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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0133.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 20, 1933 AIR TRANSPORT REPORT ON CIVIL AVIATION E give below a resume of the Report on the Pro gress of Civil Aviation, 1932, which has just been issued by the Air Ministry. Copies may be obtained from H.M. Stationery Office, Kings- way, W.C.2 (price 5s. net). CIVIL FLYING Imperial Airways continued to operate daily services between London and the Continent and weekly service between England and India. The weekly service between England and Central Africa was extended to Capetown. The route down the Persian Gulf was diverted from the Persian to the Arabian coast. As part of the scheme proposed by the Canadian Government for accelerating mails, Imperial Airways made test flights between Croydon and Cherbourg in connection with the sailings of the Empress of Britain. Feeder Services by independent companies were insti tuted between Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam, Kisumn and Entebbe, and Broken Hill and Elizabethville. The exten sion from Karachi to Delhi was operated by the Delhi Aero Club. The Tata Air Line, Karachi-Bombay-Madras, was opened in October. The total mileage on subsidised flights on regular Euro pean services was 656,520. On the India and Africa ser vices 1,077,000 miles were flown. Air Survey and Photography- Experiments were made with the use of infra-red plates, which are expected to prove of great use in oblique photo graphy. m Aerofilms, Ltd., received 60 per cent, more orders than in the previous year, the greatest advance being in work lor industrial purposes. The Air Survey Co., Ltd., with its subsidiary, the Indian Air Survey & Transport, Ltd., operated in Central Africa and map'ped 19,300 square miles in the upper reaches of the Nile. The Indian company mapped a number of towns and districts in Bengal, the United Provinces, and the Punjab The Aircraft Operating Co., Ltd., completed its map ping of 1,000 square miles in Iraq. Its subsidiary African company completed the survey of Durban and did work for mineral prospectors. Miscellaneous Services \ arious work, such las private hire, etc., was carried °ut by several firms. British Air Navigation, Ltd., ran an experimental service between Bristol and Cardiff for one week. British Amphibious Air Lines, Ltd., operated •'service between Blackpool and the Isle of Man. British tlving Boats, Ltd., ran a service between the Clyde and Belfast for one week. Sir Alan Cobham toured the country with National Aviation Day, Ltd. Norman Edgar started a service between Cardiff and Bristol, and Portsmouth, =>outhsea, and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., a service be- M,?a Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The Scottish ° or 1 raction Co., Ltd., commenced /operations in Scot- Light Aeroplane Clubs new Air Ministry scheme of Subsidising flying clubs s ""hated. Fifteen clubs participated in this scheme, total number of clubs at the end of 1932 was tibout 50. Records and Long Flights of 4QPQfi?'fF' Uwins< on September 16, reached an altitude 7n '• .• ln,a Vickers " Vespa " with Bristol " Pega- \'r ^'fAr' This was accePted as a world's record. ' I'uss M H ''1S°? ^ iT°m- En8land t0 the CaPe in a —•" in 4 days 17 hr. 30 min. Mrs. Mollison 7 ;.,' 5.tlle CaPe to England in a "Puss Moth" in W r'.5 mm- Mr- C- W- Scott flew from Lympne gratia m a " Gipsy Moth " in 8 days 20 hr. 47 min. " rIS??Jlew lrom Ireland to New Brunswick in & to lr- Moll 11 «5 Moth in 30 hr. 15 min. AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENTS .... New Types ficates 0ll,OWmg new types of aircraft were granted certi "'-,, Lurworthiness : —Airspeed <« ), A.W. " Atalanta " (four " Servals "), D.H. Ferry " (three "Fox Moth" ("Gipsy Major"), D.H. "Dragon" (two " Gipsy Majors "), General Aircraft " Monospar " (two " Pobjoys "), Miles " Satyr " (" Pobjoy "), Spartan " Cruiser " (three " Gipsy Ill's "), Percival " Gull " (Napier " Javelin "). The first " direct-control " " Autogiro," C.30, was pro duced. Engines Among the new engines produced during the year were: A.S. " Double Mongoose," Mark III (now called " Ser- val "), A.S. " Tiger," Bristol " Pegasus." types I-M.2 and I-M.3, Cirrus-Hermes " Hermes 4," D.H. " Gipsy Major," Napier " E.97 " air-cooled (now called " Javelin "), Wolseley " A.R.9," R.R. compression-ignition "Condor." Research A vertical wind tunnel was erected at Farnborough to examine the problems of spinning. By the information thus obtained it is hoped to eliminate spinning tendency in the next few years. Research lhas been proceeding on the problem of reduc ing noise in aircraft. Padding walls has been efficient, but weighs about f lb. to 1 lb. per sq. ft. Gearing engines also reduces noise. Rolls-Royce, Ltd., have pro duced a silencer which adds no more to the weight of the machine than does the padding of the walls, and, more over, reduces the noise heard on the ground. It is admitted that the completely silent aeroplane is Hot yet in sight. GROUND ORGANISATION Problems are arising in connection Iwith aerodrome sur faces. It was believed that the quality of British turf, plus the use of tail wheels and brakes, would render special runways unnecessary in this country. It has been found, however, that when a large number of heavy aero planes are in use, the turf will not withstand the wear and tear. Special hard runways have been put down on African aerodromes, and experiments to find the best com position were in progress. Wireless At the close of the year Imperial Airways were carrying out tests with fixed aerials with a view to dispensing with trailing aerials for two-way communication. The use of radio-telegraphy, as compared with radio- telephony, showed a further increase during the year, to the benefit of communication on the airways. Lighting During the year progress was made with the international standardisation of the principles of lighting aerodromes and airways. Experiments were carried out with the Chance-Airwork " shadow-bar " device to assist pilots in landing at night. High-Tension Cables To remove the danger to aircraft from the growing number of high-tension cables in the country, considera tion was given to ithe possibility of lighting the cables at specially dangerous spots. Three methods were considered : (1) Neon tubes attached to the cables themselves, (2) in direct lighting from a projector lamp about 25 ft. awav from the base of the cable, and (3) direct lighting by means of lamps on lattice masts of the Bame height as the pylons. The first method was rejected as unsatisfactory, the second was under consideration at the end of the year, and the third was found to be very expensive. The Disarmament Conference A Sub-Committee was appointed at Geneva to study the possibilities of internationalising civil aircraft, or prevent ing its misuse for military purposes. The conclusions of the first phase of the Disarmament Conference made reference to the subject in the following terms: —'' Civil aircraft shall be submitted to regulation and full publicity. Further, civil aircraft not conforming to the specified limi tations shall be subjected to an international regime (except for certain regions where such a regime is not suitable) such as to prevent effectively the misuse of such civil air craft." 721 B2
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