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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0706.PDF
700 „ FLIGHT, 29 May 1953 In the Queen's Lifetime . . . of the new route, the equally-new four-engined H.P.42S were introduced—aircraft destined to become famous. Eight were ordered in all, four for European and four for Empire routes, and when war came in 1939 six of them were still flying, each having covered more than a million miles without causing injury to a single person. The aircraft were well ahead of their time, carry ing up to 42 passengers in two saloons, and possessing a kitchen capable of serving seven-course meals. Effective heating and soundproofing systems were two other revolutionary features. By the end of 1931, as a result of operations on the Indian and African routes, Imperial Airways had amassed a fund of "know- how" which was to become the foundation of the international air routes of today. They were well ahead of their competitors. Only for them did Lloyds reduce the premium rate for air travel to the figure that applied to surface movement. The last Schneider Trophy competition took place in Sep tember 1931. The Italians and French dropped out at the last moment, and the Trophy was won, unopposed, for Great Britain for the third successive time by F/L. J. N. Boothman (now Air Marshal Sir John Boothman, K.B.E., C.B., D.F.C., A.F.C.) on the S.6B (2,300 h.p. Rolls-Royce R engine). This was not such a "walk-over" as might be supposed, for the £100,000 necessary to finance the preparations had been put up, not by the Govern ment, but by Lady Houston, widow of the millionaire shipowner, only nine months before the contest. Boothman achieved only 340.08 m.p.h., due to very bad flying conditions, but a fortnight later F/L. G. H. Stainforth raised the world speed record to 407.5 m.p.h. in the same aircraft. 1932 THE MOST notable British distance rflight in this year was that of Mollison, who achieved the difficult east-west Atlantic crossing in a Puss Moth (120 h.p. Gipsy engine). Other fine efforts were made by Mrs. Mollison and C. W. A. Scott, both using Moths. A particularly interesting performance, however, was that of C. F. Uwins, who gained the aeroplane world altitude record for Great Britain for the first time, using a Vickers Vespa biplane fitted with a Bristol Pegasus engine. Wearing electrically heated clothing, but in an aircraft without any form of pressurization, he reached a height of 43,976ft—a remarkable feat. A significant development in the industry was the beginning of the long association between Fred Miles and Phillips and Powis, Ltd., who between them turned out so many excellent light air craft during the pre-war period. Finally, it was in 1932 that Sir Alan Cobham started flight-refuelling experiments with two D.H.9S. Work continued apace, and by 1939 two modified Short Empire flying-boats, Caribou and Cabot, had carried out regular non-stop Atlantic crossings between Foynes and Borwood, using equipment developed by Fight Refuelling, Ltd., of which Sir Alan was, and still is, man aging director. 1933 THIS WAS the year of the Mount Everest air expe-dition, made possible like the last Schneider Trophy Race, by the generous backing of Lady Houston. Two aircraft were used, one the Houston-Westland special, the other a stripped Westland Wallace. The pilots were Lord Clydesdale and F/L. Mclntyre, and Col. Blacker, Mr. Bonnett and Mr. A. L. Fisher acted as observers and photographers. Both aircraft were powered by Pegasus engines. Two highly successful sorties were made over the "target" and surrounding peaks, the second in defiance The last of the British Schneider Cup teams, with their Super- marine seaplanes, at Calshot in 1931. The two outer aircraft are S.6Bs built for that year's race, while the centre one is an S.6A, one of the machines first used in the 1929 contest. "Flight" photograph of orders from home, and a magnificent series of photographs were obtained. Another notable achievement was the gaining of the world distance record by S/L. O. R. Gayford and F/L. G. E. Nicholetts in a special Fairey long-range monoplane (Napier Lion). They flew from Cranwell to Walvis Bay, just short of Cape Town, a distance of 5,341 miles, in 57^ hours. A further fine long-distance flight was made by the Mollisons, who flew from Pendine Sands in Wales to Bridgeport, U.S.A. in a D.H. Dragon. At home, the first S.B.A.C. show was held at Hendon on the Monday following the R.A.F. Pageant, to give overseas official and other visitors the opportunity to inspect more closely the air craft which had performed so outstandingly the previous day. 1 O34 THIS YEAR saw Jean Batten, the New Zealand girl, fly a Moth from England to Australia in just under 15 days, but perhaps the greatest excitement was caused by the MacPherson Robertson race, which was held in October over the Mildenhall-Melbourne route. De Havillands produced a special design for the event, the original Comet (two Gipsy Sixes), with features that were to be reflected as a family resemblance in the later Mosquito. Three Comets were built, and the crews of all did magnificently. The Mollisons flew non-stop to Baghdad, thence on to Karachi, and seemed unbeatable—then they had undercarriage trouble, and had to retire. Cathcart-Jones and Ken Waller finished fourth. C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell- Black won, in spite of the fact that they had to fly for many hours on one engine. Their time was 71 hours, a very fine per formance, for which they received the Britannia Trophy and an F.A.I. Gold Medal. One cannot help wondering what will be the winner's time in this year's New Zealand race. The year 1934 was an epic one for Imperial Airways, for it was then that the decision was made to operate the Empire air mail scheme. This sweeping and unprecedented plan embodied the automatic carrying by air of nearly all Empire mail at a flat rate of i£d. It made it necessary to lay down a large fleet of modern aircraft, and 29 Short "C" class flying-boats were ordered "off the drawing board" by George Woods-Humphery, Imperial Airways' managing director. Such an order was also quite un precedented in its day, but faith was justified—the "C" class boats were supremely successful, and fathered a whole series of civil derivatives, and also the R.A.F.'s Sunderlands. The Empire boats, as they came to be called, were designed by Arthur Gouge, and carried 24 passengers in considerable comfort at a cruising speed of 145 m.p.h. The first of them was launched in 1936, and by the end of 1938, with their aid, the full air-mail scheme was in operation throughout the Empire. lO^C FOR SOME years past, a few voices in the political • wilderness had been raised in warning about Hitler and his intentions, but few had heeded them. By the previous year, however, the threat could no longer be denied, and a serious effort at rearmament had been initiated. Now, in 1935, the planning was beginning to have visible effect. Thirteen civil flying schools were approved to give ab initio instruction to the pilots joining the expanding Air Force—the first of those same schools, incidentally, which are today being closed down. Eighteen types of military aircraft were being built by the end of the year—too many types, and too few of each (although it is easy to be wise after the event). The first Hurri cane appeared, designed by Sydney Camm—an aircraft destined to play the major r61e in winning the Battle of Britain. The first highly-secret conference on radar was held, without which that (Left) Hannibal, one of the famous H.P.42s, with which Imperial Airways operated Empire services before the war. (Right) The original de Havilland Comet, in which C. W. A. Scott and T. Campbell Black won the England-Australia Air Race (1934).
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