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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0552.PDF
FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 14, 1933 AIRPORT NEWS CROYDON AMONGST various notable air travellers last week Imperial Airways carried Mr. Winston Churchill, Mr. and Mrs. " Kid " Berg, Miss Sylvia Sidney, Mr. and Mrs. Fearnley Whittingstall, and Mr. Archie Compston. Miss Josephine Baker travelled from Paris by Air France and Sir George Maxwell came by air from Brussels ; K.L.M. carried Roy Noble and his band from Holland, twelve persons with an enormous quantity of luggage and instruments. Amongst them was Mr. Wise, well known at the airport. Whilst in Holland he managed to get in quite a lot of flying, becoming a temporary member of the Rotterdam Aero Club. Imperial Airways also booked Mr. Wallace Beery, his wife and adopted child to Paris. An official stated that he had never conversed with a film star who displayed so complete a knowledge of aviation. Wallace Beery is a private owner pilot, who gained some renown for flying Hollywood-New York over what has been described as wicked flying country. He is also an ex-officer of the American Naval Air Force. The Sabena 4.45 p.m. departure for Ostend from Croy don, which has been a very popular service, ceased for the winter on September 11. However, it is still possible to land there on request. Elliot, the jockey, came in by Air France to ride Thor II over the course at Doncaster. This was by way of a preliminary trial for the St. Leger. On Saturday he returned by " Golden Clipper " in time to ride in a race in France on Sunday. An example of slipshod journalism was given by one of the evening newspapers which published a photograph of workmen, wheelbarrows and so on, under which was printed, " A busy scene at Croydon Aerodrome, where it has been found that the flying field is too small for the increasing volume of traffic." Any airport office boy could have informed the newspaper that Croydon Aero drome is quite big enough, though hardly as level as could be desired. Actually, it was a picture of work in connection with increasing the area of tarmac. Through the week-end winds proved boisterous, but Surrey Flying Services found that joy-flying passengers thoroughly enjoyed the bumps. On Saturday afternoon the S.F.S. Fokker " Universal " and Percival " Gull " were kept continuously busy right up to dusk. The same afternoon the S.F.S. " Fox Moth " was chartered to Southampton to catch a boat there. All records for passenger traffic will probably be broken during September. From September 1 to September 11, inclusive, 4,008 passengers passed through the Airport. This is 600 more passengers than during the same period last year. It is to be observed that the conveyance of passengers to arid from the Airport by road receives increasing attention. Gradually it is becoming the fashion to use Customs Aerodromes THE Air Ministry announces that the following aero dromes are, with the concurrence of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, approved as Customs Aerodromes for aircraft carrying only passengers and their personal bag gage:—Blackpool (Stanley Park) Airport, Bristol (Whit church) Airport, Cardiff (Splott) Airport, Liverpool (Speke) Airport, Portsmouth Airport. As Customs facilities are not continuously available at the aerodromes named, prior notification that such facili ties are required should be made to the aerodrome con cerned. The notification should be addressed to the Aero drome Control and should state the date and time at which facilities are required. An Airport for Belfast IT is reported from Belfast that Midland and Scottish Air Ferries who have been operating a service from Ren frew to Aldergrove, County Antrim, for some months, have approached the Belfast Corporation with a view to obtaining a lease of the Malone aerodrome site near the city, Aldergrove being considered inconvenient, as it is 15 miles from Belfast. The Malone site was purchased standard " de luxe " 25-seater motor coaches, luxuriously fitted and upholstered. Both Imperial Airways, Ltd., and the Royal Dutch Air Lines use such coaches, so modified that roof loading of luggage has been eliminated. I am told that in winter these vehicles will be internally heated, because passengers emerging from the warmed aeroplane cabins of to-day should not be placed in a cold road vehicle for the 30 minutes' journey to London. A. VIATOR. FROM HESTON /'"Til—'HE recording angel in the Traffic Office opened, on ^ I April 30, a new volume of his book. This regis- II' ter concerns only those who fly regularly and in earnest, and contains no record of trial lessons indulged in " for fun " by dabblers in the art, and it is therefore all the more remarkable that 150 pupils, each with a separate page allotted to his career, have had their names inscribed in this volume since that date. During the month of August, twelve pupils qualified for " A " licences at the Airwork School of Flying, and of these six were women—one of the rare instances where the much-proclaimed equality of the sexes in sporting matters is confirmed by actual figures. Pupils are joining the school at the average rate of one a day. In a day or two the British Air Navigation Company are expecting to take delivery of a Percival " Gull fitted with the new Napier " Javelin " engine which is already building up a line reputation in connection with this type of machine. This purchase will bring B.A.N.C.Q.'s " Gull "' equipment up to three machines, two " Gipsy Major " " Gulls " being already part of their fleet. This company made two fast trips to Braemar last week for press purposes in connection with the Highland Games and the Abergeldie Castle fete. The distance is 405 miles ; this was covered in both cases in 3\ hours in a " Gipsy Major " " Gull," and the last return trip was made in seven hours. A round trip, Heston-Manchester-Liverpool-Reading-Heston, by the same company took three hours. Mr. Stace, of Birkett Air Service, flew to Belfast, land ing at the new aerodrome, for pictures of the start of the Ulster Grand Prix. He made the return journey of 320 miles in 1\ hours in a " Puss Moth," arriving on Satur day morning in time to get the pictures into the evening papers. National calamities are the daily bread of any taxi firm, and both Banco and Birkett have had a busy week photo graphing the forest fires which have resulted from the drought. Forty-five machines cleared Customs this week, among them being the Club Secretary, Miss Slade, who is ferry ing her father to Rome in her " Gipsy Moth," to save him the long overland trip. by the Corporation some years ago, when the establish ment of an aerodrome was being considered, but later this scheme fell through. Recently the Belfast Harbour Board leased a part of the reclaimed land on the shores of Bel fast Lough to an English company for development as an aerodrome, but as this has not yet been equipped, the Air Ministry will not permit its use for regular air passen ger services. New Aerodromes in Holland IT is reported that plans are in hand for the estab lishment of an aerodrome at Deventer (Holland). Officials of the Ministry of Waterworks (Waterstaat) have reported favourably on the proposed site, and it is understood that financial support is already forthcoming from several quarters. It is also reported that the Royal Dutch Air Lines (K.L.M.) contemplate the establishment of a new route linking the north and south of Holland, in which case the new aerodrome would serve as a junction between this route and the existing service between Rotterdam and Enschede. A new aerodrome in the dunes between the watering places of Noordwijk and Katwijk is also being discussed. 920
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