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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 2402.PDF
SEPTEMBER 3, 1936. FLIGHT. 249 Commercial Aviation it only does when there is gold about—tons of it." But urcK this " some time previously " does not refer to the same flight from Vienna to London ? Somebody asked me recently why, alone of all com mercial aeroplanes coming in to Croydon, the big German Diesel-engined machine bore on its prow a coat of arms wjth helmet and crest correctly emblazoned heraldically. The answer is that the machine was christened by the late General Field-Marshal von Hindenburg, after whom it is named, and that it bears his family coat of arms. In these days of the sheltered life of the totally enclosed pilot's cockpit and all that, where do the younger pilots get their hearty brick-red seafaring complexions so neces sary to give the eyes that piercing, eagle, far-away sort of look the pilot of fiction and the films always has ? The secret is that many pilots, in this fine weather, are to be found basking and bathing in the Purley Way swimming pool just across the road. Last .Saturday afternoon there were the complete crews of evening French, German and Dutch machines disporting themselves in that convenient bath. AH of them had come in from their respective countries during the morning and would sleep at home that night. Winter Sportings IF all goes well, winter sports enthusiasts will be able to fly direct from Croydon next season to the Engadine, for it is proposed to construct an airport at a large field at Samaden. The only problem facing the towns that will bene fit is the raising of a matter of ^13,000. South Atlantic Liore' 47 Tested TKIAL flights of the Liore et Olivier 47 (four Hispano-Suiza 12 Ybrs of 860 h.p. each), the second of the two Air France flving boat prototypes that have been specially con structed for carrying mail and passengers on the South Atlantic service, have been proceeding at Antibes. M. Bourdin, Liore's chief test pilot, has made four trial flights and has expressed his complete satisfaction with the seventeen-ton craft. Last week the LeO 47, when flying at its all-up weight of 40,000 lb., became airborne in 40 seconds without recourse to the slotted flap installation. Putting the Steel City on the Air Map MANY people in the Sheffield steel industry, which has such close associations with aircraft manufacture, have long felt it something of a disgrace that the City should show so little interest in the possibility of a municipal airport. Now, however, comes news that the Air Ministry last week approved the first part of a scheme for acquiring a site at Todwick. There has been controversy over whether the airport should be at Norton or at Todwick. Yesterday the city council was to receive a report outlining a scheme for making Todwick suitable for the purpose. The estimated cost of land, excluding Tbdwick Grange, will be £200,000. The site, which covers some 500 acres, is about ten miles from the centre of Sheffield. At last there seems to be some real movement in official circles towards installing the Lorenz system at Croydon. The Romans had a festival called the Robigalia.. Possibly someone has been practising this ancient rite in the vicinity of those who preside over getting things done for the benefit of civil aviation. The festival was for the avoidance of mildew. By the way, the fact that the official door by which passengers leave the Customs is held open by a galvanised iron-dustbin, which also serves the humble but useful pur pose for which it was designed, was hotly queried the other day by an indignant air traveller. An extremely loyal em ployee of the airport authorities defended the practice to the best of his ability, pointing out that when it was not very hot weather (which it was), and if people wouldn't put fish in the bin (which they had done), it was quite a sound practice if the lid fitted (which it didn't) except for the clouds of gadflies and things which itTed to. In spite of all this, the air traveller, already feeling not too grand on arrival, seemed unreasonably peevish. One almost feared he would suggest a proper door-stop. A. VIATOR. Southampton's Bid for Empire Base "PORTSMOUTH City Council having still failed to agree with "L the Air Ministry over financial aspects of the Langstone Harbour scheme, the centre of interest in the Empire boat base project appears to have shifted back to Southampton. Plans prepared by the Harbour Board were discussed in formally last week by Mr. Harry Parsons (chairman of the board), Mr. Ivor McCiure and Mr. Maurice Banks (Air Ministry) and Capt. F. C. Bailey of Imperial Airways. Thev inspected various sites in Southampton Water, accompanied by the official hydrographer of the Harbour Board. But apparently Portsmouth is not yet entirely out of the picture. On Tuesday it was reported that Major H. D. Gilbert, a member of the Council, had offered 30 acres of land, adjoin ing Langstone Harbour as a free gift. All was Well at Salwa Wells W HEN, at the Lynipne International Rally on Sunday, it was announced over the loud speakers that the Imperial Airway's liner Horsa had been found, her passengers and crew safe and sound, there was heartfelt applause from the crowd. And that was how everyone must have felt, for the duration of search—some 27 hours—along the desolate Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf was becoming ominously long. Horsa, with eight passengers and four crew, left Basra on Friday night for Bahrein Island, in the Persian Gulf, but seemingly missed it in the darkness, for she landed at Salwa Wells, which is 100 miles south of Bahrein. Appar ently the pilot, Capt. L. V. Messenger, cruised round until it was light enough to find a spot in which to put the H.P. 42 down before fuel ran out. Slight damage to the undercar riage was sustained. Initial reports do not make it clear whether Horsa was first sighted by an R.A.F. machine or an Imperial Airways craft. CLOUD CEILING. A large auxiliary aerofoil is mounted above the engine nacelles (which carry Pratt and Whitney Wasps) on Mr. 0. S. Baker's Saro Cloud amphibian.
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