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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0158.PDF
FLIGHT, FEBRUARY 19, 1932 /4iPnoPtr n&uir CROYDON OUR taste of real winter during this last week has not been very greatly appreciated by some of us unfortunate people at Croydon. Although full services have been maintained, flying through blinding snowstorms has been far from pleasant, and the ground staff have been nearly frozen stiff at times, having to work outside in a biting easterly wind which seemed to have no mercy on a poor person's ribs. Now the thaw has set in, however, we can once again work in a little more comfortable conditions. This snow stuff is very nice when one can spare the time to use it to advantage, but for the people who have to carry on their daily routine in it, the best place for it is on picture postcards. Imperial Airways are having a great amount of compass trouble on their Argosy G-AACJ. It will be remembered that last summer, whilst flying through a thunderstorm, the whole of the machine became magnetised, and since then this compass trouble has always been evident. To overcome it they have now transferred the whole nose of G-AACI to G-AACJ to see if that will have the desired effect. This defect is all that is keeping this machine off service now, as she has just come out from a complete overhaul. The only machine unable to make Croydon during the week on account of the snow was an incoming " Sabena," which made a forced landing near Merstham. The pilot must have struck a very bad patch, as everybody else managed to scramble in, although the visibility at times was nil. The erection of the radio beacon is now well advanced. Effort to Open New Customs Airport A DETERMINED effort to have the aerodrome of Iona National Airways, Ltd., at Finglas, County Dublin, appointed as the Customs aerodrome for the Irish Free State is being made by the directors of that company. The area of the aerodrome is being enlarged to 50 acres <s> 0 The Prince Flies to his Regiment ON February 16 the Prince of Wales flew to Bordon Camp, Hants, to inspect and bid farewell to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief, on the eve of their departure for Palestine. The day before the Prince flew from Sunningdale to hunt with the Quorn from Hoby, Leicestershire. Death of Sir Arthur Duckham WE regret to announce the death, at his home at Ashtead, Surrey, on February 14, of Sir Arthur McDougall Duckham. Sir Arthur, who was 52, was president-elect of the Federation of British Industries, and during the war was a member of the Air Council and Director-General of Aircraft Production. He was also a director of A. Duckham & Co., Ltd. The Paris Aero Show FOR the benefit of British firms which may be con templating taking space in the 13th International Aero Show to be held in Paris from November 25 to Decem ber 11, we would point out that the new address of the Syndical Chamber of Aeronautical Industries (which corre sponds to our S.B.A.C.) as well as that of the Commissaire General of the Exhibition, is at 4, Rue Galilee, Paris (16), to which address all communications in connection with the exhibition should be addressed. The Disarmament Conference AT the Disarmament Conference the American dele gate made proposals on practically the same lines as those made by the British. The Italian delegate, Signor Grandi, made more radical proposals, wdiich include the abolition of capital ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, heavy artil lery, tanks, bomber aircraft and all chemical and bacteriological warfare. The Airship Staff THE Under-Secretary for Air, in reply to a question in the House on February 10, stated that a nucleus staff of one airship pilot, a technical officer and the necessary clerical and other assistance, is being maintained at Car- dington under the Superintendent of the Royal Airship the main mast having been completed. This stands on the west side of the aerodrome, and is 100 ft. high. Gambling is rife on the point of who will be the first to knock the top off. It looks like a miniature Eiffel Tower, and tapers up to practically a point. Sabena Air Lines have decided not to operate their night service this year, with the consequence that they are reducing their staff. Deutsche Luft Hansa will, how ever, operate their usual summer night service, I under stand, which commences somewhere toward the end of March or the beginning of April. Last season they put up a very fine show, and no doubt they will do the same this year. The main road past the aerodrome entrance is becoming famous for crashes, and hardly a week passes without see ing two or three cars twisted to an unrecognisable degree. It would be no exaggeration to say that there are more crashes on Purley Way with cars in a month than there are on this aerodrome in two years, and yet some peopk- still regard aeroplanes as dangerous vehicles. To-day's slogan might well be, " Travel by air, speed with safety ; travel by road, speed full of danger." Captain George Endres, the Hungarian airman who in July of last year flew non-stop from Harbour Grace. Newfoundland, to Hungary, paid a visit of inspection to Croydon aerodrome on February 13. The traffic figures for the week were:—Passengers, 502 ; freight, 31 tons. P- B. and will provide runways of at least 600 yd. in all direc tions. Representations have already been made to the Free State Department of Industry and Commerce to approve the aerodrome for Customs purposes, and it is expected that some decision will be given within the next week or so. <3> <S> Works for experimental work and for supervising and correlating such airship research as is proceeding and con templated, and for watching foreign developments. Helium Research in Canada THE Dominion Department of Mines has just issued Mines Branch Report No. 727 (Section 2) by Mr. P. V. Rosewarne, entitled " Helium in Canada from 1926 to 1931." The publication in question gives data relative to research work done by the Department of Mines since the issue in 1926 of Dr. R. T. Elworthy's report on " Helium in Canada." Data are given as to the analyses of samples taken from natural gas wells in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan, and a summary of the available supply in 1926 suggests that 5,165,000 cub. ft. per annum of Helium may be recoverable. Since 1926 the number of wells producing natural gas in Alberta has been greatly increased—though in recent months efforts have been made to bring about some measure of conservation owing to the immenst- wastage of natural gas, particularly in the Turner Valley. Yet another Autogiro Licensee FROM America comes news that the Autogiro Company of America has recently granted licence to construct Auto giro aircraft to the F. W. Steere Company. Mr. Steere. head of the concern, purchased an Autogiro in 1931 and piloted it a good deal on difficult cross-country flights in order to get first-hand evidence of its capabilities. His decision to enter the field of Autogiro construction was taken largely as a result of the feeling of safety and ease of handling which he had experienced during these flights, and Mr. Steere will establish his Autogiro factory some where in the Middle West. Technical head of the concern will be Mr. Heraclio Alfaro, who learned to fly in Franc* in 1911 and built aircraft in Spain in the early days. Tin F. W. Steere Company will be. the fourth to construe! Autogiros under licence, the other three being the Bull Aircraft Co. of Michigan, the Kellett Aircraft Corporatioi of Philadelphia and Pitcairn Aircraft, Inc., of Willov Grove, Pennsylvania. 150
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