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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 1121.PDF
FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 30, 1933 Qiyboit Que*?. CROYDON I HEAR that Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd., have carried out some interesting tests in short wave wireless telephony between the Croydon Air port experimental station of the company and a Bristol " Bulldog " single-seater fighter flying in the neigh bourhood of Bristol and Cardiff. The aeroplane was fitted with a fixed aerial and a Marconi A.D.43/44A transmitting and receiving equipment. Excellent communication was maintained between Croydon and the aeroplane flying over Filton (Bristol), Newport, and Cardiff. The ground station equipment used at Croydon was type A.D.37A, which, it is interesting to note, is giving such excellent results on the Imperial Airways African service with " Atalanta " type aeroplanes. A visitor to the Airport during the week to excite con siderable interest was the Royal Dutch Air Lines " FXX " Fokker, the first machine of its size to have a retractable undercarriage. After the take-off the pilot, Mr. Smirnoff, brought the machine back over the aero drome with the undercarriage retracted, and it is certainty difficult to imagine cleaner lines than those of the '' FXX in these circumstances. The pilots (Mr. Soer accompanied Mr. Smirnoff on the second visit) say that the aeroplane is everything they could desire from a flying point of view, but that they were obliged to readjust quite a number of their " routine " ideas to the extra speed. For example, to fall into the trap of asking for a weather report of Croydon at a certain usual position would mean reaching the airport almost before the reply had been obtained. Several observers got quite a creepy feeling on seeing one wheel slowly disappear into the engine nacelle whilst the other was still down. As one onlooker remarked, "It seems against nature somehow." We of the Terminal Air port must be excused if we look upon aeroplanes as almost iiuman. One gets like that after long years in their company. Film stars seem to do all their travelling by air these days. Lili Damita arrived by Imperial Airways, Ltd., from Paris on Monday, November 20. She was, it is said, to take a leading part in " Contraband," but she decided not to do so, and returned to Paris on the Friday. Camilla Horn, the German star, was 'phoned for to take tie part, and flew from Berlin to London by D.L.H. on the Wednesday. Two Indian private owners landed here early in the week, having flown quietlv through from Karachi in then- private aeroplane, taking" 20 days over the trip. They were Messrs. T. H. Dastur and J. B. Patel. They came to this country to do a course at Air Services Training, Ltd., at Hamble, the former for his Navigation and the latter for his " B " licence. Both Sir John Simon and Mr. Anthony Eden, those veteran air travellers, made use of Imperial Airways' lines during the week. There was also Sir John Maffey from Uganda by the same company ; Sir Auckland Geddes, out ward bound for Broken Hill ; and Sir Herbert Stanley, who flew from London to Capetown. We have seen little of the sun for the past week or so, but the air traveller often gets what we on the ground do not. A passenger whom I spoke to last week as I shivered on the dank tarmac under a chill grey sky told me that he had just spent a couple of hours or so on an inward flight high above the mist and murk in bright sunshine and blue sky. From above, he said, the bank of dirty cloud was a sunlit mass of dazzling whiteness like a snow- scape. Passengers are always amazed by the beauty of a flight above the clouds, and it is remarkable that the air companies do not make more publicity out of this parti cular subject. A. VIATOR. FROM HESTON /'~~||r—'HE British Air Navigation Company took delivery ^ I last week of a 4A.T. three-engined Ford mono- JIL plane which they will use for luxurious regular services and charter trips. The machine will be fitted with wireless, and the cabin arrangements include a form of settee which will make for greater freedom of movement for the passengers. It is comforting in some weather to know that you can lie down if you feel that way! Mr. A. E. Guinness's 5A.T. Ford was engaged at Heston during the early part of last week. In the thick weather, Capt. Birkett, whose job in life requires him to get through almost anything so that the public may have its bird's-eye view in the morning paper, was the only aeroplane on the scene on November 19, when the pit disaster happened at Grassmoor, and one news paper made a special edition of the pictures that he brought to London. He carried wireless, which was of some assistance, as the fog got worse during the difficult flight back to Heston. A new aerodrome south of London THE chain of aerodromes round London, situated out side the area where fog is most prevalent, will be greatly strengthened by the addition of one lying two miles from Redhill and south of those hills which are an obstruction to aircraft when approaching London and flying under the clouds in conditions of bad visibility. The application to levelop the land for the purpose of an aerodrome was 'pposed by the Rural District Council of Godstone, but on appeal to the Ministry of Health, it has been decided that the aerodrome scheme may proceed, subject, of course, to detailed plans being approved by the authori ties concerned. A public inquiry was conducted by an Inspector from the Ministry of Health, evidence being taken from the local Council, the owner of the estate, the neighbouring residents, Mr. G. C. H. Last, managing director of British Air Transport, Ltd., and the prime ^over in the scheme, together with that from experts-in tviation matters, including Sir Alan Cobham and Maj. R. H. Mayo. The site consists of several fields lying at in average altitude of 200 ft. above sea level and served by a good road. These fields will be merged into one ipen area, drained and levelled, prior to the application T «r a licence to fly. The site is the best in the neigh bourhood of Redhill and Reigate. A first-class aerodrome will be constructed, and this will be in a position of great value to serve the large residential district lying within easy reach by road and also of use as one of the emer gency landing grounds around London for pilots from the yontinent when unable to proceed further north owing to '>ad weather. It is hoped to have the aerodrome ready t(> r Use by the late spring or early summer of next year. When completed, an area of more than 100 acres will be available, giving landing runs in every direction of at least 700 yards. The Airports Conference BOTH Lord Londonderry, the Secretary of State for Air, and Sir Hilton Young, Minister of Health, will speak at the Mansion House on December 8 on the occasion of the Airports Conference, which is being convened by the London Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Royal Aeronautical Society, and is to be opened by the Prince of Wales. Among those who have accepted invita tions to the Conference are: The Duke of Sutherland, the Earl of Haddo, Chairman of the Greater London Regional Planning Committee, Lt. Gen. Sir George Macdonogh, President of the Federation of British Industries, Sir Josiah Stamp, Chairman of the London Midland & Scottish Rail way, and Mr. Gerald Loder, Chairman of the Southern Railway. The Lord Mayors of Birmingham, Bristol, Hull, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, and the Lord Provost of Perth will be present, whilst other towns to be represented include: Brighton, Hove and Worthing, Cardiff, Carlisle, Crewe, Edinburgh, Gloucester and Cheltenham, Greenock, Halifax, Harrogate, Leicester, Llanelly, Manchester, Mar gate and Ramsgate, Norwich, Preston, Swindon, Torquay, Worcester and York. From the replies received, it is evident that there will be a large attendance of represen tatives of municipalities from different parts of the country. Lord Wakefield of Hythe, who has done so much for the cause of British civil aviation, is giving a dinner to the delegates after the Conference, when the. Secretary of State for Air will be the principal guest. 1203
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