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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0919.PDF
FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 2, 1938 QtA/^oit Qdzuxf. CROYDON A Monday, October 30. FEW years ago a spell of wet, windy, or foggy weather meant a sharp decline in passenger bookings. Prospective air travellers judged fly ing weather, usually erroneously, by looking out of the window in London and deciding not to fly if the prospect was damp and depressing. They forgot that there might be blue sky at the other end of the air journey and that they were not expert judges of flying weather. During last week passenger bookings have shown that the air companies have changed all that. Imperial Air ways, on a day which could only be described as vile, were full up in the early afternoon for both morning and afternoon services to Paris for the following day. The K.L.M. Croydon manager informs me that he has never had such full loads of passengers before in October, and other companies tell the same tale. The air-travelling public has learned to trust to the companies about air travel. Air-France has had a busy week. One machine from Croydon carried 860 kg. of motor-car parts, and amongst an assortment of passengers the names of Richard Tauber, Josephine Baker, Jeff Dickson, and the great dress de signer Worth are worth ' of passing comment. There was also an Air-France passenger for Beyrouth. On Sunday, by special permission of the local Council, an Association football match was staged at the Airport between Imperial Airways, London, and Imperial Airways, the Airport. The home team was one short for the first quarter of an hour, owing, I am informed, to one of their crack players being held up by a Girl Guides' procession. This was offset by the fact that Imperial, Croydon, was captained by Jack Little, ex-captain of the Crystal Palace and now of the hangar staff. Anyway, the Airport people won 4—2, the go*ls being scored for the home team by Morton, Noyes, and Carroll, the latter having two to his credit. Mr. Thurman, Station Superintendent, Victoria, put up a fine defence for the visitors in goal. It is not generally known that a silver cup exists at the Airport of Croydon, given years ago by D. Napier & Sons, to be played for by companies and departments at Croy don Airport. It was won some years ago by H.M. Customs, whose possession of it has not since been chal lenged—verb. sap. Mr. M. Brunton, in partnership with Mr. F. Hicks- Arnold, has founded a company called Croydon Air Ser vices, aircraft engineers and consultants, with premises on the Waddon Factory Estate. The company will execute overhauls and repairs and give free storage in winter for folding-wing machines which they have booked for C. of A. overhaul. During the next seven months, I am told, 34 machines have been booked for C. of A, overhaul or other repair and overhaul work. Sabena, like the majority of companies, have now started to give passengers the opportunity of sending a radio gram whilst in flight. So far as concerns wiring back to friends in this country, this can only be done by wireless to one of the foreign stations and relayed to England by land line. The Air Ministry authorities here hold, rightly, I think, that the radio is for messages to do with the air services, and should not be burdened with private messages. Since Air-France came into being, freight has reached Croydon by that company's aeroplanes from five con tinents, and the bulk of freight carried has greatly in creased. Amongst curious freights of Air-France are regu lar consignments of leeches for medicinal purposes. It is said that Air Union had the peculiar distinction some time back of carrying from Paris the first black shirt ordered from a French firm by Sir Oswald Mosley, actuated, no doubt, by patriotic motives which are not easv for the layman to comprehend. One of the private owners who visited the Airport during the week was Mr. van den Heuvel, piloted by Mr. de Mul, a Dutch flying instructor. Mr. van den Heuvel flew the machine back to Holland alone. It was a Pob- joy-motored " Pander " high-wing monoplane, with very clean lines and folding wings. Incidentally, this gentleman was one of the first I have seen wearing the new Airvelope life-saving waistcoat, of which Brian Lewis & Co., Ltd., have the sole agency in this country. An interesting passenger last week by " Imperial " was ex-Mayor " Jimmy " Walker, who travelled to Paris with his wife last Thursday. Prince Christian of Hesse, Lord Glenconner, Capt. " Freddie " Guest, Lord Melchett, and Lady Louis Mountbatten also travelled by the British line. It takes all sorts to make a world, especially at an airport. In the old days names like these meant " complimentary tickets," but I dare wager the price of an air ticket to Paris that all the above passengers paid full fare A. VIATOR. FROM HESTON THE Chief Instructor of the Johannesburg Flying Club, Mr. G. D. B. Williams, who flew his own " Moth " home last June, is flying out a new " Dragon " for the directors of the South African branch of the steel firm,'Stewarts and Lloyds, Ltd. Mr. Williams and his two passengers spent two nights at the Airport Hotel, waiting for a favourable weather report, and left early on Thursday morning. The journey is ex pected to take about ten days. A demonstration of a new type of parachute flare, manu factured by the Irvin Air Chute Company, will be given iit Heston by Brian Lewis & Co., Ltd., weather permitting, on November 8, at 7 p.m., and will be followed by a dinner party. " Wing " Wyndham, the one-armed parachutist who intends shortly to make an attempt on Mr. Tranum's record for a delayed drop, tried out a G.Q. parachute in rough weather at Heston on the evening of the 26th ult. He made the descent from an Airwork School " Cadet." Miss Kathleen Horlick, a pupil of the Airwork School <>f Flying, and Mr. Kenneth Wagg left Heston for Paris by air on Thursday, October 26, after their marriage at St. Peter's, Eaton Square. The pilot was Mr. A. C. M. Jackaman, and the aircraft his white " Monospar," which lias probably carried more wedding parties to the Con tinent than any other private aeroplane. The only British aeroplane to reach the scene of the Evreux railway disaster with a Press photographer in the thick weather on Tuesday was Capt. Birkett's " Puss Moth " from Heston. The wireless equipment lately fitted' to this machine proved its value. Wrightson & Pearse are expecting delivery of a new " Dragon " in about three weeks. They will also shortly take delivery of a " Puss Moth " for small charter jobs. The Marquis de Chateaubrun left Heston on Monday in his " Gull " with two passengers for Paris. Mr. G. J. Mahony, of Misr-Airwork, left for Egypt on Friday, October 27, in the " Dragon " with which they will operate a Cairo-Assouan service in the coming winter. He was, however, forced back by bad weather. Mr. and Mrs. Strange, Mr. G. A. Roberts, and a ground engineer are travelling as passengers on the machine, which will be the third " Dragon " to be added to the Misr-Airwork fleet. Capt. T. Neville Stack, piloting the Airwork " Dragon " which was chartered to carry doctors and nurse to an urgent operation on the wife of the Prince of Nepal, re turned to England on October 22 with his passengers, Mr. Souttar, Dr. Challis, and Nurse Bradford. The flying time on the trip was 74 hr. out to Bombay, and 56 hr. on the return flight. 1101
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