Thismakes it possible to secure a booking in any city of the United States for a passage from London to India orbetween any other places in the system. . . New Channel Islands Air ServiceA COMPANY has just been formed for the purpose ofmaintaining an air service between Guernsey, Jersey and England. This is the fourth such enterprise, including theImperial Airways service of three years ago with " Calcuttas." The prime movers in the new enterprise areLord Amherst and Mr. G. Black, of Garroway, Black & Co. With these exceptions the board consists of localbusiness men. It is intended to use Saunders-Roe " Saro- Clouds " for the service. Two machines will be used, one for passengers and one for freight, and it is expected thatduring the potato season the Guernsey growers will make considerable use of the latter plane in order to place theirproduce on the markets considerably sooner than is pos- sible by mail boats and train. Flower growers are alsoexpected to benefit. An official of the Guernsey Growers' Association has been appointed to the board.A Canadian Merger IT is reported that the Western Canada Airways Ltd.have taken over the assets of the Commercial Airways of Edmonton for a consideration said to be about $150,000,according to the announcement made. The Edmonton organisation included among its assets five cabin airplanes,four Bellancas and a Lockhead-Vega machine, as well as a full complement of hangars, nose-hangars, slip ways, docksand other equipment. Tht value, however, does not include mail contracts, business worked up or goodwill ofthe concern. O O AERIAL GEODETIC SURVEY IN CANADA An Interesting Communication from the High Commissioner for Canada in London LTTE an amazing record, when compared with thepossibilities a few years ago, was made by Mr. J. L. Rannie and Mr. F. P. Steers of the GeodeticSurvey of Canada, Department of the Interior, during January and February last. In a period of fourweeks they laid out by aeroplane a system of triangulation in northern Ontario, which would have taken several yearsto accomplish by older methods of transport by canoe and back-packing. In two Royal Canadian Air Force planes these GeodeticSurvey officers selected the sites for triangulation stations in a strip of country about 800 miles long (includingbranches) and from 15 to 30 miles wide from Sudbury to the north-west end of Lake Nipigon. The branches ex-tended towards Timmins and Nakina on the north and towards Sault Ste. Marie and Port Arthur on the south.To divide up the area into suitably sized sections, three bases were chosen from which to operate. In the selectionof these bases three important considerations had to be t»rne in mind, viz., the base must be on a lake largeenough for aircraft to land and take off, it should be on the railway to facilitate transportation of oil and gasolenetor refuelling, and it must be possible to secure board and lodging for the personnel of the party, seven in number,ine first two qualifications were not difficult to find, but we third was not so easy. The aircraft used on the operation were very speedycawn monoplanes, fitted with skis and carrying equipment 0 enable them to operate from bases remote from regular aerodromes. By means of bell-shaped nose tents and™llapGible wood-burning stoves the engines could be morougbly warmed before starting, even when extremelyw temperatures, such as forty degrees below zero, were sle^11 nCe<^' Emergency equipment, consisting of rations,ti P'n"i robes, tent, rifle, snowshoes, axes, etc., was con- Z T carried in each aircraft. The performance of thetorv Ughout the whole operation was most satisfac- Who'-t!l;mks larSely to the very efficient pilots and crews,som K." ^ ^e en8mes and aeroplanes functioning under ^ew'aat unfavourable conditions. by Q1"11 "J> ^ne past two years experiments have been made p[a e'detic Survey officers to test the economy of aero- t'^nsport on this class of work and to perfect the technical methods by which this faster means of transpor-tation is best adapted to geodetic surveying. The opera- tion, just completed with great economy and speed, marksthe commencement on a larger scale of a programme of extension of triangulation operations to the huge northernareas of Canada in which development is proceeding so quickly. It may be mentioned in passing that large areas ofCanada abound in lakes, and that this type of country is particularly suitable to geodetic operations with presenttypes of aeroplanes. With improved types of planes the extension of the method to other areas at present avoidedbecause of the absence of lakes will probably become possible. Apart from the economy, the use of aeroplanes as ameans of transport for laying out a system of triangula- tion over large areas of Canada years in advance of finaloperations has other advantages. In parts of the country, such as northern Ontario, where a programme of buildingsteel lookout towers for fire detection is in progress, the triangulation stations offer the best choice of hills as sitesfor these towers. The towers, when built, and trails and telephone lines installed, are of great assistance when thetriangulation is being completed. It is therefore mutually advantageous to forestry and geodetic officials to have thetriangulation laid out well in advance of subsequent opera- tions. When the preliminary work of the triangulationhas been laid out well ahead of subsequent operations, as is possible when it is done by aeroplane, there need beno delay in completing the final work in any area in which development takes place or where maps are required, anddata can be made available on an astronomical datum in plenty of time to be made use of. When the preliminarywork has to be done by ground travel in rough country, it is sometimes two years or more before results are availableto those requiring the information. With aeroplanes as a means of transport in laying out the triangulation, a yearor more is saved in delivering results. Another advantage is that, the triangulation having been laid out with itsdifferent grades of accuracy as needed, operations which are required in isolated sections can be completed with thegrade of accuracy which will make them fit in with the final net as laid out for the whole country. 563
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