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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 2270.PDF
AUGUST 20, 1936. FLIGHT. 201 Commercial Aviation HOLIDAY AIRPORT The New Weston-Super-Mare Airport in Action : Eight Thousand Passengers by Western Airways in Nine Weeks : Rising Figures THE fact that air-travel companies can expect the most adequate results on essentially holiday services and, in particular, on shuttle services showing a considerable saving of time over other methods of transport, has been proved once again by the short history of Western Air ways' operations from Weston-super-Mare. This company is now running an hourly service between Cardiff and Weston in addition to those between Wreston, Bristol and Cardiff, and to a new twice-daily service between Birmingham and Weston. Since the beginning of June, Wes tern Airways have made their headquarters at the new airport, though, for the moment, members of the Airwork staff from Bristol are doing the maintenance on the large and heavily worked fleet. It is an interesting fact that, during the short period at Weston, Mr. Norman Edgar's concern has carried an amazingly greater number of passengers. In fact, during the last fort night more have been carried than during the whole of last vear. Evidently holiday-makers will use the air while busi ness people still view it with misgiving—though it must not be forgotten that a very large number of the new travellers treat the 6s. 6d. passage between Cardiff and Weston as a electric fuel pumps will shortly be ready to allow high-speed refuelling after each two-way trip. Certainly the organisation of a true shuttle service requires a new technique. Meanwhile, the public is being really encouraged to see (and to ride in) aeroplanes. The administrative building, which is now nearly complete, has, in addition to the usual booking and general offices, extensive restaurant and similar facilities, with a large verandah, which may be either open or closed and from which the public may watch the machines while taking tea. In addition, there is a public enclosure and plenty of parking space for cars. On request, visitors may be shown round the machines, though, naturally, they are not permitted to wander at will over the aerodrome. The idea behind the whole scheme is the Continental one of encouraging, rather than discouraging, the general public—from whom, after all, the air transport operator obtains his small profits. Considering that work on the airport was only started in February, the progress has been extraordinarily rapid, and when we landed there last week the usable runways were more than ample. Very shortly, the telegraph wires along the main road on the eastern boundary will be taken underground, so that, when work on the landing area is completed, there will be a perfect bad-weather approach from the east, where the ground is completely flat for ten miles or more. Mr. Norman Edgar, of course, has been working on this project for many years, and the results he is already obtaining should satisfv the local council, who, once converted, have been very helpful indeed. In particular, Mr. E. Macfarlane, the chairman of the airport committee, Mr. Henry Butt, the charter-mayor- elect, Mr. J. G. Western, the chairman of the district council, and Mr-. Harold Brown, the town surveyor, must be mentioned for their work. All the work on the aerodrome has, in fact, been done under the direction of the latter, though, where specialised knowledge was required for the erection of a roomy hangar. John Lysaght, Ltd., of Bristol, were called in. The position of the administrative build ing in relation to the main road as well as the public enclosure and the car parking areas are clearly shown in this aerial view of a corner of Weston's new air port. Western Air ways' hangar can be seen above, with three machines of this company's large fleet on the right. new and more interesting type of joy-ride. It remains to be seen how the Midlands people will take to the holiday service from Birmingham. In plain figures, Western Airways carried 2,496 passengers in Jane, 3,149 in July, and 2,393 m the first week of August. This ;s the kind of service which will eventually demand a type of machine which was originally visualised in the design of the Airspeed Ferry—three of which are now being used by C W. A. Scott's display for massed joyriding. One manu facturer has already put forward an interesting design for the Purpose. More than a year ago Flight suggested that there m 'Kht be a market in this country for a machine in which almost everything had been sacrificed for a large pay- I' iKl With faiHv ln.», Un^inn „ 1 tf». <V>« mnrvn.n + lul + li til.. West tunes th fairly low landing speed. For the moment, with the on Airport still unfinished, the D.H. Dragons are some- running in triplicate with six passengers each, and Radio in the Shetland's THE long-awaited radio station at Sumburgh, Shetland, is now in action. The frequencies employed for both this and the Kirkwall station are: Air to ground, 333 kc/s (900 m.); and ground to air, 336 kc/s (893 m.). The call-signs are GJF (W/T) and "Sumburgh" (R/T). Meanwhile, we hear that Stornoway will shortly have the regular air service which had been planned some time ago. A hitch there arose when the Air Ministry refused to license the landing ground at the golf course and recommended the inclu sion of an additional 100 acres. As the recommended ground is part of the common pasture of the Steinish crofters it could not be utilised without the authority of the Land Court. The latter have now given the necessary authority, and the crofters will have their rents reduced in compensation.
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