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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 2065.PDF
JULY 22, 1937. FLIGHT. 101 COMMERCIAL AVIATION "Caledonia" over New York THE WEEK AT CROYDON International Co-operation : The New Generation : Northwards : A Little Flooding : Maze Guide THE Russian Polar flights have awakened further interest in ice formation, though this is not the season for it. Actually, I believe it was too cold for ice to form on the Russian flights, but it is interesting to learn, anyway, that Imperial Airways, rather logically, are more interested in ant-icing devices than in de-icing— prevention being better than cure. A substance known as Kilfrost is being extensively tried out as an ice deterrent, and K.L.M. is interested, too, I hear. Some time ago Imperial and Kilfrost people went to Holland in this connection. Ice is so international a problem that there is a tendency in commercial aviation, at least, to pool information and for everyone to help everyone else as much as possible. Talking of co operation, one day last week K.L.M. hired one of the British Airways' Lockheed Electras in order that one or two senior Dutch pilots should obtain experience with this type. A charter being a charter, the machine— with its British crew, of course, but with Commander Geisendorffer, one of the most senior K.L.M. pilots, also on board—took the 7 a.m. K.L.M. service carrying that com pany's load of passengers, freight and mail. A couple of days later the Lockheed returned, also on a K.L.M. schedule and fully loaded. Captain " Jimmy " Youell has presented a novel prize to the school at which his son is being educated. It is a trip to Paris and back by Imperial Airways and it was won last week by eleveji-year-old Peter Williams. It will soon be possible, by the way, to obtain statistics about the profes sions and occupations followed by the sons of airline pilots and other pioneers of commercial aviation. I believe several well-known names will be perpetuated in aviation, some as Pilots: For example, a son of Mr. A. Plesman, managing director and founder of K.L.M., is at present a cadet pilot, training with the company, and I believe a son of Captain O. P. Jones hopes to follow in his father's footsteps. Several well-known aviation people have sons at Epsom College, the doctor's school, and there have been no fewer than three Brenards at Croydon in an aviation-journalistic capacity since I have known the place—which is since the first day it opened as a civil aerodrome. On that day, incidentally, Mr. Robert Brenard, now of Imperial Airways, was very, much on the spot and since then his eldest son and a younger chip of the same block have successively been at Croydon as Air Correspondents. Freightage International Air Freight had a pair of bright red Curtiss biplanes out for an airing last week, and a burst of activity in the air freight business is expected to commence shortly. North-Eastern Airways have taken delivery of a couple of D.H. Rapides just at the right time, according to Mr. Jacques (whose motto is: " I'll be in Scotland afore ye "). The services to and from Doncaster, Perth and Aberdeen are running fully loaded quite often just now, and pas sengers have had to be turned down recently. It was announced, too, early in the past week, that N.E.A. had become members of that excellent international club, the I.A.T.A., or International Air Traffic Association, whose annual meetings are always so skilfully chosen as regards climate, cuisine, wines and local sports. It is an awe- inspiring thing to find oneself a member and not unlike being elected to the Athenaeum. Most Englishmen express their emotion on joining I.A.T.A. by purchasing an Anthony Eden hat of portentous blackness. One of the main advantages, too, is that once you join you must not cut fares or freight rates, and I have not, now I come to think of it, heard that International Air Freight has yet made application for I.A.T.A. membership. , There was a small ceremony on the tarmac on Friday of last week when members of the Netherlands Legation welcomed the new Netherlands Minister in London, Count van Limburg-Steerum, who arrived by K.L.M. in a Douglas D.C.3. Not very long ago Olley Air Service had a special charter —from a romantic American, I believe—to fly away up north to Trondhjem, Norway, in search of the midnight sun. Apparently it never gets dark in those parts, and it seems just the place for a night club—or would it be called a day club?—with air transport to get you there and back. Water, Water, Everywhere .... Great fun was experienced on Thursday, last week, when there were quite deep floods on the aerodrome, and one sportsman found that the road from Rollason's up to the terminal building was two feet deep in water : whereupon he played flying-boats with his car up and down the road at speed, producing a bow wave of which even Capt. Wilcockson would not have been ashamed. Apparently the water came through the roofs in some hangars and just as men gazed upwards anxiously it burst forth also beneath their feet through manholes. One newspaper reported that in some town or other water rushed up through manholes bearing squealing rats with it, but that's nothing. At Croydon it brings up squealing members of works and buildings staff who have not been to the surface for years, and who invariably nonplus the authorities by demanding their back pay—or so they say. Full marks must be given to the airport authorities for having stopped the flooding of the import sheds, which in the past happened fairly often, damaging air freight
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