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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0992.PDF
FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 30, 1932 AIRPORT NEWS CROYDON ( llr^ HE departure of air liners is a common enough L3 II event at Croydon, yet one that never fails to III be interesting. The different passengers, the pilot who is taking the machine, the prevailing weather conditions and the take-off, all go to make a departure a sight worth witnessing. I suppose it was for these reasons that I decided to watch the Silver Wing leaving the other day, and for those who are not yet familiar with the airport routine, here is what I saw. Walking out of the main hall through the departure doorway, past the Immigration office and along the passage, I came to the door which opens on to the tar mac, and which has frequently been referred to by various writers as the Gateway to the World. Directly in front was the Imperial Airways 42-seater air liner, which had been drawn up to a position where the cabin door was in line with the doorway of the building. Placed against the doorway of the cabin were some teak steps with polished brass hand rail, which would have done credit as the companionway of a battleship. The upper wing of the machine being only a few feet from the building this helped to make the 'plane appear to be nearer, almost . like stepping from a platform on to a train. Imperial Airways and the K.L.M., I am told, race everyday to gain this most advantageous position. Each company realises that it is the attention to the small details of the service that creates a mark of distinction. Each of these machines leave at the same time, and the uniformed staff of both companies tends to give the effect of what a railway station might look like if run by naval officers. After the engines had been run up, the passengers began to embark, the cabin door was then securely closed, steps and chocks removed, and as the minute hand of the clock reached 12.30 the stand-by pilot blew a whistle for the departure signal from the control tower—and the Silver Wing was on its way to Paris. One meets some very remarkable people at Croydon. I noticed amongst those who had come to give their friends a send-off a little girl accompanied by her mother, although only 2£ years old she had the knowledge of three languages. Mr. Comper arrived on Tuesday afternoon on his way to Hooton in his " Comper Swift." The weather was so unfavourable, however, that he decided to continue his journey the next day. Mr. Comper has been on a visit to Geneva, where he has been arranging agencies, returning by Frankfort, Cologne and Brussels. Herr Kronfeld, the well-known gliding pilot who holds the altitude and distance records, arrived in the German air liner D.2500 from Hannover—he left later for the Han worth Club, where he is staying. By far the most interesting event of the week was the departure of the Prince of Wales last Wednesday to Copenhagen. Numbers of visitors to the fair have followed the Prince's example of travelling by air. The unusual number of passenger bookings caused the Royal Dutch Airlines to place one of their largest air liners on service on Thursday morning. In addition to passengers for Rotterdam and Amsterdam, there were sixteen passengers to Copenhagen, including the Rt. Hon. Lord Ritchie of Dundee and a party from the Port of London Authority. There was also a considerable increase in the number of newspapers and mails. At the last moment it was dis covered by the London office of the British Industries Fair, Copenhagen, that they had sent everything to the exhibition except a Union Jack, which was required for the opening ceremony—this was also despatched in the air liner. Prince George is expected to fly by this service as far as Malmo next Friday, on his way to meet the Prince of Wales in Stockholm. The body of the French pilot, M. Gustave Demeuldre, who lost his life in the crash at Selsdon, was conveyed by air to Paris in a special machine of the Air Union. As a result of the weather on Friday, the worst experi enced for a considerable time, ten out of a total of twelve air liners bound for Croydon were forced to land at different places between the coast and the Air Port. Two of the ten machines, however, ultimately managed to reach Croydon, one of them having previously landed at Marsden and the other at Lympne. A French pilot had almost reached Croydon when he found that his wireless had suddenly gone out of order and was forced to turn back. Amongst the passengers on the Imperial Airways 12.30 'plane from Paris, which was one of those to land at Lympne, was David Sandford, a four-year-old-boy who was travelling alone. This was his first trip in an aero plane. Aviation helped its own in the case of Mr. Hancock, of Surrey Flying Services, Ltd., who flew with a pupil to Hamburg. On their return journey they landed at Bremen to re-fuel. It was then discovered that their propeller was badly split. They wired S.F.S. for a new propeller at 2.30 in the afternoon and prepared for a few days' stay in Bremen. At 7 o'clock the next morning Mr. Hancock was awakened with the news that his propellor had arrived. It had been put on the German night freight machine leaving Croydon at 10 p.m., and had been trans ferred at Hannover in the early hours of the morning to a train for Bremen—Mr. Hancock and his friend were back at Croydon in the afternoon. Total number of passengers for the week, 1,904 ; freight, 70 tons 15 cwt. HORAIIUS. FROM HESTON ON the 16th inst. Banco had an urgent charter to Pau (Pyrenees), and their " Puss Moth " left at 10 a.m., reaching Pau at 5.15 p.m., in spite of dense fog which was encountered up to the mouth of the Somme. On Monday, the 19th inst., five machines proceeded abroad—one to Cologne, one to Antwerp, one to Brussels, two to Berck. Banco had a special charter to Berck with " The Spider," Capt. Barnard returning the same day to Heston with three passengers. Wednesday, September 21, saw Capt. J. G. Sandie, M.C., on leave from the Sudan, qualify for his "A" licence at the Airwork School of Flying. Mrs. Spencer Cleaver left for Paris in her " Puss Moth." Herr Kirsch arrived at 1.10 p.m. on the 22nd inst. from Aachen, where he left at 10.20 a.m. with a new Pobjoy " Klemm " which had been ordered by Sir John Carden, Bt. On Saturday, September 24, the Director of Civil Avia tion, Col. F. C. Shelmerdine, the Lord Mayor of London, accompanied by the Lady Mayoress and Sheriffs of the City, left Heston by air in the Spartan " Cruiser," piloted by Col. Strange, and the Westland " Wessex," escorted by five Wapitis of No. 600 (City of London) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force, to attend the Essex Air Pageant at Romford. They were followed by Capt. Ledlie, piloting the Personal Flying Services' Junkers, with " The Flying Family " as passengers. Later in the day Capt. Ledlie brought Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson, with their two children, back to Heston, and, after a quick tea, left for Plymouth, where they are to join a liner for the United States. On Saturday, October 8, an Air Pageant is being held at Heston in celebration of the Borough Charter granted to Heston and Isleworth. The Pageant will be opened at 2.30 p.m. by H. J. Nias, Esq., M.B.E., J.P., the Charter Mayor, taking the air, piloted by Capt. V. H. Baker, the machine will be looped and Mr. Nias will fire off a Verey light. An interesting programme has been compiled and already many tickets have been sold to Heston and Isleworth inhabitants. When the Charter is handed over by the Duke of Gloucester on October 3, a flight of aero planes is being sent from Heston Airport to fly overhead during the ceremony. On Sunday, September 25, two machines proceeded abroad—one to Dusseldorf and the other to Aachen. Air- work School of Flying kept up a steady flow of instruc tion, including a cross-country flight by Capt. Ferguson with a pupil for a navigation lesson. Mr. R. L. Malone, of the London Insurance Brokers, took delivery -of a new " Spartan Arrow " from Henlys, Ltd. Capt. Ledlie, of Personal Flying Services, Ltd., left during the afternoon in the Junkers with two passengers for Berck. Always first with innovations, Airwork, Ltd., have now arranged for spare engines to be held by the Service Department (" Gipsy I," " Gipsy II " and " Gipsy III "). so that private owners requiring their engines overhauled do not have to cease their flying activities while the engines of their machines are out of action. 920
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