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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1129.PDF
39« FLIGHT. APRIL 20, 1939 Commercial Aviation I The Lockheed Sixteen N direct competition with the D.H.95 and the Douglas D.C.5, the Lockheed Company are now in process of de veloping a new "secondary airline" machine—the Lockheed Sixteen. Plans for a four-engined transport machine—some thing of a departure for the company—are still somewhat incomplete. The Tartkers Go Across L AST week the two converted H.P. Harrows, which are to be used for refuelling the modified "C "-class boats in .Newfoundland, left for Canada in the S.S. Beaverford. At the same time, four members of the Flight Refuelling staff also left England for Newfoundland. One of the two pilots. Fit. Lt. H. C. Johnson, is already in Canada, and the other, Fit. Lt. J. Atkinson, was to leave this week. The two Harrows, which had previously been stationed at the F.R. centre at Ford aerodrome, were dismantled at Hamble and will he unshipped at Montreal before being flown over to Hattie's Camp, Newfoundland. Two other Harrow tankers are being prepared for use at Rynanna, the Shannon airport. • Reorganising Australian Aviation E ARLY this month Mr. A. B. Corbett began his new duties as Director-General of the Australian Civil Aviation Department in Melbourne. He was previously Deputy Director of Posts and Telegraphs in Queensland, and is sixty- two years old. He will presumably have to face the consider able task of putting into effect some or all of the reorganisation • recommendations made by the Government committee which enquired into the Kyeema disaster last year. This committee, amongst other remarks, criticised the ad ministration of the Civil Aviation Board, which has now been abolished; recommended the appointment of '' flight-checking officers '' at the larger airports; and urged that the rales and regulations contained in the ordinary airline companies' operations manuals should be given the sanction of law. Until now little has been done by the Federal Government about these recommendations, so that Mr. Corbett faces the job of finding ways and means by which Australian civil avia tion may be more efficiently organised. He has a negligible experience of aviation, but a record of outstanding technical and administrative ability which, in the opinion of the majority of people out there, more than compensates for his inexperience in aviation matters. After all, what is needed is a long-range plan covering future development. Once the plan has become law it is up to the departmental experts to carry it into prac tical operation. Summer Acceleration LAST Sunday Imperial Airways started their summer Empire air route schedules with services out of Southampton every day except Tuesday—the boats for Kisumu and Durban leaving on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; those for Karachi leaving on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Satur days and Sundays; and those for Sydney leaving on Wednes days, Thursdays and Saturdays. Between Southampton and Sydney the three-day winter schedule to Basra is being replaced by a two-day schedule, while the three-day schedule between Calcutta and Sourabaya, necessitated by mid-year weather conditions, is being re introduced. The inclusive travelling times are: Southampton- Sydney, 9 days 2J hr.; Sydney-Southampton, 9 days 14! hr. At the same time the African services are being speeded up, Kisumu being reached from Southampton in 3^ days, and Durban in 4^ days. Eighteen Rapides I N a recent issue it was explained that two D.H. Rap«;des had been purchased by the new air survey amalgamation, and three similar machines by the Air Ministry for radio navi gational training. Other recent orders for the type include one of nine machines from Airwork for navigational training at their schools, six for D.E.T.A., the Portuguese East African Government airline concern, and two, which have just been delivered, from Alpar, in Switzerland. The Divasao de Exploracao dos Transportes Aereos (D.E.T.A.) began operations in Portuguese East Africa in 1937 with a couple of Rapides, a Dragonfly and a Hornet. Last year they purchased two more Rapides and three Junkers Ju. 52s. Their Rapide fleet now numbers six. The Alpar Schweizerische Luftverkehrs machines have been equipped for 5-6 passengers and have separate radio operators' compartments. This company has been in action for about ten years, during the last six of which it has been operating an internal line between Zurich, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva. This is run three or four times daily during the summer and connects with the international services. The company also runs a special service between Berne and La Chaux-de-Fonds, and a twice-daily service between Berne and Basle. It is for the last that the two new Rapides are largely required, though they will also be used for pleasure flights over the Alps and for ambulance work Alpar's fleet at present consists of two Koolhoven Fk. 50s, one Fokkei F. n, one D.H. Leopard Moth and two Swiss- built Comte machines, the A.C 4 and the A.C. 8. The two new Rapides were flown away from Hatfield by Capt. Pierre Sauge, the chief pilot, and by M. Pierre Robert. GOLDEN HIND : A Flight drawing anticipating the appearance of the Golden Hind, one of the three Short "G" Class flying boats for Imperial Airways. She will be considerably longer than her Elizabethan namesake and will weigh rather more than 32 tons. Drake's vessel was probably of about 100 tons. Note that the rear step follows Sunderland practice rather than Empire boat design. The engines are four Bristol Hercules.
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