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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1954.PDF
532 FLIGHT NOVEMBER 6TH, 1947 #<» Operation New Horizon Ontario Government's Scheme of Air Immigration from Britain By SPENCER SWAFFER* BORN from experience in air-trooping, when masses ofmen were transported to battle zones over vast dis-tances, comes mass civilian air transportation, from continent to continent, necessitated by shipping shortages and the ever-present modern wish to get somewhere quickly. The Empire spotlight is focused on the Ontario .Government scheme for the immigration, by air transport, of 7,000 Britons seeking opportunity and a new way of life in Canada, whose potential wealth is unscratched and whose cities are unscathed by the ravages of war. First load of airborne-" Mayflower" migrants took off from Northolt airport early in August and landed at Mai ton, near Toronto, with intermediate stops at Shannon, Ireland, and Gander, Newfoundland. That only a minute proportion of the passengers have ever flown before is an indication of the public's faith in this modern mode of travel. In the initial stages of the scheme, three Skymasters a week were carrying 40 passengers per trip, but this has been increased to 43 aircraft per month, some of them departing from Prestwick airport to take care of the many Scottish emigrants. Just over three thousand have departed since the inauguration, and it is expected that the balance of nearly four thousand will certainly be eating their Christmas dinner somewhere in Ontario. These will ill have flown from Great Britain, and will include 3,500 from London and the South of England ; 2,000 from the Midlands; and 1,500 from the North of England and Scot- land. All but less than 1 per cent of those already in * The writer of this article flea- to Toronto in me of the aircraft in order to see forhimself how the i1: migrants took to airtravel. INTEREST AROUSED. Potential air immigrants studying the poster in London. MAKING FURTHER ENQUIRIES. A queue outside Canada House in Cockspur Street. When tickets have been obtained, the pas- sengers are transpc: ted to Northolt by Hunting Air Travel. Canada have been fixed in suitable occupations, 90 per cent of them'within 36 hours of landing. The contract for this epoch-making air move is betveen the Government of Ontario and Trans-Canada Airlines, but many other organizations contribute to the success of it. For instance, the sale of tickets is handled by E. A. Gibson & Co., shipping and aircraft brokers, who were freighting across the Atlantic in sailing vessels as long ago as 1800. Then Hunting Air Travel Ltd. weigh-in the pas- sengers and baggage and arrange for transport to Northolt. Here they are taken over by officials of British European Airways, who shepherd them through Customs and emigra- tion authorities. The biggest burden of all is carried on the broad shoulders of Transocean Airlines of California, who supply the Skymasters and the personnel to fly them under sub-contract to Trans-Canada. Anglo-American Co-operation "''"••'• 1- Transocean Airlines have a good record of safety and can be well entrusted with the care of our emigrants. Tteir fleet, which is being rapidly expanded, comprises fourteen D.C.4 Skymasters and a modified luxury B17 Flying For- tress. They employ British, American and Canadian staff, and the man to pilot the first consignment of emigrants was Captain M. "Johnny" Griggs, former test pilot for the Ministry of Aircraft Production under Lord Beaver- brook, and later a Group Captain with R.A.F. Transport Command. On my return journey Captain Marvin C. Staddon, an American who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, was making his 79th crossing of the Atlantic. Transocean have no franchise to run a scheduled service to Great Britain, but they operate a bi-weekly service from Oakland, California, to Calcutta, Bangkok and Shanghai. On the return journey from Toronto, via New York, they carry freight, thus ensuring a pay load for the eastern Pi of the journey. Amongst other things, the Skymaster ^ which I returned carried a complete knocked-down Beech- craft Bonanza destined to a customer in France. As an air charter company Transocean Airlines have undertaken some queer missions. One hundred displaced Polish girls were flown from Frankfurt to the Dionne Mills in Canada, saving considerable time and wages. They also flew 8,000 labourers from the United States to work in the torrid, damp atmosphere of Guam. The fact that sortie of these men were paid up to eight hundred dollar^ •' month, which included time in transit, gives some idea of the great saving in wages as against travelling by sea. In other operations whole ships' crews have been flown across the Atlantic to take delivery of shipping transferred from one owner to another. In addition to their military operations, when they flew 2,408,492 air miles under contract to the American Air Transport Company without injury to passenger or crew or
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