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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1765.PDF
JUNE 23, 1938. FLIGHT. 611 COMMERCIAL AVIATION " Fl'iQht " photoyraph. BIRMINGHAM'S NEW TERMINAL : Work on the construction of the terminal building for Elmdon Airport, Birmingham, , is proceeding rapidly. This aerial view shows how the final and distinctly interesting design is taking shape. The aerodrome i.-.:.:. itself has yet to be seeded, but it is hoped that it will be possible to open it some time in October of this year. THE WEEK AT CROYDON "•: "A. Viator's" Causerie on Airline Affairs at London's Main Terminal and ElsewhereJ UST when we are trying to persuade the air travelling public that it is necessary to be punctual, or to be left behind, some inopportune gentleman writes to a - newspaper praising the courtesy of the Swiss railways. He took too long over lunch at a wayside station, it seems, and missed his train, so the stationmaster beat gongs, roared down 'phones, blew whistles, rang bells and put all the signals for miles round at stop. "To the interest and amusement of the passengers on the train," says the letter-writer, "it came back." I can imagine how well a party of air travellers would disguise their interest and amusement as rage and indig- nation if airliners were called back for one passenger who had lost the connection through idling over a meal. It is, moreover, quite in keeping with the " writcto the papers " mentality to ignore the fact that the stationmaster's cour- tesy to one was discourtesy to all the rest of the travellers, who had not paid their fare to travel backwards, lose time and miss appointments the other end. Yet I have known a single late passenger accuse an air company of discourtesy and many worse crimes because they would not wireless an aeroplane, well on the way to the coast with twenty passengers aboard, to return. It is amazing how a well-organised air business will grow. It does not seem to me many years since Capt. Olley left Imperials, but to-day the lines under his control have a daily mileage almost as big as that of any British firm, so far as European routes are concerned. The figures given to me for mileage in Europe of Imperials and British Airways respectively are 3,432 daily and 3,918 daily on regular schedule. Olley Air Service daily route mileage (including London-Dublin, two return trips) mounts up t° 3.836 miles. These figures are correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, but I am not guaranteeing them. No special charter or joy-riding is included. Considerable interest was aroused at Croydon last week- ly, the appearance, on an auriferous mission, of the new Sabena-Savoia-Marchetti S.83, flown by the Sabena chief pilot, the well-known Capt. Cocquyt, a genial figure despite formidable eyebrows and deep vibrant voice. The S.83 is the commercial counterpart of the S.79, flown by the winners of the 1937 Istres-Damascus-Paris air race. It carries ten passengers at a cruising speed of 225 m.p.h., and is designed for the Belgian-Congo route. When these machines come into operation between Brussels and the Congo the travel time, will be 24 hours, it is said, making this the fastest air service in existence. On Friday, when the machine came to England for the first time, it did no fewer than three trips each way, fully loaded on every inward journey with bullion. A little latei it made the London-Brussels trip in 50 minutes, which is thought to be a record. "Is this a Record?" Last Wednesday an 87-year-old lady travelled from Cologne to Lojjdon by air, and was almost immediately followed along the same route by a 94-year-old passenger, Mrs. Heimrich ; this, for any flight across the Channel, is thought to be an age record. Imperial Airways are said to have beaten all records for a heavy-weight passenger a short time back when they carried a man to Paris weighing 24st. 61b. People have waxed quite hysterical lately over the origin of the ordinary wind sock flown at every aerodrome. Some say it was first seen at pre-war flying meetings whilst others declare that Dutch fishing boats have always flown it. Riflemen say that it has been in use at rifle ranges (in which case it would often be hopelessly in- accurate, for in certain conditions of wind it disagrees with the smoke smudge) ever since cross-bow days. For my part I favour the story of a method that super- seded the older one of using bale after bale of straw to tell which way the wind blew at Yarmouth in the 'seven- ties. The wife of a one-legged sea captain hung his one- legged pant on her washing line and triumphantly re- marked "'Nor' nor' west by West it is, C'ap'n ''
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