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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1065.PDF
OCTOBER II, 1934. FLIGHT. CROYDON •; 1067 Commercial Aviation Preparing for the England-Australia : A K.L.M. Gesture : Rollasons Busy A " Hengist"- load of Celebrities : To Newfoundland THE Australia race looms large in thoughts and conversa-tion at Croydon just now, for quite a number of peoplewell known to all at this airport are intimately concerned with it. Mr. "Jimmy" Jeffs is getting ready to pack and depart for Mildenhall, where he has the onerous job of control officer. Various K.L.M. pilots are expected shortly to pass through Croydon en route for Mildenhall. Parmentier and Moll with the Douglas, the company's own entry, Geisendorfter, "loaned" by K.L.M. to the proprietors of the "Postjager," and finally Smirnoff', who was originally to have flown one of the "Comets," and who is believed to be somewhere in England. It is a sporting gesture on the part of K.L.M. to loan two crack pilots to rivals in the race. They say that all the K.L.M. entrants are hoping for bad weather," which, with their intimate knowledge of the route as far as Batavia, will give them a definite advantage. Rollason Aircraft Services, of Croydon, are also interested in the great race, having secured the job of assembling the Irish entry. Col. Fitzmaurice's Bellanca Irish Swoop, when it reaches this country. At the moment of writing an inspector and six men from Rollason's are at Eastleigh awaiting the machine. Eollason's are extremely busy, too, in other ways. One of their pilots has just flown a machine out to a purchaser in Copenhagen, and enquiries for second-hand aircraft are coming in from all over Europe, Africa and India. A night staff is now employed, and one of the daily early morning newspaper machines from Croydon is serviced by them. The workshops are full up, and the hangar is usually tightly packed with aeroplanes, including six "Dragons." I am told, by the way, that Mr. Aler, of K.L.M., the coin- pan v's flying superintendent, will be at Mildenhall with three mechanics in addition to the flight engineer, of the Douglas. On Thursday last quite a number of things happened. When He.ngist arrived, Lady Miliord Haven, Prince Ali Khan, and Sir Malcolm Campbell were on board, in addition to General Smuts, who was met by Col Shelmerdine. Mr. Berliam, and Major Richard of the Air Ministry. If as many celebrities hail stepped from one machine in the early days a panic would have been caused. On the same day, at 8.30 a.m., Mr. Frank Butters, the Aga Khan's trainer, flew by Imperial to Paris to .see " Felicity " race. Mr. Butters had not flown before—most unusual in a racing man of note Mr. Bushby, the Australian cricket team manager, also made his first flight on the same machine en route for Toulon, where he joined the team. In the evening Imperial Airways Swimming Club held a " gala." At the week-end many leading motor car agents, manufac- tuers and coach builders flew over to Paris by Imperial Air- ways for the Automobile Salon. There was, however, some delay on the return journey, as the weather conditions near the coast were " impossible," and the machine was sitting quietlv at Abbeville. The connection which can now be made between the Isle of Wight line and both north- and south-bound Glasgow machines at Croydon offers excellent facilities to passengers from Trans- atlantic liners, which usually berth early in the morning at Southampton. Capt W. H. Drury, of Imperial Airways, Ltd., and another pilot not yet named will shortly proceed to Newfoundland by boat with two "Fox Moths" which have been acquired by the Government for the use of officials. Capt. Drury is a Canadian accustomed to the type of flying he will have to do. The machines will be adaptable for skis or floats. A client of Olley Air Service, a well-known bookmaker, Joe Lee, has invented a jolly substitute for "dinner and bridge." He entertains his friends to dinner in London, a motor car ride to Croydon, and a night flight over London. The first of these parties was held last Friday evening. A. VIATOR. HESTON Service for Purchasers : Eight Thousand Miles a Week : A Practising Preacher PURCHASERS of new and second-hand aircraft frequentlybring their machines to Heston for an acceptanceinspection and test. The aeroplane is passed throughthe Airwork Inspection Department to ensure that the details comply with the purchaser's specification. It is then submitted to accurate fully-loaded flight trials to see that the performance is comparable with the specification laid down by the manufacturers and required by the purchaser. These facilities are particularly useful to overseas purchasers who require an impartial opinion and report on th?ir aeroplanes prior to shipment. De Havilland "Dragons" and British Klemms are among the aircraft recently submitted to this independent examination and trial. Capt. George Pond, who with Lt. Cesare Sabelli landed at Heston on May 25 after an Atlantic flight, is making^ a last-minute dash to America by sea to fetch the Vultee V-i machine which he has entered for the England-Australia race. He and his co-pilot, Mr. H. W. G. Penny, chartered a Birkett machine from Heston on October 3 in an endeavour to catch the Majestic at Southampton. As the boat train left London two hours before they did. it is nof surprising that they failed to manage it, and they are therefore travelling on another liner which sailed the following morning. Herton was not informed whether they intended to fly or to ship the machine over from America. In any case their chances of competing in the race appear to be slight. Birkett Air Service reported the total mileage for a recent week as 8,650. Air taxi companies, whose business at the present day is still mainly with the Press, are among those fortunate organisations whose activities continue all the year round with very little perceptible slackening during the winter. The flying school is 39 per cent, up on last year's figures for September. On diffidently approaching on eight-weeks-old baby for details of its trip from Jersey yesterday, "it " was discovered to be the youngest representative of the family of Mr. W. L. Thurgood, the proprietor of Jersey Airways, Ltd. A further investigation revealed Mrs. Thurgood, two further younglings aged four and two respectively, and, lastly, Mr. Thurgood himself—practising what he preaches in his quiet manner. None of the family seemed to have noticed the half gale which was blowing at the time. - Shetland Next Year Next year it is possible that Highland Airways, Ltd., whose guiding spirit is E. E. Fresson, will extend their lines to Shet- land. The company has been granted landing rights at Sun- burgh, on the main island, and this run might have been in- cluded in the 1934 timetable if wireless had been used. Permission has now been obtained for experimental contact with the station at Wick (GKR). Egyptian Air Lines The summer services to Mersa Matruh and Ras el Bar have now been discontinued by Messrs Airwork's Egyptian Air L'nes. but the figures remain high for those to Alexandria. Palestine, and Port Said. That to Palestine is a particularly useful one, saving, as it does, many hours of travelling, and this leaves on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8.10 a.m., returning at 12.30 p.m., during the autumn.
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