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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 2671.PDF
SEPTEMBER 23, 1937. FLIGHT. 321 CYGNUS plays the lead—an attractive "still" from Paul Rotha's documentary film, The Future's in the Air, now being completed by the Strand Film Co. The picture deals with our Empire airways. IAL IATION THE WEEK AT CROYDON Those Dailies Again : 10,000 Hours with One Company : Wet — Within and Without : A Not-so-new Junkers THE outstanding features of last week at Croydon were the home-coming of T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of Kent, by Imperials, from their Continental holiday; the completion of 10,000 hours each in the com pany s service by four senior Imperial commanders; more rain and the setting-in of the winter QBI season—though we are, perhaps, a bit pessimistic about the last-named on account of the unexpectedly good weather that Ms been our lot during September! Before referring in detail to these events, I am compelled to bow the head to my patient readers for an obvious error in my last week's effusion, evidently due to the Senior Sub- Editor having to find some little space at the last minute to let us know that they—the Authorities-that-Be—have at last found a use for Gatwick airport. Consequently the poor compositor didn't quite pull off a three-point landing in carrying out the S.S.-E.'s instructions, and strange things happened. Anyway, a reference to one of Surrey Flying Services' aircraft should have read: "It is interest ing to hear that the S.F.S. Fox Moth G-ABUT, of which mention was made in an issue or two back, on the subject of the Gipsy Major engine's extension to 1,000 hours between complete overhauls, has the first production Gipsy Major engine, which is ' s+ill running strong.' " Apologies to and from all concerned! Amusement—with, doubtless, a tinge of annoyance—has been caused among Airport folk by the newspaper photos and captions depicting the Duchess of Kent momentarily holding her ears in front of Heracles with its engines stopped. We and all air travellers know that this action is more a habit than anything else in these days of silent air travel, and it seems to show gross ignorance on the part of the dailies concerned that they should seize on this instinctive action of the Royal traveller to label "noise, ^oise, NOISE!" all over these photos. In any case, apart from the fact that the H.P.42 has always been an example m the matter of cabin silence, this habitual action on the part of passengers is not, of course, the outcome of noise but of altitude, i.e., if the descent has been more rapid than they can individually stand. As it happens, Capt. Horsey tells me that on this occasion the crossing from Paris was made between 1,500 and 2,000 ft. in good condi tions, so that we can rightly assume that their Royal High nesses enjoyed their trip. The difficulty is that the less intelligent members of the public may be led to imagine that air travel is noisy or headachy. Actually Imperials, British Airways, K.L.M. and Swissair commanders (the last three companies do engage in '' altitude '' flying nowa days) have strict instructions about rates of descent so that even the most sensitive passengers shall not have to suffer ear or sinus discomfort. Personal travel in B.A.'s Electras and K.L.M.'s Douglas's has proved to me that it is very difficult to tell exactly when the skipper does begin to lose height from, say, 8,000 to 10,000 ft.; they always arrive over their destinations at a nice altitude for circuit and approach. Hours and Hours Skippers Jones, Horsey, Rogers and Youell last week established another "mark"—to use a Yankeeism—for their company by each having flown 10,000 hours in the service of Imperial Airways. From this one can infer that the respective individual flying totals of these gentle men must be around 12,000 hours—if not more—apiece. The past week has seen much rain, and, though the duties of many here at Croydon do not take us without the main building, we are enabled to share the discomfiture of our external operating colleagues as we have ample opportunity of feeling the rain whilst effecting our various passages across the Main Hall and the Lesser Hall beyond. That it has taken Quirks and Gildings literally by storm and unawares is proved by the fact that we have not yet entered our local steeplechasing season when we suddenly find odd buckets strewn in our paths to catch the rain drops ! Wrightways, whose daily newspaper service is so regular that it is apt to be forgotten, had an interesting charter last week with their Rapide -ML, Pilot Duggan up. He called for H.H. the Aga Khan at Deauvillle, cleared at Heston for York to pick up further members of the party and thence flew to the Doncaster race meeting. Next the party went to Le Touquet via Croydon, and then returned to the latter place in time for the Aga Khan to catch the Imperial liner for Geneva, where he had to attend for his election as chairman of the League of Nations. A machine which is strange to many at Croydon is the
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