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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1091.PDF
FLIGHT, OCTOBER 27, 1932 AIR TRANSPORT PROGRESS IN BRITISH CIVIL AVIATION Is T. COL. F. C. SHELMERDINE, Director of Civil Aviation, delivered a most interesting lecture on the above subject before the R.U.S.I. on Wednes day, October 19. In starting, he reminded his audience that the late Sir Sefton Brancker, his predecessor, had been in the habit of delivering lectures before the Institution at approximately two-year intervals, and he felt, therefore, that his own lecture was really a continua tion of this series. Speaking of subsidies, Col. Shelmer- dine drew attention to the fact that practically all the scheduled regular air services throughout the world were to-day subsidised, either directly or indirectly, by the Governments concerned and in this country, the aim in view in subsidising Imperial Airways had been to enable that company to place air transport on a self-supporting basis at the earliest possible date. He then enumerated the agreements with Imperial Air ways, and stated that in return for the subsidy the com pany had to complete each year a minimum of 425,000,000 horse-power miles over certain subsidised routes. He pointed out that during the year ended March 31, 1932, the total flown was 865,347,975 horse-power miles. [The actual details of these subsidy agreements have already been placed before our readers in our pages, and it is not therefore necessary to recapitulate them here.—ED.] A table was given showing the figures for direct subsidies for the year 1931-32 in various countries (taking the exchange rates at par). Great Britain was £520,000 ; France, £1,580,000 ; Germany, £920,000 ; Italy, £768,000 ; Holland and Dutch East Indies, £310,000 ; Belgium, £163,000 ; Poland, £145,000 ; Czechoslovakia, £137,000. Turning to the Continental services, Col. Shelmerdine said that the number of passen gers carried had steadily increased, and during the first eight months of this year was 84 per cent, greater than the number carried during the corresponding period last year. Details were also given of the fares of all the Continental routes and the services run, not only by Imperial Airways, but also by the Air Union, K.L.M., Luft Hansa and Sabena. An interesting fact was that the percentage of passengers carried in British machines was 48 per cent, of the total. The value of bullion and other goods imported by air has, of course, steadily increased, there being over two million pounds worth of goods (exclusive of bullion) imported during 1931. Turning to the service to India, Col. Shelmerdine first of all made reference to the I.C.A.N, and to the aims and objects of that body. He referred in particular to the interpretation of Article 15, which provides that " the establishment of international airways shall be subject to the consent of the States flown over." We, on our part, contended that the use of the term " Airways " and not " Air Services " indicated that the latter are not subject to permission, but that the consent of the States flown over refers only to the establishment of the ground organi sation which constitutes the airway. Other countries, however, maintained that it was intended to make opera tion of air services definitely subject to the permission of the States flown over, and that no other interpretation could be admitted. At the extraordinary session of the I.C.A.N., held in Paris in July, 1929, the British repre sentative pressed the matter to a vote, with the result that 27 States considered that no air line should be estab lished without the authorisation of the States flown over. Only four (the British Empire, U.S.A., Netherlands and Sweden) recorded in favour of the freedom of the air. We could only hope, therefore, that these artificial barriers to the natural development of aviation would gradually be broken down and that complete freedom would eventually be possible. Following on, Col. Shelmerdine then recorded the history and growth of the England-India Air Route. He drew attention to the fact that our original agreement with the Persian Government had now expired, and as the chances of obtaining a long-term agreement appeared remote, it was decided to transfer operations to the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf, using landing grounds at Bahrein, Yas Island and Shargah. Full details of the service to Capetown were then given, starting from as far back as December, 1918, when, at the instigation of Sir Geoffrey Salmond, who was then Air Officer commanding the Middle East, three Ground Survey Parties were despatched from Egypt with the object of selecting and preparing aerodromes and generally organising the air route from Cairo to the Cape. The route as it now is was gone through in full and the results achieved, particularly with regard to the collection of mail, given extensively. The feeder routes which have already been established, such as that of the Sabena from Eliza- bethville (Belgian Congo) to Broken Hill (Northern Rhodesia), were also dilated upon and the hope expressed that other routes, for example between Salisbury and Blantyre (Nyassaland) and Salisbury and Beira (Portu guese East Africa), would be established shortly. Future developments were touched upon, and the hope of the British Government expressed, to see the present route to India extended across India through Burma, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, to Australia. Col. Shelmerdine said that negotiations were already in hand with a view to extending the service by means of joint operation with an Indian company and Imperial Airways over the section Karachi-Singapore, while Singapore- Australia, it was hoped, would be undertaken by Aus tralian interests. This service it was confidently hoped to inaugurate in 1933. The possibility of a Trans-Atlantic air mail service was also mentioned, and the three main routes discussed, the first being the Great Circle route, via Ireland and New foundland, the second the Sub-Arctic route via Greenland and Iceland, and the third the Southern Route via Lisbon, Azores and Bermuda to New York. A suggestion which seemed to have possibilities, particularly in utilising to the best advantage the weather conditions, was that flying westwards, the Southerly Route might be used and flying eastwards the Great Circle route would be followed. We were told that consideration is now being given to the establishment of an airport at Bermuda and to the possi bility of an air service between Bermuda and New York as a preliminary to a Trans-Atlantic service. Col. Shelmerdine expressed a belief that the Imperial Airways policy of providing economical, quiet and com fortable machines was the right one, particularly as high speed was a very costly matter. In conclusion, the posi tion of the Light Aeroplane Clubs was explained clearly, starting from the first subsidy scheme in July, 1925 ; and the growth of taxi and charter work as well as that of joyriding was referred to. DUBLIN-BERLIN-DUBLIN L>' AST week-end the first experimental air mail and passenger service between the Irish Free State and the Continent was successfully carried out by a three-engined Fokker monoplane, PH-AID, piloted by Mr. J. B. Scholte. The flight was organised by Col. Charles F. Russell, who was one of the fourteen passengers on the trip, and the cost of chartering the machine was subscribed by a number of business organi sations and private individuals in Dublin and throughout the Free State. Considerable interest was aroused by a 101 wide publicity campaign in the Irish newspapers, and one of the largest crowds that has ever been seen at Bal- donnel aerodrome, County Dublin, made the trek out from the city to see the machine. On Saturday morning, October 22, Mr. O. E. Armstrong, piloting the " Fox Moth " of Iona National Airways, left Galway with mails landed at the port from a trans- Atlantic liner and handed them over to officials .of Royal Dutch Air Lines at Baldonnel. The Fokker took off at 8 a.m., and, after landings at Croydon (10.20 a.m.) and 1
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