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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0031.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 11. 1934 •»»•»•>•*'•: NOW THAT IT IS ALL OVER A short survey of the Inter- national Egyptian Aviation Meeting, of which we are this week able to publish the full official results 'HE importance of the meeting can hardly be over emphasised, and we are glad indeed that we found it possible to see for our- selves the extent to which that importance has been realised by countries other than our own. Egypt is destined to be the junction for all the most impor- tant air lines connecting the east to the west, air lines which will not only come from Europe, but also from beyond the Atlantic. Egypt is the natural " cross-roads " of the air. The Egyptians themselves realise that and are now very wisely giving their Director-General of Aviation full backing with the schemes which he has inaugurated to establish Egypt in the world of the air. Sir Christopher Brand, who holds that post, is fully alive to the necessity of aero- dromes, and aims at providing facilities for flying through- out the length and breadth of Egypt. Reverting, however, to the meeting itself, a word of praise is due to the organisers and their volunteer staff. Apart from the actual compilation of the rules and regu- lations governing the conduct of the meeting, and the award of marks upon which the results were based, there was a very great deal to be done, and the nature of the territory over which the Circuit of the Oases lay made the problems unique, so that the organisers had little or no previous experience upon which to work. The surveying of the course, and the provision of maps was carried out by the Egyptian Army Air Force under command of Kaimakam V. Tait Bey. It must be remem- bered that much of the course lay over bare desert and led to oases which had seldom, if ever, been visited by Europeans. Certain it is that, in some cases, aircraft had never before landed there. The maps got out with the Egyptian Survey Department were magnificent. Never before have we seen a flying map produced about which A ROYAL TOMB : Maidum Pyramid. A prominent landmark on the air route between Cairo and Asyut. there was so little criticism. All unimportant detail had been left out, and everything of flying importance was clearly marked. In fact, we did not hear of a single com- petitor who had other than praise for this portion of the extensive assistance given him. The E.A.A.F. also patrolled the route, and, as we have already reported, were quick on the job when Mohamed Hassek Eft made a forced landing. His rescue is now ancient history. Incidentally, it was the start of a series of false reports, which appeared not only in the local papers in Egypt, but also back here in England. Inaccurate news was quite a feature of the meeting. This may perhaps, to a certain extent, be ex- cused by the lack of facilities given people to obtain news, but does not entirely exonerate responsible people who, in some cases, appeared to publish everything they were told without verification. The forced landings of both Hassek Eli. and G. Robson were occasions for this sort of thing, as was the premature publication of the final results, despite the fact that the organisers had repeatedly pointed out that the results would not be available for some days, after the conclusion of the meeting. Printing false results was particularly to be regretted, as it raised the hopes of some pilots, who " mortgaged their expectations," only to find their hopes dashed later—we offer them our sym- pathy ; it is far better to hold up results of competitions of this nature until they can be authenticated. The aviation departments of the Shell Co., directed by Col. \V. B. Beatty, and of the Socony- Vacuum Corp., in charge of Mr. Stanley Leigh, made themselves entirely responsible for the supply of fuel and oil. Mr. Barrington Mason, Col. Beatty's assistant, who flies the Shell Co.'s " Puss Moth," flew round the course on more than one occasion, we be- lieve, and personally saw to it that the extensive organisation which had to be undertaken to get the quantities of fuel and oil out to the oasis aerodromes, was functioning satisfactorily. Every drop had to be carted to the aero- drome by camel or lorry, and at each point over 1,600 gall, of fuel " ALL CHANGE " : Kharga rail- way station. These photographs and the aerials on the following pages were taken by Mr. Mason, of th« Shell Company of Egypt, from the company's " Puss -.:.--... Moth."
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