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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0153.PDF
JANUARY 16, 1936. FLIGHT. 7i COMMERCIAL /\WAT/ON AIRLINES AIRPORTS D.L.H. SPEED UP : The new twin-engined Heinkel, which, as related on page 63, has a top speed of 214 m.p.h. With more powerful enginss, as will be fitted to a batch of the machines expected to go into service this summer, over 254 m.p.h. is hoped for, with a cruising speed of 217 m.p.h. It is fitted with flaps and a retractable undercarriage. THE WEEK AT CROYDON A Temporary Lull : Mail Transport : Emergency Exits : An English De-icer for K.L.M. : Engines While You Wait : Dropping the Mails T 'HERE has been an unprecedented slump in passenger traffic since the Christmas and New Year holidays. There is always a falling-ofl of traffic immediately after New Year's Day, when people appear to stay at home and put their houses—and possibly also their digestive systems—in order. This year, however, gales, gusting up to 70 m.p.h. on the ground, thick fogs and torrential rains have had something to do with the matter, and, of course, the international situation is enough to keep people at home, too. Nobody goes for a stroll in the village when there are mad dogs about! Half a dozen years ago we were all very shy of mention ing small loads and empty machines, but in these days it is entirely exceptional. Imperial Airways' machines are monotonously fully loaded as a rule, and K.L.M. recently had to legislate for special G.P.O. vans. In this connec tion it is interesting to note that the companies give the G.P.O. free carriage of mails between the London terminii and the airport, but only so long as the passenger cars can carry the mails without delay or difficulty. At one time this arrangement was by no means clear, and, curiously enough, it was a foreign company which pro duced documentary evidence to prove that the G.P.O. had to transport mails to and from the City. Whereby much transport cost will be saved by the air transport companies in a future when blue mail vans will possibly run in a continuous stream. To return to the recent passenger slump. It has been rumoured that one very large air liner, homeward bound hom a gay city which usually produces lots of passengers, m ade the trip with Captain, First Officer, Acting First Officer, wireless operator, and two stewards aboard—in charge of neither more nor less than one kilo, of freight, is said that the stewards kept themselves awake by servmg earjj 0f-ner wjtn meais ln rapid succession. journalists who write on air topics, even those who fiould know better, occasionally show a lamentable ignor- nce. One of them, writing about emergency exits, sug gested that such things did not appear to exist in many oiitmental aeroplanes, and remarked that he could not (( t having noticed any sign of emergency exits in '1 the designs or photographs of American passenger machines. That amazing state of affairs appeared to be worth an enquiry. Here at Croydon I found that all Air France, D.L.H., Sabena and K.L.M. machines had adequate emergency exits, and that one American passenger machine, at least, had no less than two—the Douglas used by Swissair and K.L.M., and which, if rumour is correct, will presently be used also by Sabena. The latest K.L.M. types, the Fokker F.22 and F.36, each have the same system, consist ing of a large emergency exit at the back of the cabin and windows which will fall out if a handle below them, covered with a transparent panel, is turned. The windows are amply large enough. It seems a little unfair to the foreign air transport companies to give the public a totally wrong impression about safety facilities. B.C.A.'s New Status Something very, but not obviously, important occurred last week. British Continental Airways has just been elected to the most exclusive air club of Europe—the In ternational Air Traffic Association, which, up to now, has rigorously excluded all but the various national subsidised companies. Imperial Airways has, of course, always repre sented Great Britain, and, in passing, I noticed Lt.-Col. Burchall, Mr. Denis Handover and Mr. Woolley-Dod fly ing to Berlin last week, where the I.A.T.A. conference was held. B.C.A. is thus the first non-subsidised company in this or any other country to be in a position to assist at the councils of this aerial " League of Nations." The pres tige carried by membership is enormous, and most of the booking and other difficulties experienced in the past will now be overcome. So far as can be ascertained, no othor British company was elected, though some claims for elec tion appear to have been examined. An unusual visitor to Croydon last week was a small high-wing Koolhoven monoplane, one of the K.L.M. fleet of taxi machines, which proceeded to Castle Bromwich, piloted by Mr. Viruly, a senior K.L.M. officer who has earned considerable distinction in Holland as a novelist on air subjects. Later the machine returned fitted with the Dunlop de-icer on the leading edges. Last week Mr. "Timber " Woods, of Surrey Flying Ser-
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