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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0219.PDF
JANUARY 26, 1939 FLIGHT. 9* COMMERCIAL AVIATION (CONTINUED) Two More Fourteens for British Airways BRITISH AIRWAYS have recently placed an order for two more Lockheed Fourteens. One is due for delivery this month and the other in March. These will supplement the present Lockheed fleet of five Fourteerrs and five Electras. "Frobisher" Exonerated AFTER the mishap at Croydon, in which the undercarriage of the De Havilland Albatross Frobisher folded up while the machine was taxying in, the class was temporarily with drawn from service while an examination of the undercarriage was made. It has now been ascertained that the mishap was not due to any structural defect, and the type has been restored to ser vice. According to an Imperial Airways statement, " the accident was due to the unusual state ot the aerodrome surface at the spot." It appears that in taxying and turning the machine skidded and the wheel came into contact with the edge of the concrete apron. As soon as the class returned to duty, Falcon flew the Satur day evening dinner service, making the Paris run in heavy rain and cloud in 76 min. Pagham. Harbour Next ? IT is revealed that the latest Empire base scheme is for the utilisation of the derelict Pagham Harbour, between Selsea Bill and Bognor Regis. It is suggested that it should be turned into a lagoon with a constant depth of nine or ten feet, which would be regulated by a dyke across the mouth of the harbour. A take-off run of a mile in all directions, and rather more in the direction of the prevailing south-west wind, would be available. Provisional estimates put the price of the site at about /i95^)oo and dredging and adaptation would cost another ^415,000, apart from buildings. Good rail and road communi cation could be provided without difficulty. Proposals on these lines have been laid before the Air Ministry by the owner of the site. Tata's Christmas Mail Claim r is now generally known that there were instances of serious delay with the unprecedented loads of Christmas Empire mails—delay for which Imperial Aiiways are not altogether to blame. Tata Sons, Ltd., who were responsible for distribution to Bombay, South India and Ceylon, issue the' following state ment on their own handling of the heavy mail traffic during that period : — " During the month ot December, 1938, out of 20 services scheduled to arrive at Karachi carrying mail for India from Europe, only six arrived at Karachi on schedule; seven services were delayed for 24 hours ; four services were delayed for 48 hours : one service for 60 hours; one service for 168 hours, and one service for ten days In addition there were five extra services operated between Europe and India bringing air mail to India. " Tata Sons, Ltd., the operators of the Karachi-Bombay- Madras-Colombo air mail, not only managed to operate all their northbound services from Colombo to Karachi on schedule, but also coped with the carriage of all mail from Karachi south wards to Bombay, Madras and Colombo. "To do this the company flew 20,500 miles in ferry flights to place reserve aircraft in strategic positions to cope with un expected loads, and 34.500 miles to connect with additional scheduled and unscheduled services arriving at Karachi, mak ing a total of 55,000 miles additional flying. For this extra flying the company receives no remuneration. " During the month of December, Tatas transported a total of 57,200 lb. of mail and flew an aggregate of 140,000 miles, an average of 4,500 miles per day." Southampton Traffic "pOR the first time in its history, the traffic in and out of •*- Southampton Airport during 1938 showed a decline com pared with tine previous year. The number of machines in and out was 4,988. compaied with 5,615 in 1937- and the number of passengers also fell from 25,266 to 23,187. On the other hand, the volume of mail and freight showed an upward trend The main reason for the decline in the number of machines and passengers is the reorganisation of the service schedules °f Jersey Airways and, to a lesser degree, those of R.A.S. Additional Navigation Examination A N additional examination for First-Class Navigators' •£*• Licences will be held, at the London centre only, com mencing on May 15. Application forms and other details may be obtained from the Under-Secretary of State, Air Ministry (C.H.3), Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2. Appli cations must be completed by April 3. United's Milestone UNITED AIR LINES recently completed their 25,000th scheduled transcontinental flight over the New York- Chicago-Califomia loute—equivalent to sixty-six million miles of coast-to-coast flying. The first service flight was made in 1927 with a two-passenger Boeing 40-B (425 h.p. P. and W. Wasp). It took 33 hours. To-day's run is being worked with Douglas D.C.3S, carrying up to 21 passengers, and making the trip in 16 hours. Franco-American Reciprocity HPHE French Government has now given its consent to one -*- or more approved air transport companies operating trans atlantic services to France. Permission is for a service of not more than four round trips a week for six months from the date of the first flight. In return for this concession, the United States undertakes " to negotiate a reciprocal air transport agreement without prejudice to the operation of the contemplated temporary ser vice." Guinea Airways' Misfortune MR. A. McDONALD, chief aerodrome inspector of the Civil Aviation Department, and Captain J. A. Jukes, senior pilot of Guinea Airways, lost their fives, together with Captain C. R. Clarke, a retired R.A.F. officer, and Mr. P. I. Donegan, a mechanic, when one of the company's Lockheed Fourteens crashed in the river after taking off from Katherine Aero drome, Darwin. A small part of the 800 lb. of overseas mails collected at Darwin for carriage to South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania was salved within a short time of the accident. The bulk was recovered later. Fairlop Project Progress THE much-discussed City of London Airport at Fairlop Plain, near Ilford, Essex, is in the news again. Speaking at the annual dinner of the Court of the Common Council at the Mansion House last week, Major G. H. M. Vine, Chiel Commoner and Chairman of the City Lands Committee, said that it was expected that the airport would be operating within the next two or three years. He said that the special committee charged with examining the scheme had been study ing airport practice at Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester with a view to finding the best method of utilising the thousand-acre site available at Fairlop. FOR AIRPORT OPERATORS CURRENT during the Airports Exhibition and Conference, nex< week's issue of FLIGHT will be a SPECIAL AIRPORTS NUMBER. It will include articles, contributed by specialists on the following subjects:— AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PROBLEMS DESIGNING BUILDINGS FOR FUTURE EXPANSION THE FUTURE OF RADIO FACILITIES AIR MINISTRY REQUIREMENTS IN PLANNING AIRPORT LIGHTING TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW. In addition, there will be a detailed guide to the exhibits of the 53 firms at the Exhibition Next Thursday ffij0K? February 2
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