FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0788.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 24, 1931 SIR ALAN COBHAM'S NEW AFRICAN FLIGHT IN 1927-8 Sir Alan Cobham, itwill be remembered, carried outa survey flight round Africa ina Short " Singapore- " flying- boat, from which he obtained muchvaluable information concerning the possibilities of air routes from Cairoto Capetown and along the West Coast. This week we are able to pub-lish some brief particulars of Sir Alan's latest venture, which is alsoin the nature of a survey flight in Africa. The object of the present flight isto explore and report upon the possi- bilities of a new feeder line in theCongo district connecting with the Imperial Airways Cairo—Cape route,to explore a new route for seaplanes through the Mediterranean, and totest out aero-marine alighting places on the Nile. Sir Alan will also investigate thepossibilities of the large twin-float seaplane, such as the Short " Valetta," which is the machine employed in the presentflight. Incidentally, also, he will investigate the poten- tialities of seaplane v. flying-boat v. landplane. The Short " Valetta " has already fully been describedin FLIGHT for June 25, 1930, and October 3 last, but itmay be repeated here that it is a large all-metal twin-float monoplane equipped with three 490-h.p. Bristol " Jupiter "air-cooled radial engines, and accommodating 16 passengers. The " Valetta " has a span ol 107 ft., and a cruisingspeed of 110 m.p.h. The flight is sponsored by the Air Ministry—the ownersof the seaplane—and supported by Lord Wakefield, who has been associated with previous similar flights, and by asection of the aircraft industry If will probably take about six or eight weeks, and, in addition to Sir Alan Cobham,who will act as pilot-navigator, there will be a crew of SIR ALAN COBHAM'S AFRICAN FLIGHT: Sir Alan, with other members of the crew, standing on a float of the Short " Valetta." five, including an engineer-pilot, photographer and wirelessoperator. A new route to Africa is being followed, which will bevia Corsica, Tunis, Malta, Mirabella and Crete to Alexan- dria. Thence the route will be by way of the Nile viaLuxor, Assuan, Wadi Haifa, Khartoum, Kosti, Malakal, Juba, and Entebbe. On the next stage of the flight theywill strike westward to Lake George, Lake Edward and Lake Kivu—which is 5,000 ft. above sea level—flying overthe Mountains of the Moon, where " She " and " Alan Quartermain " provided us with many a thrill. Sir Alan and his crew—which includes the following:F. H. Spencer (the Bristol " Jupiter " engineer), \V. Bell (Short Bros.' engineer), A. O. Kussell (special photo-grapher) and P. Parish (Marconi wireless engineer)—set out from Rochester at 9.15 a.m., July 22. THE SHORT " VALETTA": The large mono-seaplane, fitted with three 490 h.p. Bristol "Jupiter" engines, in which Sir Alan Cobham is making a survey flight to Central Africa. (FLIGHT Photo.) • • , • - -. .- .. 734 - ".'
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
