Pioneer Work in Scotland
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T.. get first-hand information of the activities of Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd., we have visited Renfrew Aerodrome, the company's headquarters. The general manager of the Western Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., Mr. John C. Sword, is the moving spirit of this business. He has 15 aeroplanes and his fleet flew 300,000 miles in 1933, mostly after April. Mr. Sword built up the bus system in south-west Scotland, employing mainly Albion and Leyland buses, and a couple of years ago sold out to the S.M.T. undertaking for something like £290,000. He understands traffic and he has the faith of the people.
His aircraft fleet, of course, has cost many thousands of pounds, and the business is not yet on a paying basis ; he never expected it to be profitable in the early stages. Mr. Sword believes that so long as the main-line railway routes are avoided there are air-service prospects in this small country of ours: In particular he has faith in the need for services of a regular, ambulance and charter nature among the geographically separated communities, industrial and otherwise, of Scotland and its islands, to be supported in the holiday season by a considerable traffic of visitors.
It is not easy flying country, and a selection of suitable types of aircraft involves hard-chosen compromises. Everyone wants fast machines on long routes, provided speed is obtained by clean airframe form and not solely at the cost of heavy fuel consumption. But how can such aircraft be used where landing grounds are small and call for short landing and take-off runs, also where misty weather often demands low flying speed, so that valleys between forbidding hills, and channels between hilly islands, can be navigated with safety at low altitude?
Would the flying boat or amphibian ably serve these Western Isles, which have so few good aerodromes? It might, if there was available an economical boat of small size, which, nevertheless, would ride the seas just outside the harbours that are too small for alighting and taking off. When, however, such seaworthiness demands a boat too big for the traffic offering, the choice must turn again to land machines with low landing speed.
A wide speed range, so difficult for the aeronautical engineer to provide with economy; is what Mr. Sword requires. Otherwise he must use two classes of machine, one for his long air lines, and the other for his island services, and that means extra cost as well as the inconvenience of having aircraft which are not interchangeable. At present the machipes in use repro
sent a compromise of the two conflicting needs ; later on perhaps the cabin Autogyro may prove suitable for this island work.
The service first started last spring was across the Clyde estuary to Campbeltown on the Argyll Peninsula, about 60 miles away from Renfrew. Then branches were opened to Islay and Belfast. These two routes have continued throughout the winter with two daily departures each way. between Belfast and Glasgow, and services Monday, Wednesday and Saturday to and from Islay. A curious thing is that the Islay traffic is unexpectedly good and that the Belfast traffic has not developed as anticipated, although one cannot but have confidence in it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays have proved B36 to be the quietest days, and occasionally the morning departures are not effected if no passengers be available at either end. It is very seldom, however, that both runs in a day are missed. The machine goes right through between Glasgow and Belfast, the pilots changing at Camplieltown and returning to their bases.
Renfrew is often fog-bound, and the company makes use of an alternative landing ground at Prestwick, whence passengers are brought into Glasgow by road in 45 mins. Two Rolls-Royce 20 h.p. cars are used for all the Glasgow ground-transport work. A Reo caravan sleeping three of the staff is sent out to Prestwick if a machine has to be picketed there overnight.
Weather and traffic conversations involve trunk calls to and from Belfast daily, which is a considerable expense. They also call for much telephone use with Campbeltown. There is no• tele7 phone communication to Islay and telegrams have to be carried about four miles out from Bowmore by a messenger on a bicycle. Fortunately these Western Isles are not notorious for fog, but there is an idea of getting. news, as to what weather is coming in from the Atlantic, by wireless from the trawlers and Admiralty fishery cruisers by way of the lighthouses and meteorological stations. Mr. Sword proposes to have Marconi receiving and transmitting sets on all his air-line machines, and looks forward to Air Ministry help in the way of direction-finding wireless stations at Renfrew, Belfast, Hull, etc. The immediate plans of the company are a completion of the search for landing grounds in the Western Isles and the commencement of the London-Glasgow and ,London-Belfast , services on March 14. The London-Glasgow set vice will be about £10 10s. return and £6 10s. single, and the London-Belfast fares about £10 and £6 respectively.
An Avro Eighteen of new type, having two geared Jaguar engines, will do most of the Croydon-Liverpool work, the other machines sharing the northern traffic. At present Renfrew has a fleet comprising five Dragons, two Fox Moths, a Spartan Arrow open twoseater and an Avro Cadet open threeseater used for joy-riding and survey work. At Hooton there are au Avro Ten, the new Avro Eighteen, which is about to be delivered, two Airspeed Ferries and two Fox Moths.
Marconi and Standard wireless sets are already fitted on the Avro Ten, one Ferry and one Dragon. The staff at Renfrew comprises four persons in the office, five pilots (two with ground engineers' licences), three ground engineers and six apprentices. At Hooton there are two in the office, four pilots (two with A, B and C ground engin-. eers' licences), two ground engineers and two apprentices. At Renfrew and at Hooton,there is a mobile searchlight mounted on an A.E.C. chassis to guide in machines after dark and then to illumMate the landing run.
Ambulance work has already proved its value. The Department of Health for Scotland is considering subsidizing it, for patients cannot always pay the fare, and the practice hitherto has been never to question where the money is coming from should. an urgent call be received. One of the Dragons has removable seats and takes a stretcher quite well. A dozen urgent cases have been handled in the past ten months, and lives have been saved.
The company's charter work also is already considerable and is certain to expand. Most of the charter piloting is being done by Miss Winifred Drinkwater, who is not yet 21 years old, but 'a great wee pilot?: