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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 2324.PDF
144 FLIGHT. AUGUST 18, 1938. COMMERCIAL AVIATION (CONTINUED) : WORLD NEWS Sydney-Saigon The Latest Kollsman IN co-operation with Air France, K.N.I.L.M. will start a new service on August 30 to connect Batavia with Saigon. With the new Intercontinental Airways (K.L.M.-K.N.I.L.M.) ex tension to Australia, this will mean that passengers between Sydney and French-Indo-China will be able to make the trip in two days. The Atlantic Ptans ACCORDING to the provisional programme. Mercury was due to make her second Atlantic crossing during this week. This trip will not, after all, be made, and an alternative pro gramme—possibly in the form of a demonstration Empire flight—is being planned in its place. In the circumstances, and unless other changes are made in the arrangements, the next Atlantic crossing by a British machine will be by the first Albatross early next month. During September, also, the first of the high-payload Empire boats, Cabot, will make its first crossing. More Lockheeds for Australia MACROBERTSON-MILLER AVIATION, the company which holds the mail contract in Australia for the western coastal services, has placed an order for two Lockheed Electras. The MacRobertson-Miller fleet at present consists of five D.H. Dragons, a Cessna, a Fokker Universal and four Fox Moths. Guinea Airways, too, have recently imported a Lockheed la, the first to be seen in Australia. This machine will be put on the Adelaide-Darwin service, and is expected to cut down the schedule from two days to one. This particular Fourteen is fitted with Pratt and Whitney Hornets. Educational IT is an excellent practice nowadays of airline companies to produce pamphlets in which the work of air service opera tion and navigation in greater or lesser detail is described and illustrated for the benefit of their passengers. One of the best of these has been produced by Deutsche Lufthansa, and in our issue of June 2 we mentioned some of the virtues and features of this as it appeared in its original German form. The booklet has now been published in English and describes everything from maintenance and inspection to blind approaches on the ultra-short-wave beam. Preparation in Italy THE extension of the Italian "air harbour" system is pro gressing rapidly. The airport at Bracciano, near Rome, laid out by the Ala Littoria for their own and Imperial Air ways' services, has now been opened, and on the same day the station at Milan was put into service. The Milan base is now the largest artificial lake in Europe, and, besides its aeronautical value, also serves as a pleasure beach and sports ground. A similar base at Rome will be ready in time for the World Exhibition of 1942. The two existing airports of Littorio (land) and Lido (water) will be joined for the purpose. The higher portion will be used for landplanes, while the lower portion, together with a large stretch of the adjoining Tiber valley, will be excavated and flooded to form an artificial lake. A single terminal block will serve both airports. A Grim Week ON the evening of August 10 a machine owned by M.A.L.E.R.T., the Hungarian operating company, crashed near Dbreczen, the twelve occupants, including a crew of three, losing their lives. Four. days later, on August 14, a C.L.S. Douglas on the Prague -Strasborg-Paris service struck a hill near Diirbach, in the Black Forest. All seventeen occupants lost their lives, including the stewardess, who survived-only for a few hours. As far as we know, the Mexican machine, missing between Villahermosa and Puerto Mexico, with eleven on board, is still missing. The machine disappeared last Friday. Meanwhile, the Accidents Department of the Air Ministry has issued a report on the loss of the Railway Air Services Rapide at Belfast on July 3. The machine spun into the ground from a height of about 600ft. and caught fire. The chief inspector has come to the conclusion that the accident was due to an error of judgment on the part of the pilot. IN earlier models the barometric scale of the Kollsman sensi tive altimeter has appeared on the lower side of the dial and is, in certain circumstances, rather difficult to read and to set. In the latest version this scale is arranged on the right of the dial and the numerals are placed alongside their corresponding graduations so that the setting can be read off at a glance. Furthermore, the scale in its new position is not likely to be obstructed by the pilot's hand when it is being adjusted by means of the setting kncb at the base of the instrument. Now that blind or semi-blind approaches are the order of the day the red reference pointers which are available will be appreciated. These pointers are quite separate from the operating mechanism, and are set by two knobs in the centre of the glass. America's Civil Authority TN last week's issue we gave brief details of the new Civil •*- Aviation Authority in America. Since the names of those on the Board have been published there have been the usual complaints everywhere that " nobody has ever heard of them." These names are Edward J. Noble (Chairman), Harlee Branch (Vice-Chairman), G. Grant Mason, Robert M. Hinkley, and Oswald Ryan. Mr. Noble is apparently a private flier, which is something, Mr. Branch is second assistant Post master-General, and Mr. Mason is the Havana manager for Pan-American Airways. The Safety Board is made up of Lt.-Col. W. Sumpter-Smith, who is a wireless and airport expert, Mr. T. O. Hardin, who has been a transport pilot since 1927, and a third member who had not been appointed at the end of last month. The most important of all, the Administrator, is Mr. Clinton M. Hester, who has done good work in the Government. Until he assisted in drafting the new Bill, however, he had had no aeronautical experience whatsoever. The Old Order Changes NOW that all first-class mail is carried in the ordinary way at flat rates both to Empire destinations and, when it can usefully be accelerated thereby, to all European countries other than those in the Iberian Peninsula, special air mail pillar boxes are no longer needed. These blue boxes have been a familiar sight in London and in the larger provincial towns since 1930, and they Will shortly disappear after serving their purpose in reminding the general public of air mail facilities. During that first year, nearly a decade ago, air mail letters were being despatched from this country at the rate of about 40 tons per annum. By 1935 the figure had increased almost to 200 tons, and now that the all-up basis is practically universal the figure is approximately 2,000 tons a year. Even this figure will be increased shortly when certain air service extensions are made. The total weight of all first-class mail from this country which can possibly be carried by air is 3,200 tons a year, of which rather more than 800 tons are for the American con tinent. In due course that 800 tons will presumably be in cluded in the figures. Extension at Heston AT long last Heston airport is being extended at the western boundary—an action which has becorrie particularly neces sary since British Airways placed an order lor Lockheed 14s. The trouble in this case has been primarily concerned with the path behind the present boundary. This path has been a right of way for a very long time and is used by a large number of people every day. Apparently attempts were made to close it thirty-five years ago, but the local residents wrecked the barriers and afterwards won a Court case. This year they are again attempting to break down the fences which have been recently built, and a large number of watchmen have been engaged to patrol the area by day and night. All of which is very sad indeed. The airport must be ex tended and the people must walk between Southali and Heston. Surely it should be possible to arrange another path round the new boundary which would involve an extra distance of not more than a few hundred yards for the residents. The decision to close the path was taken by the local Borough Council in March, but the confirmatory order, to which there were no objections, was only granted at the Middlesex Quarter Sessions at the end of June.
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