AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 39
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HOME AND EMPIRE AIR-MAIL RATES.
The opinion is widely held that the best way of developing our Imperial air services is to send all first-class mail by air. This entails the agreement of Dominion Governments to use the service for all homeward mails, as otherwise the machines would return almost empty. The negotiations for such a far-reaching agreement are necessarily protracted, but in the meantime there is a prospect that the G.P.O. may institute a low and moderate surcharge at a flat rate for letters to all destinations on the Imperial air-mail routes. At present, surcharges are different for each destination, and are almost as high as telegraph rates.
The Post Office makes a profit of over £10,000,000 a year, and can afford to increase the air-mail efficiency in this way. If the Dominions will do the same a useful step will have been taken towards the sending of all firstclass mail by air. With increased patronage, greater frequency of service, also night flying, will be warranted.
This line of development conforms with the policy which binds Imperial Airways, Ltd., to aim at a steadily reduced subsidy. A development may be expected before long, and will have the effect of increasing the importance of air-mail services within Great Britain, which again will react favourably on passenger-travel facilities.
Important 01ley Announcement, 01ley Air Service, Ltd., Croydon, of which the managing director is Mr. G. P. 01ley, has acquired control of Blackpool and West Coast Air Services, Ltd. That company continues to operate between Liverpool, Blackpool and the Isle of Man twice and three times daily, with satisfactory traffic. The fleet of 01ley Air Service, Ltd., now comprises three Dragons and a Puss Moth, and there is one Dragon Six on order. These machines are kept • almost fully occupied, and on Sunday night last all three returned to Croydon within half-an-hour of each other in the darkness from different parts of Europe. Mr. 011ey, himself, had been on two European tours with only a 40-minute halt at Croydon between them.
New Croydon Companies.
The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce is the managing director of Air Dispatch, Ltd., a company which handles air
• freight contracts. An associated concern is Commercial Air Hire, Ltd., of which Mr.. 'John Pugh, A.F.C., is the moving spirit. The offices of both com
panies are at Croydon Airport. Air Dispatch, Ltd., co-operating with Air France, carries for Messrs. Hachette daily, supplies of newspapers to Paris. Machines of both companies leave Croy don before dawn and between them carry about 3,000 lb. every day. . Commercial Air Hire, Ltd., specializes in chartering machines to the air
transport trade. Last week, for instance, its Dragon aircraft made 20 journeys to the Isle of Wight and four to Jersey. The pilots who do most of the flying for Commercial Air Hire, Ltd., are Mr. Pugh and Mr. A. P. Hattersley.
Spithead Traffic.
In the week to September 6 Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., carried 1,926 passengers between Portsmouth, Ryde and Shanklin, also 223 passengers between London and the Isle of Wight. The summer holiday season in the Southcoast resorts, which this company serves, shows signs of drawing to a close. The company has had a remarkably successful summer.
Unsubsidized Freight Loads from Croydon.
In the week to September 9 Commercial Air Hire, Ltd., Croydon, carried 8,500 lb. of freight (mainly newspapers) on its morning service to Paris. The company also flew 8,800 aircraft miles on commercial charters. In the same period the associated concern, Air Dispatch, Ltd., handled a further 3,500 lb. of freight.
The latter company is now offering 45-minute night flights over London, together with dinner at the Croydon Airport Hotel, for 35s. per head. A Dragon. for 6-10 passengers is used.
Plymouth Line: Winter Time-table.
Provincial Airways, Ltd., will bring into force its winter time-table for the London-Plymouth-Penzance air-line on September 17. There will be only one flight in each direction daily, and the optional calls at Hayle and Newquay will no longer be available. The morning machine will leave Plymouth at 9 a.m., Haldon at 9.15 a.na., Dorchester or Weymouth at 10 a.m., BOurnemouth at 10.15 a.m., Southampton or Portsmouth at 10.30 a.m. and will arrive at Croydon at 11.10 a.m. The return machine will leave Croydon at 2 p.m„ Southampton or Portsmouth at 2.40 p.m., Bournemouth at 2.55 p.m., Dorchester or Weymouth at 3.10 p.m. and Haldon at 3.55 p.m., arriving at Plymouth at 4.10 p.m. At •Haldon, Dorchester, Weymouth and Bournemouth halts are made only, on request . •
In the past week a 100 per cent. service with fairly good bookings has been maintained, and some charter flights have been made. There Is a demand for the conveyance of Press material from Croydon to Southampton to catch liners that are leaving for America. The company's rate is 3d. per lb., with a minimum of 4s. for parcels, from London to any station on the route. ABERDEEN-GLASGOW SERVICE STARTED.
Aberdeen Airways, Ltd., the activities of which company have been reported in The Commercial Motor, has now started, as from September 11, a twice-daily air service in each direction between Aberdeen and Glasgow. Such a service has been needed to connect the Orkney activities of Highland Airways, Ltd., with the London-Glasgow operations of„, Railway Air Services, Ltd.
Aberdeen Airways, Ltd., is, for the time being, using a Short Scion (two Pobjoy Niagara 90 h.p. engines) with seats for five passengers. This is a comfortable and economical high-wing cabin monoplane, and has been described in full in this paper. The company has its own aerodrome at Dyce, near Aberdeen.
Wrightson and Pearse Activities.
Messrs. Wrightson and Pearse started on September 3 a regular express freight service between Croydon and Paris with a departure from Croydon at 5 a.m. (arriving at Le Bourget at 7 a.m.) and a departure from Paris at
8 a.m. (arriving at Croydon at 10 a.m.). The service operates in conjunction with the company's morning outward departure with English newspapers, and the rates quoted are 3d. per lb. from this end, and 2.25 fr. per kg. from Paris. The rates are subject to reduction for regularity and quantity.
Messrs. Wrightson and Pearse announce that they are going in for maintenance work at Croydon on a large scale. They have their own machines to look atter and are preparing to offer their services to other operators.
Last week they had a fair amount of charter work. On Tuesday they took Prince Ali Kahn to Deauville. He always insists on the company's Dragon and on .being piloted by Mr. Duggan. This Dragon has a Plessey radio set.
Lundy Island Traffic.
Since June 13, when the Mayor of Barnstaple opened the Barnstaple and North Devon aerodrome at Heanton Court, Barnstaple, Messrs. R. T. Boyd and T. W. J. Nash, who hold the licence, have conducted air-transport and school activities which appear to be developing successfully. Quite a number of flights has been made to Lundy Island, and although the service -cannot be regular until a permanent licence has been granted. for the landing ground, anyone wishing to travel across will always find a machine available. Lundy Island aerodrome is not available for use by commercial aircraft other than those of Messrs. Boyd and Nash.