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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 0508.PDF
i8o FLIGHT. FEBRUARY 24, 1938. COMMERCIAL AVIATION THE WEEK AT CROYDON Over Water : King's English : Manners and Modes : Ice as a Spectacle : Another Balloon INOTICE that Mr. de Valera and entourage continue totravel by boat and train, coracle and chariot, or someother outdated means They take hours and hours and hours (or is it days and days?) to get to London. Quite a lot of. our own politicians sneak away by boat and train when they should save their country's time and money by flying, but you'll notice that the dictators usually seem to fly when they go places. Some of our politicians are not so bad, however, and lately there has ' been an epidemic of M.P.s flying to Berlin to learn about air-raid precautions. Reverting to Dublin, air travel " to and from " is on the increase quite amazingly. Next summer, I hear from Capt. Oiley, who looks after Irish Sea Airways' interests over here, you will be able to fly from Dublin any day of the week and link up at Croydon with about a hundred Continental cities, as well as with air lines to the Far East. Ancient superstition says that if you want to be rid of a witch who brings bad luck, cross running water. Capt. Olley, with considerable acumen, has wooed good luck by operating most of his services across water where he can save valuable time for his public, save them from sea- sickness, and where he is not in direct competition with fast train services operating over comparatively short stretches. Where your internal air service competes with the train on a straight run, your handicap is, in nearly every case, at least half an hour between airport and city centre at each end. Olley is not only associated with the Dublin run, but also with the Isle of Man services and the equally popular link between Heston, Croydon, Brighton, across to the Isle of Wight, and thence to Bournemouth, Bristol and Cardiff. In the remoter west there is the Penzance-Scilly Isles service, which, I am told, is full up even in winter time. All these cross-water services show a tremendous saving of time for the traveller. During the summer, I believe, there will also be a direct Heston-Isle of Wight service. Composition I often wonder who does the English prose compositions for the Air Ministry. Is it some Litt.D. of Department C.A.3I who writes those prose poems, the Notices to Air- men? Someone, in the best tradition of Dan Chaucer, Piers Plowman, Wat Tyler, Which Plumber, and other fathers of English literature, is responsible for a gem of British prose on a notice-board just within the airport gates. So much has seldom been said with so glorious a brevity. The whole policy of the authorities is elaborated in a couple of words, and, incidentally, a warning to motorists is also conveyed. The notice reads, "Drive Slow," and I am fiercely in opposition to the school of thought which regards it as too abrupt and holds that it would be more in keeping with the Department's usual chastely diplomatic language if it was rounded off into, " 'Ere, drive slow, carnt cher." Bless my soul, how we live and learn! A newspaper, under the heading "Secret History of the Day," says that Imperial Airways has issued an instruction to its traffic staff, described as "those old-school-tie traffic officers," to which I add, "but not—oh not—with uniform, Horace." The instruction says that persons with baggy pants may be millionaires and are to be addressed as " Sir," and that such terms as " O Kay'' and '' Okey-Doke '' are not to be used. First of all, every passenger, however queer, should obviously be addressed as "Sir" or "Madam," but can no colloquial exception be made when a jolly young Jane addresses a traffic official with " Say, Angel Face f-an I get a highball on the Parrus ship?"' In those circumstances mebbe a guy oughter yell, '' Why sure honey, that'll be O.K. by us." A little old lady who was passing by the main hall refreshment bar last week paralysed both staff and cus- tomers by producing from her reticule a grimy envelope containing a pinch of special tea and requesting that a brew should be prepared forthwith. Dazed attendants did as bid, and after turning it down once as too weak, and again as too strong, little old lady drank it with large quantities of milk and sugar (on the house) and then, they say, departed without paying. The question of corkage obviously arises here. The whole situation was compli- cated by the fact that the aforementioned little old lady was accompanied by what seemed to be a wigwam composed of plaid rugs, fancy shawls, scarves and fur coats. Later, owing to heavy breathing through a button-hole, it was found that the perambulating wigwam was a beast of burden in the shape of a very small page boy. Another little old lady rang up Surrey Flying Services last week to enquire about a 5s. joy-ride, during the really inclement weather, which, incidentally, brought a freighter down with ice formation somewhere in England. She wanted a guarantee that her five bob's worth would include a view of ice forming on the wings. I suppose she visualised really attractive frond-like crystals. Owing to the various up-to-date de- or ant-icing devices or com- pounds used by Surrey's no guarantee of an aerial ice car- nival could be given. . T Pastes About compounds and pastes, I hear that fewer and fewer pilots of all-metal machines pin any faith to them. One extremely experienced pilot told me recently that the only paste he had any use for was bloater. I would not go so far as that myself, for there is a lot to be said for salmon and shrimp. Another balloon broke loose from Cardington or some- where last week and made whoopee round the countryside, finally going to roost in a tree. From now on we ought to christen the Balloon Section " Bo Peep's Boys." If they are to be in charge of the balloon barrages and compli- cated aprons round London we have some fun to look forward to. Heaven aid us when they've just got the whole lot nicely adjusted and some cruising kestrel up there should happen to sneeze. Talking of cables (but not the sort which balloon people so often fail to hang on to), I see that a cable com- pany has cut its rates for foreign wires and this has been attributed to air mail competition. Whilst I am glad that commercial aviation has obtained cheaper cable rates for the public, I don't see that much will come of the move, for, however cheaply you can cable, you can do a great deal better by means of a long, explicit and very inexpen- sive air mail letter. I hardly expect you to believe that the hangar roofs, damaged in an accident as long ago as November of last year, are actually being repaired. Incidentally, they are also being painted the most bilious yellow, which is said to increase their visibility in bad weather. Someone who saw the roofs for the first time in this condition on a Monday morning remarked "It isn't a hangar, old boy, it's a hang-over." " A. VIATOR. P.S.—Freight from Baghdad to London: One set false teeth for repair, marked "urgent." Percival "Q Ships" Sold A FTER the very successful nights 'of the prototype and its A official approval, work on the production models of the Percival Q-type twin-engined civil aeroplane has been going forward rapidly and the first machines of the batch are now nearing completion at Percival's Luton Airport works, first production machine has been sold by W. S. Shackleton, Ltd., to Sir Philip Sassoon, and another machine of the bate" to Mr. Geoffrey Legge, of H. B. Legge and Sons, Ltd. H°m are likely to take delivery very soon.
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