FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0225.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 27, 1933 Brooklands and was welcomed by the Vice-Chairman, Capt. G R. D. Shaw, and other members present. Mrs. E. I,,;i"sdon has returned to renew her "A" licence after /absence of several months, and Mr. R. A. Boswell has Successfully passed his height test for an "A" licence. DRISTOL AND WESSEX AEROPLANE CLUB, LTD. L> Five new pupils have begun training since the begin ning of July, making a total of sixteen members at present under instruction at Bristol. Messrs. E. C. W. Voke and A. G. Neale have completed " A " licence tests and Mr. H R. Wheeler made his first solo flight during the week. On Sunday morning three of the Club machines paid a visit to the Southampton Municipal Aerodrome, the pilots and passengers being hospitably entertained to breakfast by the members of the Hampshire Aeroplane Club. The Club Garden Party, to be held at the Bristol Air port on September 16, will again be an informal affair. There is to be a series of flying competitions, for which suitable prizes will be awarded, and a dance in the even ing. On the Sunday golf, tennis and squash rackets matches will be played between teams representing the Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club and teams represent ing flying organisations from other parts of the country. Un Saturday, July 22, a strong contingent from Bristol visited the Cardiff Municipal Aerodrome to support the Cardiff Club's Flying Meeting, a total of eight machines making the journey from Bristol Airport to Cardiff. Bristol Club flying hours are showing a very satisfactory increase up to July, when compared with the hours for the same period last year. THE RAND FLYING CLUB The Rand Flying Club was enthusiastically inaugu rated at a well-attended meeting on Saturday, July 1, P'.esided over by the Mayor of Johannesburg, Mr. B. C. Vickers, at the Carlton Hotel. The Mayor said that he hoped the Club would enhance the popularity- of the air port, which up to then had been almost entirely taken up with the commercial side of Aviation. It had not been formed with any intention of attempting to oust its elder brother, the Johannesburg Light Plane Club, they would work together harmoniously towards a common goal. The Ma.vor looked forward to the time when flying clubs would be as popular as football, tennis, and cricket clubs. The Mayors of Benoni and Germiston, Messrs. T. Newby and N. J. Kock also spoke in support of the Club. Dr. E. L. MacKenzie, Chairman of the Club Committee, outlined the activities of the new Club. In addition to flying, tennis and golf would be available, and the Germiston Lake, scarcely a stone's throw away, would provide boating and bathing. -THE DE HAVILLAND SCHOOL OF FLYING •*• The flying time for the week ending July 22 was 211 hr. Ben Lyon carried out his tests for his " A " licence during the week. The Stage and Screen Sporting and Aero Club held a combined general meeting and luncheon party on July 22 to discuss the proposed gym khana and fair to be held on September 29 in aid of the Actors' Orphanage, as reported elsewhere. The opening ceremony of the Royal Air Force Reserve Club was well attended. An excellent display by Air Force pilots and magnificent demonstrations by Fit. Lts. Johnson, Bulman and Staniland were truly appreciated by all. The swim ming pool is a great success, the water from the artesian well is delightfully soft and refreshing. 10,000 gallons an hour are available, so the pool is refilled constantly. The Mollisons spent a lazy afternoon swimming and sun bathing, which, as a contrast to the anxious waiting for weather, they seemed to thoroughly enjoy. The Movietone News filmed a special item at Hatfield on a first lesson in flying ; obviously it had to be abbreviated rather drasti cally. It is being shown from July 24 to 29 at the News Theatre, Shaftesbury' Avenue. o ttir transport WIRELESS EQUIPMENT FOR AFRICAN AIR ROUTE I N our issue for March 30 last we referred to experi ments carried out in connection with wireless com munication on the African air route, which presented certain difficulties. As a result of these experi ments it was decided recently that the entire fleet of eight Imperial Airways' " Atalanta " type aircraft for the Indian and African air routes would be fitted with the new Mar coni medium- and short-wave apparatus known as the Type A.D.37A./38A. I his decision is by way of a practical tribute to the enterprise of the Marconi Company in carrying out a special wireless survey of the African air route, in co operation with the Air Ministry and Imperial Airways, <L, as soon as it was realised that the normal types of raft wireless equipment which provide efficient air- '! ground communication services over the European routes were not adequate for the African service on account of the frequent and violent electrical storms en countered in the equatorial regions of that Continent. To etermme the best means of ensuring efficient wireless 'peration under these difficult conditions a Marconi engi- ;','' carned out an extensive series of tests with long- and ne? Lwave wireless communication from the air over a snw-- n Slx months- flying over the route in aircraft res it fitted with experimental wireless apparatus. The is rin ^ the devel°Pnient of the new equipment, which -jpable of communication either on the medium wave- tar? usually employed for ground-and-air wireless con- snh» °r i?n snort waves, with their freedom from atmo-s Pnerlc disturbances. t'>ndit-fUl exPerim?nts carried out under practical working v„.r, \ ons and since, of course, confirmed in actual ser- aernonstrated that by means of this combination of PossiblV+ ?' 50(M'000 metres and 40-80 metres, it was munirat- mamtain reliable two-way ground and air com ma™) n"10ver tiie entire air route with a good "safety (fn always in hand. new J£ .addltional refinement a small attachment to the weiver provides a simple and convenient direction- finding service of the " homing " type (see FLIGHT, May 18, 1933), enabling the pilots to set their course by the ground wireless stations along the route. The Marconi Type A.D.37A./38A. equipment comprises a combined transmitter and receiver enabling both tele phone and telegraph communication to be maintained on both the medium and short wavebands. Adjustment of the apparatus to the wavelength required for reliable com munication under any conditions has been reduced to a simple operation, so that transmission and reception can be controlled by the pilot if required. Special features of the transmitter are the employment of the " independent drive " method of frequency control, and the use of the same valves for both the medium-wave and short-wave circuits. The receiver employs one screen grid high-frequency amplifier, one detector with adjustable reaction coupling, and one low-frequency magnifier. The medium-wave and short-wave ranges are each provided with their own high-frequency amplifier valve, but the detector and low-frequency magnifier valves are common to both wave ranges. The Marconi directional receiving attachment—as we have already described—consists of a small instrument box containing a special tuner and high-freqnency ampli fier and a switch box, affixed to the A.D.38A. receiver, and a loop aerial installed round the fuselage of the air craft. The performance of this equipment in the four " Atalanta " type aircraft already operating on the African air route has established new records in range and quality of aircraft communication in spite of the difficult electrical conditions prevailing over Africa. Short-wave communication over distances up to 2,000 miles, from Capetown to M'beya, Tanganyika, are re ported consistently. When the emergency equipment for ground working was tested at Capetown on medium waves, using a 12-ft. ladder as a support for the trailing aerial, two-way telegraphic communication was maintained with Victoria West at 380 miles, and the aeroplane's messages 761
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
