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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1357.PDF
DECEMBER 20, 1934. FLIGHT. 1361 Private Flying TTERTS AND ESSEX -tl Last week the flying time at the Herts and Essex Aero- plane Ciub totalled 37 hours, and an " A " licence was obtained by L Vigil. One new member has joined. On Boxing Day there will be a Treasure Hunt in the after- noon, followed by a party in the evening. /CAMBRIDGE^> Flying times at Marshall's School and the Cambridge Aero Club for the week ended December 14 were: Dual,22 hr. and solo 12 hr. 30 min. This is in spite oi bad weather, which prevailed most of the week, and also of the fact that theUniversity Christmas vacation has started. The instruction at the school is now in the hands of Fit. Lt.Carr, D.F.C. The school intends shortly to include instrument flying courses in its curriculum, to enable pupils to comply with the present " B " licence requirements. Eight members of the Civil Aviation Service Corps attended on Sunday, December 9, and, as flying was impossible, lectures were given on the theory of flight and general airmanship. RANGOONFlying at the jRangcon School for the month of October totalled 58 hr. 15 min. The decrease on the previous month's total was due to the loss of one machine, the temporary absence of the instructor, and the MacRobertson Kace arrange- ments. Four new pupils have joined. During the MacRobertson Race period the aerodrome was closed to visitors, and complete arrangements were made for the reception of competitors and machines. ENTHUSIASM In May, 1934, a few members of the disbanded BritishFlying Corps decided to form a new Corps on a basis ot service to the cause of flying. This is known as the CivilAviation Service Corps. The first meetings were held on one of the members' privatepremises, but after about two months headquarters were found and the members, now doubled in number, moved in. AfterJanuary 1 these will be at 19, Berkeley Street, W.i. Weekly meetings were held, and flying instruction, whichhad been arranged with Marshall's Flying School at Cam- bridge, was, and still is, taken every Sunday. On August 15 the meeting was attended by Air Com.Chamier, of the Air League of the British Empire, who has used his influence, with the result that the Corps were accordedthe patronage of the Air League. Up to date the Corps have aggregated more than 100hours flying and about six individual members are nearly ready for their " A " licence tests. Further arrangements are being made with Marshall's FlyingSchool, Ltd., for a series of lectures to be given when the weather is too bad, and an examination will be held each year.The Corps is composed of young men of limited means who are very keen to do as much for civil aviation as they can, and the members pay is. each week, or £2 2s. per annum. Eachmust take half an hour's flying instruction before being admitted. One of the main objects is to give voluntaryassistance at flying meetings. Salvage An aeroplane in the Thames on a December night presentsan unusual but by no means insuperable problem to a well- equipped aircraft salvage unit. Last Tuesday evening, Air-work Service Department received instructions from an insur- ance company to collect the Herts and Essex D.H. "Moth"from the river near Vauxhall Bridge. A lorry and trailer left Heston, escorted by a car, andmanned by a crew of nine. They found that the aeroplane had been hoisted on to a barge and arrived, in fact, just intime to prevent a crane driver from transferring it to dry land with a mechanical "grip." The crew removed and unboxedthe wings, placed a rope round the fuselage and two guy ropes to steady the tail, and gave the word to hoist. With mixedemotions they watched it clear the roof of a 70-foot warehouse and descend slowly in a 20-foot gap between two buildings,steered by the guy ropes. The machine was transferred to the lorry without suffering further damage. CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters intended for insertion in these columns. LANDING LIGHTS[2984.]—Your report of Capt. Maund's remarks at the Martlesham dinner brings up a rather interesting point. Com-menting on high wing-loading, Capt. Maund remarks that the " Comets " made at least two forced landings during the Aus-tralia Race. Surely the fact that these landings were made in safetypoints to the sheer value of the. "Comets'" landing lights (helped in one case by moonlight), and to the absolute neces-sity of these aids if night flying is to be anything but a " port- to-port '' affair. Among my own experiences can be included at least twoaerodrome landings made in the dusk simply by watching the shape of the landing circle and by the judicious use of engine.If my hired machine had been fitted with powerful landing lights the last half-hour's flying in each case would not havebeen so fraught with anxiety. Most of our summer trips are unnecessarily curtailed by thefear that an unexpected head wind will mean a night or " almost night " landing. AMATEUR. Manchester. TOURING COSTS [2985.]—The enclosed summary of the actual cost of a tour by air may be of general interest. The route was suggested by the A.A., who also supplied an excellent set of maps. It occupied eight days (August week, 1934) • On one dav we flew both in the moming and afternoon (from Paris to Marseilles), one day was spent at Nice and no flying was done, on the other days we flew either in the morning or afternoon, spending the remaining time in sight- seeing. It was, therefore, quite a leisurely trip from the flying point of view. The machine and engine required no attention whatever beyond filling up with petrol and oil, and the only mishap was the loss of one of the sliding windows, which blew outover Marignane aerodrome. The item for "repairs" is the cost of replacing this. Petrol was obtained on a Shellcarnet, and this method is strongly recommended, the repre- sentatives of this company always being most helpful. Nodifficulties of any kind were experienced with Customs or other formalities at any point. The ease of communication in a cabin machine meant thatonly one set of maps was necessary. One member acted as pilot throughout and the other as navigator, and this arrange-ment was found ideal, as it gave both an interest in the flight. No special clothing was taken, nor was any found necessary,even over the Alps. MACHINE ... Puss MOTH. LOAD ... Two PERSONS WITH AMPLE LUGGAGE. ROUTE : Heston-Paris-Dijon-Lyons-Marseilles-Nice-Milan-ZuTich-Frankfurt—Brusscls-Heston. DISTANCE FLOWN ... 1,850 miles. COST. £ s. d.FLYING TIME 19 hrs. 2 rains. Hire of Machine ... 1U 0 (I PETROL USEI> 123 gallons. Insurance ... ... 8 12 0CONSUMPTION 6.46 gallons/hr. Repairs ... ... 1 " it 15.0+miles/gallon. Hire of Maps (12) ... 3 2 6NORMAL AIR SPEED ... 100-105 m.p.h. Petrol and Oil ... 10 8 5 MAX. GROUND SPEED ... 113.6 m.p.h. Customs, Hangar and(Hestou-Paris). Landing Charges ... 3 4 0 MIN. GROUND SPEED ... 80.4 ra.p.h. Transport to and from(Brussels-Heston). Aerodromes ... 2 15 7 AVERAGE GROUND SPEED 97.2 m.p.h. Living Expenses,Hotels, etc 15 9 0 Tips and Miscellaneous 4 5 7 TOTAL ... £71 4 10 It is hoped that the analysis of costs, which is correct towithin a few shillings, may be helpful to those contemplating a similar tour. The cost of approximately £4 10s. per person per day seemsvery reasonable when the distance covered and the comfort and interest of the trip are considered. A. R. Coventry. E. P. F.
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