FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1937
1937 - 2191.PDF
AUGUST 5, 1937. FLIGHT. 145 COMMERCIAL AVIATION THE BETTER HALF—or, at least, the larger portion of the Short-Mayo composite. Basically an Empire boat, Maia has flared-out chines to give better stability on the water when carrying her seaplane, the inboard Pegasus engines are set farther out from the hull to clear the float plane's under-carriage and fixed- pitch airscrews, doubtless designed for efficiency at take-off are fitted. THE WEEK AT CROYDON High-pressure Traffic : Minister of Transport Sits Up Aloft Again : The W\T. Lizard B ANK-HOLIDAY activity kept most firms, especially Olley Air Service and Personal Airways, at fever pitch with special charter work, while Imperial Air ways issued a special "Holiday Time-table" which was full of extra services' to Paris, Le Touquet, and so on, and on Friday Swissair had to run two and Imperial three extra services on the popular route to Switzerland. Air France, I hear, duplicated practically every service, and K.L.M., whose traffic is a steady one usually un affected by public holidays, was running fully booked machines on every service. Friday appeared to have been a record day for in-and-out passengers at Croydon, but official figures were not to hand when this was written. Whistling "Wolf" There is a bit of a mystery about the ear-splitting fanfaronade of sirens to which we are treated every Satur day morning. Some people think it is to make sure starlings haven't built nests in the organ pipes during the week, and that it is deemed necessary to try them out, whilst others suppose that it is a practice fire alarm for the Air Ministry traffic hands. If so, they've got so used to the din that, if leaning against a wall, they don't even straighten up. On Saturday the music started just at the height of the holiday traffic; and the only people who took any notice were a number of passengers, who were so alarmed that they nearly gave up the idea of an air trip. What happens if a fire really starts one Saturday morning after we have all been lulled by all this unnecessary "crying wolf"? North-Eastern Airways, with considerable enterprise, have started a London-Le Zoute service which leaves Croydon at 6 p.m. daily and at 2.30 and 6 p.m. on Satur days. The idea is that it's as easy for the tired business man to get to Le Zoute as to Brighton after the day's work. A problem of the future will be the man who elects to live an hour or so from his work and to travel to and fro by air. He may be British by nationality and earn his living here, but he may live and spend his earnings in Belgium or France. A couple of Bristol "Blenheims," not easily recognised as such owing to " war paint" and blue swastikas on a white ground, came over the airport the other day, hotly pursued by a British Hawker Hart. Actually, the Blen heims had been sold to Finland, and were eventually flown away, I believe, by Finnish pilots, but I thought for a moment things had started—without previous notice, as they probably will next time there's a war. The Minister of Transport had another busy day last week flying over the road systems. The same captain and wireless officer of Imperial Airways, Capt. Percy and W/O Draper, were placed at his disposal, and this time the route was via Staines, Salisbury, Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance, and back via Exeter, Bristol and Bath. The same day he did another trip—London, Brighton, Ports mouth and back. He was accompanied by Mr. Cook, Chief Roads Engineer to the Ministry. They returned to Croy don fresh as a couple of daisies, and motorists had better watch their step if little cherubs like these are going to sit up aloft and watch them, all unbeknownst-like. Marconi's Croydon depot, up whose sleeve you never know what may lie, sprung a surprise on us all last week, and on themselves, too, when they opened a crate from Kissumu said to contain spare parts. Amongst other things the crate held three fabulous-looking eggs, one )f which went pop and exuded a perfectly good lizard which was promptly christened George. Every effort was made to bring George up, and wireless experts seen galloping across country and snatching at the air were merely obey-" ing instructions received from the Zoo to feed George on flies. Poss'bly these were not the right sort—horseflies instead of gadflies, perhaps—or maybe there is truth in the rumour that somebody stood George elevenses con sisting of a small squirt of ale from a fountain-pen filler. Anyway, George took and died. A. VIATOR. Trans-Tasman Air Mail DETAILS of the Trans-Tasman air-mail agreement an nounced recently by Sir Archdale Parkhill, the Australian Minister of Defence, were given last week by Mr. Savage, Prime Minister of New Zealand. An operating company is to be formed on which the Governments of Great Britain, Aus tralia and New Zealand will be represented. Postal revenue from other countries will be divided between the three Govern ments in proportion to their contribution to the operating company, New 'Zealand's share being the largest.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
