AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 56
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LONDON GLASGOW MAIL SERVICE.
Railway Air Services, Ltd., although closing down its Birmingham-Cowes and Plymouth-Liverpool summer air services, intends to try to operate the London-Glasgow line throughout the winter. The October timetable gives a departure from Glasgow daily at 9.0 a.m. and one from London (Croydon) at 9.45 a.m., times which will greatly increase the efficiency of the air mail.
Letters posted early in the morning in London will be delivered 15 hours sooner than they would be if dispatched by rail. This service will take on a new measure of importance when one can receive in the evening a reply to a letter sent in the middle of the morning.
The Croydon-Cowes service run by Spartan Air Lines, Ltd., in conjunction with the railway group, is to continue and will include a halt at Southampton.
A Good Season's Work.
The logbook of the Dragon rEodus, of Messrs. Wrightson and Pearce (G-ACHX), shows a fine record of reliablework carried out in the past summer season. This firm holds contracts for the delivery of London newspapers daily in Paris in time for breakfast, and this particular Dragon has flown across to Paris before dawn every morning, except about three, since May 12.
Much other charter flying has been done in the latter part of the day, and since the date mentioned the machine has registered 700 hours in the air. Its longest day's work has consisted cd about nine hours' flying.
Orkney Service Programme.
The October timetable of Highland Airways, Ltd., includes one departure in each direction on Tuesdays and Fridays between Aberdeen and Kirkwall, with a call at Wick.' On Mondays and Saturdays there is a morning and an afternoon flight from Kirkwall to North Ronaldshay, Stronsay, Sanday, Westray, and back to Kirkwall.
The daily service between Inverness and Kirkwall is being maintained throughout October in compliance with the mail contract. Plans for the rest of the winter are not quite settled, but the Kirkwall-Wick service is almost sure to be run as it was last year.
The .company's Monospar monoplane has been found very useful for operating in the recent high winds, as it does not easily lift from its moorings when standing on an exposed landing ground. Great reliance is placed in the Pobjoy R-type engines, of which the Monospar has two.. Last year both these engines ran faultlessly through five months (about 14,000 miles). On the Inverness-Kirkwall service the figures for the months April-July, 1934, ! were :—Miles flown. 20,865; passengers, 818; mail, 7,109 lb.; newspapers, 4,581 lb, During these months none of the Inverness-Kirkwall return flights was missed.
"The Common Cause."
Under the heading of "The Common Cause," our associated journal, The Aeroplane, published on October 3 an article deeding with the work of the air-transport section of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors. The matter was briefly referred to in The Commercial Motor on September 28.
We now learn that Mr. Edward Hillman, the pioneer coach and air-service operator, has been chosen by independent air-line Companies (unsubsidized) in this country to represent them on the committee which is being set up under Government auspices to thrash out the question of airworthiness certificates and the Air Registration Board. The latter is a new body to be established under the recommendations of the Gorell Committee.
'Liverpool Airport Development.
At a meeting of the Speke Estate Sub-Committee, on September 25, the decision was taken to develop, at a cost of £100,000, the Liverpool Airport. Hamburg aerodrome will, to sonic extent, be taken as a model for the arrow-head arrangement of the new control buildings, a hangar for nine large air-liners, a site for a second hangar, internal roads, motor parking places, etc. Out of 450 acres in the airport, some 20 acres come into the new development plan. The scheme has been prepared by the land steward and surveyor, Mr. Albert D. Jenkins.
Last Week's Charters.
In the week to September 30 the machines of Birkett Air Service, Ltd., flew 8,560 miles. This included visits to the scene of the Wrexham mine disaster, to the launching of the Queen Mary, a charter flight to the west coast of Ireland, and the search for a ship in distress off the Kentish Knock Sands.
011ey Air Service, Ltd., has also been busy in the past two weeks with charters of a general nature.
Air Taxis, Ltd., was one of the companies that flex; to the Clyde for the launching of the Queen Mary. Another of this concern's interesting trips has been with a load of newspapers to Dublin. A start was made two hours before dawn, and the Courier was back at Croydon in time for a late breakfast. The company arranged to take a party of business men to Cardiff and Bristol this week in the D.H.75 highwing .cabin monoplane G-AALTZ.•
SEASON TICKET TRAVEL POSSIBILITIES.
There are indications that season tickets may become popular on some of the shorter air-ferry services in this country, which, to a degree, resemble those operated in Holland. The Isle of Wight, London-Birmingham and Bristol-Cardiff services offer scope for such development.
In fact, Mr. Llewellyn C. Wood, who is the South Wales representative • of Glovers Advertising, Bristol, holds a season ticket issued by Norman Edgar Western Airways, Ltd. He boards the 9.90 a.m. machine daily from Bristol. and returns every afternoon by the 9.30 p.m. from Cardiff. He saves hours per day (the flight takes 15 mins., plus terminal journeys and delays totalling, say, an hour).
Newspapers to Paris.
In the week to September 30, Commercial Air Hire, Ltd„ managed to maintain regularity with its morning newspaper service to Paris, and 9,000 lb. of papers were sent Over for Air Dispatch, Ltd. The machines noW take off from Croydon at 5.25 a.m. and sometimes earlier.
Both the de Havillancl Dragons used for this work have Marconi A.D.6n radio, and they have picked up the Portsmouth radio-station messages from 10 miles north of Beauvais, These messages are very reassuring on misty autumn mornings.
Jersey Airways Plans.
During the winter Jersey Airways, Ltd., intends to continue with a oncedaily service in each direction between London, Portsmouth and Jersey. This service started on December 18, 1933, and there is considerable speculation as to what volume of traffic will be flying between now and Christmas.
London-Plymouth Winter Service.
Provincial Airways, Ltd., has decided to do its utmost to run throughout the winter the London-Plymouth air service which it has developed with increasing popularity during the summer. The winter programme, with one departure daily in each direction, started a week or two ago with not very promising bookings, but traffic has since developed in a way which shows that summer holidaymakers are only a small proportion of the patrons.
The company's two Dragons, G-ACKD and G-ACBW, have Marconi radio sets, which are greatly helping to maintain regularity. There is considerable morning mist at Roborough aerodrome, Plymouth, and a wireless station there would be a great help :to all flying in the West Country. As well as the Dragons, the company has two Fox Moths for private charters.