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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 2110.PDF
.120 FLIGHT. JULY 29, i937. COMMER THE WEEK AT CROYDON Much Ado About Undercarriages : Minister of Transport Gets a New Angle on Roads : " Gating " the Boys OWING to shortage of blood-curdling news items, no doubt, certain newspapers oi the type whose bright lads always ring up and say, "If there weren't any blood splashes, old boy, it isn't news," made no end of fuss of the by no means extra ordinary fact that an aeroplane of North - Eastern Airways, on the Croydon-Doncaster- Scotland run, returned to Croydon and landed quietly and without incident with a retractable undercarriage jammed in the up position. Enough wheel protrudes when the undercarriage is retracted for the landing to be made on pneumatic rubber, anyway, and metal airsciews, if bent, may be straightened again. The thing is less alarming and sensational than a news editor, in bowler hat and baby car, bursting a front tyre on a stretch of tho Brighton Road, and it is certainly far less dangerous. I believe the N.E.A. traffic manager very painstakingly explained things to the newspaper people most addicted to "writers' epilepsy" on such occasions, but "drama" was on the bill of fare, and " drama ''we got, served with a trowel instead of a dessert spoon Some of the older generation ot news editors should cease, about now, to gamble on public- ignorance of aviation, for every schoolboy knows far more about it than they do and, more important still, several newspaper bosses own their own 'planes and are beginning to have an inkling of what it's all about. Much fun used to be had by all in the early days when undercarriages were rigid unless something broke. Capt. Jimmy Youell once landed a fully loaded Argosy at Croy don on one wheel so skilfully that passengers did not fealise there was much wrong, and one old lady irately- asked what he had come back for. Another much earlier case was that of Commander Scholte, K.L.M., one of whose wheels came off just as he had gained flying speed in the take-off at Croydon. It was in the days before wireless communication with aircraft, but a 'phone call to Holland caused legends to be writ large in white wash on the aerodrome and another aeroplane to be sent up to signal with a spare wheel, and Scholte brought off a remarkable "one-point" landing, so that practically no damage resulted. Those were the days for news hawks. Survey in High Places Imperial Airways have been giving Mr. Burgin, Minister of Transport, and his experts a view of the road systems of England from aloft. This is the first time, I under stand, that it has been known officially whether Belisha beacons were bald on top or not, and a great deal of other useful information was apparently acquired when the experts saw their road system laid out like a map beneath them ; and not only that, but a living, moving map as well, showing traffic congestion and the possibility or impracticability of by passing at certain key points, and so forth. A D.H.86 was used, and the first of what may be a series of aerial road surveys was from London, up the Great North Road and back via Carlisle, Preston and Coventry. Another contemplated route is ATION "HERACLES," best known of Imperial Airways' H.P. 42's, last week celebrated her i ,ooo,oooth mile in the air. The story of the celebration party appears on the next paje. London-Penzance and back via Brighton. As one ot those who helps to pay the cost of these air trips, I hope some good will come of them. There is a gate the function of which is to allow pas sengers and others to approach the main buildirgs with out a long detour via Purley Way when leaving the Aero drome Hotel. Owing to some obscure idea that a gate exists mainly to be shut and locked at intervals, the authorities wait until highly inconvenient times and then suddenly lock it, especially in rainy weather, when there is a huge puddle each side of the gate. One day ait exalted passenger's white spats will be ruined by fruitless wading, and an important air connection will be missed. Even the remotest and most tradition-ridden mediaeval walled cities have ceased to lock the traveller in and the inhabitant out at sundown, so Croydon might stop this archaic practice, which infuriates everyone and actually interferes with the business of transport operators. About eighty Air Ministry employees from London came here last week to see how and where this civil aviation was performed. Idle bystanders were much amused at their naive comments. However, most of them flew by Surrey Flying Services and returned later to Whitehall !o commit further legislation for commercial aviation. Whether a little knowledge will prove a dangerous thins remains to be seen. American Aircraft and Engine Service, Ltd., recently erected a couple of Stinsons for clients of Brian Allen. Aviation, Ltd. One, for Mr. Leslie Irvin, has a constant- speed airscrew. [An illustration of the instrument panel appears on p. 129.—ED.] Those responsible for erecting these machines are loud in their praise of the simplicity of the operation. No jig-saw puzzles, and things really fit where they are meant to go. One Stinson, still crated at 3 p.m. on Thursday, was erected and engine-tested by Friday evening, and test-flown on Saturday morning early. A. VIATOR.
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