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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0928.PDF
FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 16, 1932 Union of South Africa, and the three might possibly combine to establish a West Coast air service, which, if it saved a considerable time in transit to Europe, might prove a serious rival to the existing British service. Two years ago, in our issue of September 5, 1930, we published an article from a correspondent, who signed himself " Ikona," a man with much prac tical knowledge of Africa, in which the argument was put forward that, as trade is apt to follow the course of the rivers in Africa, and as there are more rivers flowing down into the Atlantic than there are on the other side of Africa, it followed that the correct commercial air route should lie down the West Coast. If that be the case, and if a foreign line should be established down that coast, we British might have to bewail one more lost opportunity. It is to draw attention to this possibility before it is too late to do anything that Capt. Mcintosh proposes to make a flight more or less along the great circle course. He hopes, we understand, to obtain the use of a fast aeroplane, of a Service type, which, when stripped of its war load should put up a very high average speed. He intends to take a second pilot with him, and so to demonstrate that his flight is a normal effort and not a mere record-breaking stunt which chiefly advertises the physical endurance of the pilot. In such conditions, he thinks that a record flight could be made even without much flying in the dark. Such a flight, made with such a practical object, would certainly be well worth while. In the present day it has become almost an axiom of flying that if a flight imposes any great strain upon the pilot it is not a useful flight. Things were different when Hinkler made the first solo flight in a light aeroplane to Australia in 16 days. That flight taught a num ber of lessons. Now, however, most of the possible stunt flights have been made, and little remains for the professional record-breaker but to reduce the time over one of the old routes by a few hours at a great cost of sleeplessness and sleepiness. We are very glad that Capt. Mcintosh's project does not come into the category of blatant record breaking, but has a serious object which may perhaps develop into something really useful and valuable. While we cordially approve the scheme to investi gate the possibilities of the West Coast route, we do not by any means run away with the idea that the West Coast is the one and only route for British enterprise. For one thing, the British route is already established along the valley of the Nile and the Great Lakes. The fait accompli is not lightly to be disturbed, and Capt. Mcintosh has no desire to disturb it. Moreover, it is very doubtful whether it would have been wise for the first British air line to have been laid down on any route other than where it has been laid down. Egypt is a country which has had a long and intimate connection with Great Britain, and south of Egypt the Imperial Air ways route lies entirely across parts of the map which are usually coloured red. Traffic from Great Britain naturally makes for British Possessions and Dominions. Mails from Great Britain for the French Sahara or the Belgian Congo are never likely to be so heavy as those for the Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, the Rhodesias and the Union of South Africa. British passengers are more likely to visit British Colonies than foreign possessions. When almost the whole route is laid inside the British Empire, the great advantage of unity of control is possible, and it is greatly to be doubted if an air way operated by a combine of French, Belgians and German-South African interests could ever become so efficient an organisation as one managed through out by Imperial Airways. Looking ahead, we hope before very long to see the Boulton and Paul mailplane tried out along the African airway, and we hope to see it make a success. If and when it does, we may further look forward to see a fairly sharp division made between the mail service and the passenger service of Imperial Air ways. That, we believe, will be a great advantage; but until the mailplane is ready for trial flights it is futile to blame Imperial Airways for not carrying the mails to Capetown at top speed. When the separate mail service is in working order, we believe that our mails will reach Capetown faster by a British line than by a foreign combine, even though that latter should fly along the shorter route. There is, of course, the possibility that the future mail service may be sent by Imperial Airways down the West Coast, while passengers continue to fly by the present route. It is natural that thoughts should turn first to the mails between this country and Capetown; a secondary, but still very important, matter is that of the mails to the countries on the route. If there is a complete chain of British lands from Egypt to the Cape on the one side, on the other lies the great Colony of Nigeria and the lesser ones of the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. Aircraft cannot export tin in bulk from Nigeria, as they can carry gold and diamonds from the Rand and Kimberley. Still, we should be the last to deprecate the claims of the West African Colonies to the services of air transport. Whether those claims are, or will be in the future, greater than those of Kenya and Tan ganyika, we should not like to decide. Nigeria and its fellow colonies lie to the west of the great circle course, and to include them in the projected air route would be to sacrifice some of the advantages of flying to Capetown along the straight line. What we really want to see is an air service to every part of the British Empire established just as soon as it is likely to justify its existence. What we do not want to see is British colonies left to the tender (or otherwise) mercies of a foreign air line, and, like wise, we dislike intensely the idea of a foreign mail service reaching Capetown more speedily than a British service manages to do. For all these reasons we hold the opinion that Capt. Mcintosh is doing very good work in attempt ing to draw attention to the possibilities of the West African route, and we wish him all good fortune on his flight. If he makes the southward flight very East, and comes back slowly, making trade enquiries as he comes, which is, we believe, his intention, he will do particularly valuable service to the cause of British air transport. For the rest, we think that definite plans must be left in abeyance until the mailplane has been tried out very thoroughly. D O D Q 864
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