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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1229.PDF
FLIGHT, DECEMBER 1, 1932 AIRJSMS FROM THE FOUR WINDS Mr. Smith's Flight MR. VICTOR SMITH, the 19-year-old South African airman, who left Capetown on November 13, arrived at Croydon on the evening of November 24. Mr. Smith's flight ma ^ not have been record breaking, but it was not without interest and excitement. After he had left the Niger River to fly by compass to Gao, Mr. Smith sud denly found that a petrol feed pipe was leaking, and instead of having about 25 gall, he only had left sufficient fuel for about 10 min. flying. He force-landed near a pool of water and received hospitality, such as it was, from members of the Tuareg tribe. After three days, native French soldiers arrived with food and 16 gall, of petrol, which enabled Mr. Smith to fly on to Dori, where he spent two days getting repairs done, these finished he flew on across the Sahara. Throughout the flight he used K.L.G. plugs, which caused him no trouble whatsoever. Mr. Smith has intimated that he may attempt to beat Mrs. Mollison's record for the England-Cape flight. Girl Cape Flyers. Miss JOAN PAGE and Miss Audrey Sale-Barker, who left Heston on October 27 to fly to the Cape in a " Moth," are reported to have reached Malakal, in Southern Sudan. They experienced several delays on their journey. Future Ventures into the Stratosphere PROF. PICCARD has expressed a conviction that the moon will be reached from the earth within the next two years, but admits that the return journey might be im possible, which minimises both the attractiveness and possible utility of such a venture. The Professor adds that he himself will make no further attempts to investi gate the stratosphere, but his colleague, Dr. Max Cosyns, will make two more ascents in the future, one simply to be a " world altitude " expedition, and the other, starting from Hudson Bay, will be undertaken for the purpose of studying the deviation of the cosmic rays in the region of the north magnetic Pole. A Flying Governor SIR STEWART SYMES, Governor of Tanganyika Terri tory, known locally as the " Flying Governor," completed recently by air a 2,000-mile safari in 31 days. The powers that be in Tanganyika have discovered, some little time back, that safari by air is far cheaper than by car, and have therefore equipped themselves with a small fleet of light aeroplanes. Another Flying Governor SIR HUBERT YOUNG, the new Governor of Nyasalaod, with his wife and three children, flew by air mail to Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, and thence to Nyasaland in " Puss Moths." D.H.84 Flies LAST week the first of the de Havilland 84 twin- engined machines was completed at the Stag Lane works sufficiently for Capt. H. Broad to make a short test flight on» it. Although one of the engines was not running too well at the time (the trouble, having since been remedied) the machine " leaped " off the ground after an incredibly short run. The 84, with " Gipsy Major " engines, promises to be one of the most economical aeroplanes ever pro duced, and should be somewhere very close to the paying- without-subsidy ideal which we have been hoping for. Sir Geoffrey Salmond on Disarmament AIR MARSHAL SIR GEOFFREY SALMOND, speaking at a dinner of the Comrades of the Royal Air Force Associa tion on November 26, said that it was quite impossible to make war humane. The air forces were the greatest deterrent against war, as statesmen who contemplated war would know that they would lay their country open to terrible attacks from the enemy, who would immediately attack the Home Front. With this responsibility, would they be so likely to take on themselves the responsibility of making war? Anything which could shorten a war— and the air forces were the most powerful arm to do such a thing—should not be abolished. Internationalising Civil Flying THE Air Transport Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce met at Paris on November 25 and passed the following resolution:—"Without desiring to express any opinion on the political aspect of the ques tion, and with full confidence in the sincere desire of Governments for peace and in their ability to find the means of ensuring it, the Air Transport Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce considers that the internationalisation of civil aviation would constitute a serious obstacle to the free development of commercial aviation and to the progress of international trade." The Proposed One-Third Reduction THE Under-Secretary for Air, Sir Philip Sassoon, in reply to a question in the House on November 24, stated that if the proposed one-third cut in British Air Forces were carried out the saving would not approach 33| per cent, of the current Air Votes. The annual saving could not be given without undue time and labour, as it would be necessary to consider the distribution of the cut between Home Defence, the Fleet Air Arm, Army co-operation and overseas areas. Bombing Practice in Lincolnshire ON November 9 in the House of Commons, Sir P. Sassoon, Under-Secretary for Air, stated in reply to a question that a portion of the north end of the urban district of Mablethorpe would be included in the ground for bombing and machine-gun practice to be established on the Lincoln coast. He understood that only one house had been built in the district and a small bungalow was in course of construction. High-explosive bombs would be used about four miles away from Mablethorpe town and machine-gun fire about two miles away. He had no reason to fear that loss of trade or rateable value would result, and he added that a R.A.F. station should have a good effect on the prosperity of the district. Sir William Morris SIR WILLIAM MORRIS has presented £52,000 towards a new hospital centre for Birmingham, the site of which covers 150 acres and has been given by Cadbury Bros. Barcelona a Zeppelin Port ? DR. ECKENER, commander of the Graf Zeppelin, has concluded his visit to Spain, and has offered to make Barcelona a regular port of call for the airship on its voyages to and from South America, provided that a suitable mooring-mast is constructed. No. 314 Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Company, R.E. THE Lord Lieut, of Kent, Lord Camden, on Novem ber 26 opened a new drill hall at Tonbridge as the head quarters of No. 314 Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Co., R.E., Territorial Army. Maj. Gen. H. F. Salt, commanding the Air Defence formations, was present and made an address. A STAIRCASE IN THE BLUE : Impressive photograph of a group of single-seater, Wasp-powered Boeing P-12E pursuit planes of the 27th Pursuit Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps, Self ridge Field, Mich. 1151
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