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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0904.PDF
FLIGHT. AUGUST 30, 1934. COMMERCIAL ^Z\V/AT/ON — AIRLINES ————-— AIRPORTS— ; CROYDON Commercial Aviation's Fifteenth Anniversary : High Flying is Smooth Flying : Fastest . to Paris : The West of England Service : The Economy of Larger Machines SATURDAY, August 25, was thefifteenth anniversary of the com-mencement of commercial aviationin this country. Looking round, one sees numerouspeople still at the airport who were there on the first day Croydon was opened asa civil aerodrome. A photograph, repro- duced on this page, shows some of theveterans with "Bill" Lawford, who flew the first A.T. and T., Ltd., machine.to Paris fifteen years ago, in the centre. Other antediluvian gentry in the groupare Rogers and Dismore, of Imperial Airways, who flew early Handley Page-aeroplanes to Paris; Bajac, chief pilot of Air France; Boudrie, Croydon mana-ger of Air France; and Leverton, of K.L.M. The latter was with A.T. andT., Ltd.., before joining the Dutch " '•.-,';" '.•'•. company. ... • There are quite a number of other old stagers, on themechanical side, whilst the Air Ministry staff can show a list of a dozen or so who. have been in the business since theword "go." Last week Railway Air Services, Ltd., opened theirnorthern service. It was certainly not good flying weather up there, for the big K.L.M. machine on Monday, pilotedby one of the company's veteran pilots, got no farther than Hull on the Amsterdam-Hull-Liverpool service. There wassome nasty weather, too, on that day between London and the Continent, but as soon as the pilots got up to 6,000 ft.there was not a '' bump '' in the sky. As a rule high flying makes all the difference in such weather, though, of course,it is not always possible. I spoke to English, French and Dutch airline pilots, and all of them had flown high. OneDutchman, van Dyk, crossed the Channel to Croydon three times that day and had not a single passenger who was notdelighted with the smooth travel. There was a certain amount of covert sneering at the air services by some of themore conservative railway people, but it is probable that these superior persons did not know that the L.M.S. express,"Mancunian," had broken in two the same afternoon, and that only the skill of the crew had averted disaster. Thatwas mechanical breakdown, and not wind and weather. I wonder how many air companies still have straps fittedto the passenger seats. There are times when such things can be distinctly useful, as, for instance, when flying througha gale. Also, there is such a thing as a puncture when taking off and the certainty of a rough, though doubtless perfectlysafe, landing at the other end. I happen to know that several companies still have them fitted, but so concealedthat they are not noticed. The blue riband of the London- Paris route appears to have left Croydon, for Hillman's Air-ways, Ltd., advertises the fastest air route between London Some of Croydon's "veterans" on the tarmac, with "Bill" Lawford.• : .,. in the centre of the group. and Paris—90 minutes. But is it ? I see that an hour isallowed between King's Cross and Essex Airport, and this is all part of the journey. At the other end, between LeBourget and Paris, only three-quarters of an hour is allowed. Air France allows three-quarters of an hour at each end, andalso advertises 90 minutes for the flight. Which is the fastest service? Provincial Air Lines, Ltd., have been running very success-fully to the West of England lately. I am told that Newquay is a very popular flight from Croydon, and one which showsan increasing passenger list. One of their passengers to the West recently was a sportsman of 87 going on a fishingholiday. It was his first flight and he thoroughly enjoyed it, though it took place on the day of the gale. The well-known '' door to door'' service of Provincial Airways may have been " door to riverside " in this case. Last Saturday evening the K.L.M. F.XX, with theretractile undercarriage and the extra turn of speed, brought Princess Ingrid of Sweden from Malmo. The Princess nevertravels other than by air if there is a service. This is literally " a flying visit," for she was to return by the y.o a.m. K.L.M.service on Wednesday. One day last week I was introduced to a fair air traveller making her sixth or seventh trip toHolland. She was two years of age! The Isle of Wight services continue to be popular. OnSunday evening I saw three machines pass over in formation. This means three pilots to pay and nine engines to maintaininstead of one pilot and three engines in a larger machine to carry the same load. Home Office officials who examine passports here have, forthe most part, been at Channel ports in their time; they say it is surprising to see the increasing number of regular pas-sengers who used to pass through their hands as boat travellers —once upon a time. A. VIATOR. r ~ ^ "Shell Aviation News" Special Even the most cursory glance through this month's Special International Air Traffic Association number of "Shell Avia- tion News " will indicate the tremendous work for civil avia- tion that has been done by the Shell organisation. In the leading article fuel provision is described from the days when dumps were prepared, months in advance, with the necessary number of two-gallon tins, to the present, when underground tanks with electrically driven fuel pumps,.special.tanker trucks with a delivery speed of no less than 4,200 gallons an hour, and seaplane tank launches are used all over the world. But the provision of a complicated supply organisation is not the only work of the Shell Company, who broadcast in- formation on aerodromes, routes, and meteorological condi- tions which has been collected over a number of years in various parts of the world. As a simple instance, plans of every important aerodrome in the world are obtainable. In this special issue there is, additionally to the more normal articles and news features, a supplement with articles dealing with aspects of international air traffic and with the various air line operating companies throughout the worlu. The issue, in fact, will provide a most useful reference work for all who are interested in commercial aviation.
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