Air Transport News
Page 43
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BRITISH PILOTS BACK FROM ABYSSINIA.
I N the past few days, Capt. G.
Birkett, of Birkett Air Service, Ltd., and Mr. E. H. Newman and Mr. C. F. French, flying for Brian Allen Avia;Mil, Ltd., have flown home frosit Abyssinia, where they have been busy carrying films and photographs for the Press between Addis Ababa and stations on the Imperial Airways -route. The -Emperor himself has shown keen interest in the work. • Birkett's longest run in the Miles Merlin was one of 3,080 miles in 34 hours,including a good night's rest; he flew from Jibuti, via Port Sudan, Atbara. and Wadi Haifa, to El Sollum. Mr. French did many day trips of about 1,400 miles.
The Brian 'Allen .pilots, including Mr. Allen, had tivo. Percival Gulls (one with a Gipsy Major 130 h.p. engine and the other with a Gipsy VI 200 li.p. engine) also a Leopard Moth
It Majoi1). Mr. Allen is still in Addis Alfalfa.
NEW SCHEME FOR PILOTS.
FOR some time, British Airways, Ltd., which includes the Hillman, United and Spartan concerns, as well as the two Scottish companies which continue to work under their Own names, has been considering the problem of the officer who leaves the R.A.F. with considerable flying experience, but without a second-class navigator's licence.
The company has decided to engage pilots who have 1,000 hours or more of flying experience and to train them in navigation for the examinations which, in future, will probably be held quarterly. They will be able to fly as second officers and will receive salaries during the period of training, and when they have passed the examination, they will be eligible for promotion to captain's rank.
On .December 16, the company is moving into new offices at Terminal House, Grosvenor Square, London,
S.W.1., opposite Victoria Station, and these will become the . starting point for passengers so soon as the operating base is shifted from Essex Airport to Gatwick.
On November 30, United Airways made its last journey from Heston. As from December 1 it will operate from Essex Airport, and will eventually move to Gravesend.
STRENGTHENING B.C.A. BOARD.
TWOnew directors have joined .the I oard of British Continental Airways, Ltd. They are Sir Robert Burton Chadwick, Bart., a past Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, and Mr. Graham Mackinnon, a Lloyd's underwriter and a ion of Sir Percy Mackinnon, chairman of the board. The other directors are Mr. Farey Jones (managing director), Capt. AV. Fry, ODE., and Mr. J. Y. Bryans,
CHARTER WORK AT HESTON.
ALTHOUGH business is generally quiet, compared with that of the summer, the established companies seldom have an entirely slack clay. Rewatly, British-American Air Services, Ltd., carried the Sheffield Wednesday football team to Lille in two aeroplanes, one a de Havilland Dragon and the other a Dragon Rapide. The team was brought back to Essex Airport on the following day.
Air Commerce, Ltd., has recently taken Lady Joan Duff Assheton-Smith to Vaynol Hall, in North Wales, where her husband, SirMichael Michael Duff Assheton-Smith, who owns a Monospar, has laid out a private landing ground. BRITISH AIRWAYS WINTER SCHEDULES.
THE time-tables of British Airways, Ltd., from December 1 until further notice, combine the schedules of Hillman's Airways, Ltd., and United Airways, Ltd. The name, British Airways, will be used henceforth.
Services leave Essex Airport at 9.30 a.m, (week-days only) and 1.45 p.m. (daily) for Paris, and leave Le Bourget at 0.45 a.m. (week-days only) and 2 p.m. (daily) for Loudon. The fares are: £4 single and £5 1.0s. five-day return. Machines leave Essex airport at 9.30 a.m. (week-days only) and 1.45 p.m. for Antwerp and Brussels, and depart from Brussels airport at 8 a.m. tweek-days only) and 1.30 p.m. for r% ()twerp and London. Fares: £3 15't. single and £5 five-day return, Week-clay services leave Essex Airport 12.30 a.m. for Liverpool and Belfast and depart from Newtownards at 8.30 a.m. for LiVerpool and London. Extra services operate from Liverpool at 9,30 a.m. for Belfast, and Newtownards at 2.15 p.m. for Liverpool.
Week-day services leave Renfrew at 8.30
ann. and 1 p.m. for Belfast, and .Nrewtownards at 9.45 a.m. and 2,15 p.m. for Glasgow.
Services leave Speke Airport at 9.50 a.m. (daily) and 2.5 p.m. (week-days only) for Blackpool and Ramsay, and depart from Ramsay at 9.30 a.m. (week-days only) and 2 p.m. (daily) for Blackpool and Liverpool.
Fares: London to Belfast, £5 single, R-7 10s. return ; London to Liverpool. £3 single, £4 10s, return ; Liverpool to Blackpool, 10s. single. 15s. return ; Liverpool to Isle of Man, £1 10s. single, 1.0s. return; Liverpool to Belfast. £2 1.0s.single, £3 15s. return : Black-pool 4) Isle of Man, £1 5s. single, £2 return ; Belfast0 Glasgow, £2 single, ;23 return.
-IMPROVING THE BREED. •
NJEW ideas for increasing efficiency, mil thereby reducing operating cost, become adopted as general practice far snore rapidly nowadays than was the case a year or two ago. Retractable -undercarriages are a case in point. . Until quite recently there existed a feeling that Such undercarriage units might not give the absolute reliability that is essential in consmercial flying. The feeling has now practically disappeared. Some -figures recently worked out by Portsmouth. Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., provide impressive evidence. That company ran four Airspeed Couriers and an Airspeed Envoy, with retractable undercarriages, successfully during the summer.
From July 1 to Aiigust M, the undercarriages on these machines were raised and lowered 5,718 times (in the aggregate) without the slightest trouble.
The machines work mostly on short ferry services to the Isle of Wight, giving the severest test to this form of wheel mounting. • In the August Bank Holiday week, the total flying hours of these machines averaged 191 . per day.