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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0836.PDF
402 Commercial Aviation FLIGHT. APRIL II, 1935 THROUGH TO BRINDISI Imperial Airways to Run a Twice Weekly Service to Rome and Brindisi Service Arrangements Unaltered Empire F OR some time it has been known that an arrangement had been reached whereby Imperial Airways, Ltd., were to be permitted to fly through to Brindisi. Reservations, of course, there were, and in any case Imperials were not 111 a position to carry both passengers and mail through for Africa and the East. Service duplication, for instance, has meant that every single machine of the necessary capacity is being, if anything, overworked on the other sections. How ever, this is the first step. From April 28 to September 30, inclusive, D.H. 86 machines (the "Diana" class) will leave London for Marseilles, Rome and Brindisi on Sundays and Thursdays, and will leave Brindisi in the reverse direction on Wednesdays and Satur days. The. outward times will be: Croydon, 06.00; Paris, 07 55; Marseilles, 11.45; Rome, 15.05; and Brindisi, 17.45. The return times will be. Brindisi, 06.00; Rome, 08.55; Mar seilles, 12.30; Paris, 16.05; and Croydon, 17.45. Only passengers and freight will be carried, and the ques tion of whether homecoming passengers from India, Australia and Africa can be accommodated will depend on the book ings on this service itself. In other words, this service can be considered as being separate and quite distinct from the Empire services, passengers from which will be able to travel thereon rather as a special favour. The reservations are easy to understand. Passengers may book from London to Paris, to Rome or to Brindisi, from Paris to Rome or Brindisi, from Marseilles to Rome or to Brindisi, and vice versa. International "cabotage" laws naturally prevent us from carrying passengers between either Paris and Marseilles or between Rome and Brindisi. Air France carry a useful load between London, Paris and Mar seilles in connection with the steamers which call at the latter port, and, naturally enough, ask a favourable "pool" arrangement in return for permission to book passengers between those points. Imperials, therefore, have agreed not to take bookings for this particular section. All the sections are of the medium long-distance variety— the longest, between Paris and Marseilles and Marseilles and Rome are some five hundred miles in length—and in order to deal with possible head winds the D.H. 86s are sufficiently heavily loaded with fuel to make passenger accommodation limited. Actually six seats only are to be provided, with an ample margin for luggage and freight. The comparatively fast " Dianas " are essential, in any case, if the trip is to be carried out comfortably in a day's flying. Incidentally, Imperials will, by the time this service is opened, have five of this type. The fares are: London Rome, /18 single, and ^30 12s. for a fifteen-day return; and London-Brindisi, £23 and £jo 2s. respectively. Meanwhile the project of a daily service between Rome and London, sponsored by Ala Littoria, is still being examined. Savoia-Marchetti S.74 four engined monoplanes are to be used and the projected route passes over the Alps. The Thames Ferry When Southend Flying Services, Ltd., re-commence opera tions it is probable that Gravesend airport will be included in the ferry service between Rochester and Southend. The company, which, of course, operates in conjunction with Short Bros., now have the use of two Short " Scions." A K.L.M. Disaster In the tragic accident, which occurred to the K.L.M. Prague-Rotterdam machine last Saturday, the company lest one of its most brilliant pilots, M. Soer. The machine hit a hillside near Brilon, Westphalia, while flying in a .heavy snow storm. Soer has made seventeen flights to Batavia and back, and was with Smirnoff in the Pelikaan when, in December, 1933, he flew from Amsterdam to Batavia in four days. At Heston The 200-foot 47-ton girder which will shortly span the entrance to the new workshop hangar at Heston was, at the time these notes were being written, about to be hoisted into position. Two hand derricks, each manned by six people, provide all the power required to raise mto position the largest girder to be used in any building in England. The steelwork, from Dorman and Long, of Middlesbrough, was fabricated by Boulton and Paul, the constructors of the hangar, and brought to Heston from Norwich in thirty-four pieces. The M.B.i experimental monoplane, powered with a Napier "Javelin," which is the first product of the Martin- Baker Aircraft Company, passed successfully through its first flying tests at Northolt last week, in the hands of Capt. V. H. Baker. It is understood that this machine will not be put into production, but will be used solely for experimental work. Its unusual system of construction was described in Flight of December 20. The first Miles "Merlin" is to be delivered in about three weeks' time to Birkett Air Service, Ltd. Delivery is awaiting the installation of a Ratier variable-pitch airscrew. This particular " Merlin " is to have a stretcher attachment. Extra tanks will give the machine a cruising range of ten hours. A six-wheeler aerodrome petrol tender was demonstrated to representatives of the Air Ministry by the National Benzole Co., Ltd., at Hestcn on April 1. This is the first power-driven petrol tender to be produced by the company, and it has a capacity of 800 gallons and a delivery rate of 25 gallons a minute. While speaking of refuelling, it should be mentioned that the new car filling station has now been ojiened at the airport entrance. B.A.N.Co.'s Plans In last week's issue the British Air Navigation Co.'s plans were briefly recorded. It appears that quite separate ser vices will be run lrom Heston and from the new aerodrome at Brighton. From the former summer services will be operated to Le Touquet, Dieppe and Deauville, and from the latter to Deauville, Le Touquet and Paris. In due course, the new aerodrome, where levelling work is now almost com plete, will be equipped for night landings and with radio. Alternative Airport Number One The first stones for the new Southern Railway station at Gat wick have been laid and work on the control buildings should be starting very shortly. It is proposed to equip the airport with complete electrical night landing facilities, and the Air Ministry, one hears, are to experiment with a short wave radio beacon, Meanwhile, London and Continental Airlines, who were to operate an hourly service to Paris from Gatwick, will remain dormant at least until the airport is ready. The Neiv Zone System The new control zone system, details of which we have not previously been permitted to publish, has now been arranged. As expected, Heston radio station, which will work on 862 metres, will control a large area bounded by the boundary of the London-Continental airway area, and by lines joining Clacton-on-Sea, Bedford, Leicester, Oxford, Bristol (Whit church), Midhurst, Selsey Bill and Newhaven. It will be teen that Heston will control entry into Essex Airport, and that the area covered is very considerable. Portsmouth, working on 862 metres, will take the area lying south-west of these lines and including the Channel Islands. Heston and Portsmouth will work together only for giving "fixes" to aircraft over the Channel west of the line Newhaven-Dieppe and east of the line Selsey Bill-Cape Barfleur. A radio and D/F station has been established in Jersey, working on 862 metres, so that Jersey Airways pilots will be led by the hand in bad weather. The R/T wavelength of Croydon, Lympne, and Pulham has been changed from 862 metres to 825 metres, while the ordinary and special W/T wavelengths for transmission and reception remain unaltered. This new scheme will certainly relieve Croydon, whose con trol officer will deal exclusively with the London-Continental airway area. Incidentally. Portsmouth will no longer co operate with Croydon in the matter of " fixes."
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