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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1295.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER first Aeronautical Weekly in the World ; - Founded 1909 No. 2117. Vol. LVI. THURSDAY, 21 JULY, 1949 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. . ' . ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE. STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I. Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices : COVENTRY 8-(0, Corporation Street. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. Kjng Edward House, New Street. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 240, Deansgate. Telegrams : lltffe, Manchester. Telephone : Bhxkfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3S9S (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.1 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams : Iliffe. Glasgow. Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home : Twelve months, £3 Is. Od. Six months, £1 10s. 6d. Overseas : Twelve months, £2 18s. 66. BY AIR : To any country in Europe (except Poland). Twelve months, £5 Is. Od. Six months, £2 10s. 6d. Canada and U.S.A. Six months, $16. B ii i b i » issue: Northern Navy Day 61 Handley Page's Marathon 62 Cranfield Ceremony - 70 Where is Dover? - - 71 Miniature Pulsejet - - 74 Mass-production <•' Maintenance 77 Donkey to Dakota - 81 Air Rallies BECAUSE we believe that a great deal of good can come from international airrallies (quite apart from the pleasure of taking part in them) Flight has thisyear taken an active interest in several of the more important events of this kind. In co-operation with the Royal Aero Club, the corresponding organizations and flying clubs of other countries have on several occasions generously arranged for large numbers of British pilots and their passengers to visit the Continent without cost for accommodation or entertainment, and there has been no doubt about the warmth of the welcome received. Encouragement of such personal contacts and friendships between nations wherever and whenever possible is one of the surest guarantees of peace. It did not pass without remark on the recent Spanish rally, mentioned elsewhere in this issue (at which eight nations were represented), that the strained relations between thai country and certain others had no bearing whatever upon the cordiality that was apparent between the individual airmen. It also came as a surprise to many visitors to find out how little they knew of Spain as a country. A full account of the Spanish Rally will be given next week. That air travel has made the world smaller, or that the air has brought nations closer together, are hackneyed catch-phrases; but, in fact, measured in travelling time, the circumference of the earth has been reduced from many months by surface transport to a few days by air. This is not an appropriate place to discourse on the mind-broadening aspect of travel, and transcontinental contacts are still chiefly effected by large aircraft; but the small ones of private-owner type have a particular facility, especially in Europe, for bringing peoples together. What is even more important is that there undoubtedly exists a kindred spirit between people who fly themselves. Their mutual interest and enthusiasm -provide an introduction and a firm basis for friendship. From personal experience, we well remember that without a word of each other's language, but aided by various line-shooting poses and hand- wavings, a long and pleasant discussion of the merits and otherwise of various air- craft was recently carried on with some pilots of the Spanish Air Force. As a result, a friendship sprang up which made subsequent meetings all the more pleasant. Visits and holidays abroad by air are to be encouraged, and it is to be hoped that we in turn will continue to be visited in this country. It is probable that, if more people realized how simple, convenient and relatively cheap it is to fly abroad by light aircraft, and how much pleasure and interest is to be derived from it, the volume of such traffic across the Channel would greatly increase and there would be welcome repercussions on club memberships and light aircraft activity. We look forward to the time, a year or two hence, when British clubs can offer worthy return hospitality to friends on the Continent. Reliability of Light Aircraft •4 With air rallies still in mind, and in particular the aircraft and pilots taking part in them, it is a remarkable tribute to both reliability and airmanship that nearly one hundred machines, of which all but three were in the light class, set off to fly foi more than .1,200 miles over Spain in the recent rally, and all but one arrived at the end of the course. Admittedly there were some crews who, through fatigue or indis- position, short-circuited the route, but these, fortunately, were few. There were no reportable accidents or casualties. Though the majority of the aircraft were single- engined and in the 100-150 h.p. class, one pre-war ultra-light took its two passengers the whole way on two cylinders and a maximum of 38 h.p. Weather was for the most part fine, the skies were clear, and the majority of air- fields were reasonably good; but such results, achieved over a country comprising high mountains, rugged, sparsely populated valleys, and with the use of air maps of less than customary accuracy, are most encouraging and must serve as a keen incentive to many would-be pilots. is I
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