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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1352.PDF
1356 FLIGHT. DECEMBER 20, 1934. SIRTE (Above) Desolation and isolation—oneof the pumping stations along the desert pipe-line. On the right is a map show-ing the final stages of the flight. will have realised that half an hour wasted on an aerodrome means a delay, in miles, of at least fifty, whereas at sea it may mean only five. Landing fees were not very heavy, as both here and at Almaza we had to pay only eleven piastres. All this bother set us back just over an hour, but we still thought we could make Cairo, so, without waiting for fervent handshakes all round—we took the photographs on the way back—we started up and took off again. Cairo lies the best part of one hundred miles up the Nile from the sea, so the direct course took us across over two hundred miles of desert. For the first hour or so we were not far from the coast, which runs south-east for some way and therefore nearly parallel to our course. We saw a fair amount of primitive cultivation near the few villages ; some of it was merely signs of working the soil, but in other cases consisted of clumps of date palms. As we got farther in, all this was lost, and soon we were racing the sun over sand which for the most part looked too soft for forced landings. There was no need for worry even if we did not arrive until dark, because Almaza aerodrome is well equipped for night landings, having a large neon beacon, boundary lighting, and a landing floodlight. However, Morton had not been there before, and it is always better to land for the first time on a strange aerodrome in daylight. Cairo Reached We just managed it; flying fairly low over the culti- vated area of the Nile delta as the sun was setting we watched the lights begin to twinkle in the villages, although the details of the houses were by that time lost in the rising mist; and, finally, we arrived at Almaza to land com- fortably just before darkness shut down after the longest day's flying we had yet done. The Egyptian Customs authorities and those who take a delight in stamping pass- ports were easily contented, although there were further forms for each passenger to fill in about his health and such matters. The landing fee was only eleven piastres. The aerodrome itself is excellent, being large enough for the fastest-landing machine and having perfectly clear approaches. Misr-Airwork, Ltd., which is associated with Airwork, Ltd., of Heston, run the school and repair works, and everything to do with overhauls or mainten- ance can be undertaken by them. They have two large hangars there, but the Egyptian Government, under the direction of Sir Quintin Brand, the Director General of Aviation, has recently erected another large one to cater for the increasing number of civil aeroplanes which are passing through Cairo on their way south and farther east. As may be imagined, we were tired and had had enough of flying for that day, so very soon we were in Heliopolis, at the Heliopolis House Hotel, a well-known meeting-place for pilots. Heliopolis is about seven miles from Cairo, which is reached by a hectic ride in the " Metro," a tram- cum-light-railway which crashes along at an incredible speed, always threatening to throw the passengers out ot its windows, but never quite doing it. We decided to stay at the '' House,'' first, because we knew we should meet many friends, and, secondly, because it would be handy for the aerodrome next morning. I wish I had the space to draw a picture of Cairo, for it is so essentially the sort of city which '' gets '' the traveller who likes to Took under the surface rather than be led away -by superficialities. Mind you, it isn't Egypt—not until you dig very deep—because its life and soul are tourists. Everything is for their benefit, and all the "window-dressing" has to be swept asid» before the true MEDITERRANEAN city is reached, but it is there and it's well worth digging lor. Perhaps the first impression a new arrival obtains is that of silent-footed, red-slippered forms flitting about in white night-shirts Every contact he has with the Egyp- tians themselves—except on the aerodrome, where the officials wear European dress with a red fez—until he reaches the babel of the bazaars, strengthens that first impression. The servants are noiseless and just flit about. Talking of flitting reminds me of that modern com- modity without which no one should travel east of Malta, certainly not in an aeroplane. "Flit," whether the original or one of the many other similar preparations, is a necessity. On most aerodromes we found that after a few minutes on the ground our '' Dragon'' was full of flies. Swatting them with a whisk did some good, but one of those portable "Flit" outfits was the best. In the hotels as well, especially in October, it is very useful, because many hotels have by then put away their mos- quito nets, and fresh English bodies seem to be the signal for another hatch of those tormentors of the night. We decided that we need not hurry unduly next morn- ing, as we could not get farther than Jerusalem unless we were content to arrive in Baghdad after sunset; and, as we had already caught up our schedule and would arrive in Baghdad on Wednesday afternoon, two clear days before the race, we thought it more sensible to do it in comfort. That night Mackinnon and I entertained a very old friend of mine to dinner at the Mena House Hotel under the shadow of the pyramids at Gizeh. Mena House is beloved of all romantic novelists, but that night the small mosquitoes were so thick that dinner outside in the gardens was anything but romantic; Mackinnon and I smoked and swatted hard, but my friend came off best, as she, knowing from experience what to expect, had brought a pillow case in which to put her legs while we fed! She fed in peace and the mosquitoes fed on our ankles! Next morning we had to. sign only two or three forms each before we were allowed to go. On the way, over a corner of the desert east of Cairo which we traversed en route to Ismailia, we were escorted by a friend of Mac- kinnon 's in an R.A.F. " Atlas." This bit of desert is bad and soft and offers no place for forced landings although it is so close to civilisation. Ismailia still has the large airship mooring mast stand-
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