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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0290.PDF
184 FLIGHT, 15 February 1951 MAKING AIR TRANSPORT PAY , . . joined in on the London-Pans route on April 3rd, 1922, opened on the London-Amsterdam route on October 9th, and between London and Manchester on October 23rd. On March 23rd, 1923, Mr. Hubert Scott-Paine's and Mr. James Bird's British Marine Air Navigation Company, Ltd., was formed to start operations to Guernsey, Cherbourg and Havre from Southampton, although services (using three Supermarine Sea Eagle flying boats), were not inaugurated until August 14th. After four turbulent years of hand-to-mouth existence, the four private companies were merged into the State-aided Imperial Airways, Ltd., as a result of recommendations by the Hambling Committee. To begin their work, Imperials inherited a fleet of 15 oddly-assorted aircraft, all but four of them being single-engine types. Among the pioneers in Aircraft Transport and Travel, Ltd., there were, in addition to the late Sir Sefton Brancker, such names famous in British Aviation as Maj. H. Jones, Alan Campbell-Orde, "Jerry" Shaw, Herbert Woodhams, the late Capt. H. Spry Leverton, and Sidney St. Barbe. Handley Page Transport had, in addition to Sir Frederick, the present Lord ' Douglas of Kirtleside, George Woods Humphery, W. P. Savage, W. L. Hope, H. G. Brackley, S. A. Dismore, A. S. Wilcockson and Gordon P. Olley. Instones brought into commercial avia- tion Dennis Handover, Frank Courtney and O. P. Jones, while from Daimlers came Arthur Quin-Harkin and "Jimmy" Youell. Research into the scattered records which have remained from those days shows that in the first four-and-a-half years of British air transport from August, 1919, to March, 1924—the private operating companies flew altogether some 2,633,000 aircraft- miles in 32,500 revenue flying-hours, carried a total of 31,870 passengers, operated about 1,720,000 capacity ton-miles and achieved about 1,010,000 revenue load ton-miles at a load factor of approximately 59 per cent. Their total operating costs aver- aged something like 110 pence per capacity ton-mile (more than twice today's average) against a revenue of 56.0 pence per load ton-mile—which is about the same as today's rate, although one should remember that the penny of 1919/24 was worth about 1 times the penny of today. [Mr. MasefieH then went on to tell his audience something of thestory of Imperial Airways. This section of the lecture will be included in the continuation which we shall publish nest week.—ED.] INTER-SERVICES RUGBY R.A.F. Lose to Navy by One Point IT looked as though the R.A.F. were in for real trouble intheir Rugby match versus the Royal Navy at Twickenham last Saturday, when Lewis Jones, the Navy's clever Welsh International, made an apparently easy opening in the centre and sent Holgate racing through within five minutes of kick-off. However, the R.A.F. forwards soon established their superiority in speed and constructiveness and, constantly feeding their out- sides, gave them time to get settled. Defence improved, and subsequently the Navy outsides, who did not score agaio, seldom looked dangerous, except once in the second half, when Holgate made another fine individual run down the centre and just missed scoring near the corner flag. More had been expected of the strong Navy centres. The R.A.F. suffered a second early set-back when Lewis Jones kicked a penalty soon after the opening try to raise the score to 6-nil. Kicks awarded to the R.A.F., as a result of the Navy being offside, were well out in the field, and Dayies could not find the requisite accuracy. In all else, Davies played an exemplary game at full back, fielding well and finding some fine and valuable touches. Round about half-time the Navy saw rather more of the ball, but Hay, the R.A.F. scrum half, still continued to give excellent service to his outsides, whose one or two promising movements culminated in one instance in a fine run by George—stopped eventually when he fell into the full backs' arms. The R.A.F. forwards were playing a fast team game, and were most unfortunate on at least three occasions not to score against almost desperate Navy defence near the line. Uprichard, playing outside half for the R.A.F., showed up well in the second half, setting an example in speed of getting up on to his man in defence. Twice at least he also kicked skilfully ahead to engineer a very dangerous combined forward and three-quarters rush for the Navy line. The game, which had been so fast, slowed down a little in the middle part of the second half. The scrum would not let the ball in and the Navy forwards were offside or slow in getting round and back, causing muddled scrums. More was seen of Glyn John and Dalgleish at about this time, and the last-named made one very nice elusive cut-through, as did Uprichard shortly after him; unfortunately neither was backed up. Prominent among the R.A.F. forwards with their experienced leader Weighill were Rossiter, Carver, Syrett and Yarranton. It was Rossiter whose energy was rewarded right on full time, when he rushed up after what should have been a fairly easy goal kick and was there to gather the ball as it rebounded from a post. A dash and a squirm saw him through the defences and over near the post. Davies converted, and so the whistle went with the R.A.F. one point behind. The Navy scored with a try and a penalty, 6pt; the R.A.F. with a goal, 5pt. In this first round of the Rugby Football Tournament^__ R.A.F. were, on the whole, unlucky to lose—for the first time since the war—a fine open game in which scores might well have been much higher on both sides. On March 3rd the Navy meet the Army at Twickenham and on March 31st the Army play the R.A.F. Royal Air Force.—Full back: Sgt. P. M. Davies (West Kirby); Three-quarters: F/O. R. B. George (Leuchars); A/C. Glyn John (Compton Bassett); P/O. K. J. Dalgleish (Leuchars); A/C. D. M.Rose* (Church Fenton) ; Half-backs: F/L. R. J. H. Uprichard* (Mar- ham) ; F/L. W. H. T. Hay (Cranwell); Forwards: F/O. S. T. H.Wright* (Innsworth); S/L. F. W. Higginson (A.M. (S.D.L.)) ; F/L. N. J. Carver (Bircham Newton) ; F/L. P. G. Yarranton (Hendon) ;Cpl. E. E. Rossiter (Sutton Coldfield); Off. Cdt. S. D. Little (Cottes- more); S/L. R. H. G. Weighill* (Capt.) (CranweU); A/C. R. E.Syren (H.Q. Fighter Command). Royal Navy.—Full back; Lt. F. N. Fenner (H.M.S. Howe) ; Three-quarters: Surg. Lt. (D) B. M. Gray (H.M.S. Dadalus); Stores Assist. L. Jones* (H.M.S. Fisgard); Instr. Lt. M. Thomas* (Capt.) (H.M.S.Raleigh) ; Lt. R. M. Holgate, R.M. (Commando School, R.M., Bick- leigh); Half-backs: Instr. Lt. T. K. M. Kirby (H.M.S. Vemon) ;Lt. J. A. F. Lawson (H.M.S. Suvla) ; Forwards: Instr. Sub. Lt. C. D. Young (H.M.S. Excellent); Lt. (E.) P. B. Sindery (H.M.S.Thunderer) • Lt. (E.) J. H. F. Hall (H.M.S. Thunderer) ; Lt. G. F. Stride (H.M.S. Siskin) ; Shipwright W. L. Copley (H.M.S. Triumph);S.C.C.O. R. Aitken* (H.M.S. Mercury) ; E.A.3 J. McQuade (H.M.S. Trespasser); Writer B. Meredith (H.M.S. Drake).* International S/L. P. G. ROBARTS IT is with regret that Flight records the death of S/L. Peter G.Robarts, who was involved in a crash while test-flying a Vickers-Supermarine Attacker on February 5th from the makers' new base at South Marston, near Swindon. The aircraft was a production model about to be delivered to the Royal Navy. At the inquest, held at Swin- don last Thursday, no light could be thrown on the cause. Witnesses spoke of seeing the aircraft dive towards and into ' the ground—near Marlborough, Wilts—at an angle of 45 deg. Mr. Jeffrey Quill, senior test pilot of the Supermarine Divi- sion, agreed with the coroner that the fact that the hood had been jettisoned suggested that something had happened but ""That the pilot had not had time to get out; for the ejector seat to effective it would have to be i fairly reasonable S /rr°^Hpbarfs, who was 35 Ears'of an and unmarried, had been wrtkJne Vickers organiza- tion since he left the R.A.F. in 1945, after serving throughout the war and logging some 1,800 hours of flying. He was a keen competitor in motoring speed events and was a member of the Hampshire Aeroplane Club. t He flew a Spitfire trainer 8 in the King's Cup Race last year, but was unplaced; he did, however, succeed in establishing a world record during the contest—the 100 km closed circuit in Category 5, at 328 m.p.h.
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