AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 42
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RINGWAY FOR MANCHESTER.
THE Air Ministry has approved the proposition of Manchester City Council to buy 660 acres of land at Ringway to establish an aerodrome, and to cut the Icsses on Barton aerodrome. There was strong opposition by certain local authorities and land owners, and the arguments were reported in The Commercial Motor.
The new scheme will cost about £180,000, and no time will be last in starting work on the site. To finish the work this summer is almost impossible, hut there is every hope that by next spring the landing ground itself will be suitable for use by big machines, such as those on the K.L.M. mule to Ilu11 and Liverpool.
14-SEATERS ON JERSEY ROUTE.
THE first of six D.H.86 Express air liners (four Gipsy Six 200 h.p. engines) made its maiden trip on the Heston-Jersey airway on February 7, when our representative was aboard. The outward flight of 181 miles was completed in 75 mins., and the return flight in 99 mins. These times include all circling, etc., from the moment of take-off to landing.
The new machine seats 14 passengers and has dual control. The radio set employed is that made by Standard Telephones and Cables, Ltd. On the outward flight two-way conversations were held with Manchester, Croydon, Portsmouth and Jersey, when flying over the Isle of Wight. On the homeward flight Manchester, Portsmouth and Croydon were spoken to when 15 miles from Jersey. In spite of the high cruising speed of about 145 m.p.h., the D.H.86 seems to be able to land slowly enough to use with safety the sands of St. Aubin's Bay.
The aerodrome at Alderney may be ready within a few months. The company has ordered four D.H.89 Dragon Sixes.
NEW CLASSIFICATION OF AERODROMES.
THE revised form of the Air Ministry's notes on site requirements and the licensing of aerodromes in Great Britain has now been made available to the public in Pamphlet No. 55. The matter is more thoroughly investigated than in previous pampillets and a system of classifying licensed aerodromes intended for permanent use, by means of an index, has been adopted, so as to give a general indication of their dimensions and facilities.
In the matter of size, aerodromes are graded into six classes listed A to F. A class-A aerodrome is one with an 800-yd. runway at least 200 yds. wide in every direction. A class-F aerodrome is one with a 300-yd. runway at least 150 yds. wide in every directiOn. Aerodromes are . also classified according to the facilities that they offer, by the numbers I, II and III. The schedules of equipment under these three classes include medical requirements, accident gear, hangar accommodation, fuel and oil supplies, repair services, passenger accommodation, road-transport services, stores and general equipment, staff and information. Wireless communications and meteorological services are not included in this classification.
Aerodromes are further classified according to the provision of nightflying equipment, in classes a, b and c. Night-flying equipment includes aerodrome beacons, boundary lights, obstruction lights, landing flares, floodlights and illuminated wind indicators, The physical and other requirements for a site have been modified in details, and there is a new formula for defining the length of an effective runway.
MUNICIPALITIES CO-OPERATE.
ON Friday last municipal members of the airports division of the air transport section of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors decided to form a special municipal section. Representatives of 45 local authorities were present at the meeting, including many which have not yet established aerodromes. It is expected that Mr. R. Ashley Hall, chairman of the Bristol Airport Management Committee, will be the chairman of the new division.
IMPORTANT SCHEME FOR AIRPORTS AND SERVICES.
GLASGOW Corporation is in communication with the British Aviation Corporation. Ltd., with regard to proposals by the company for the establislunent of 12 to 15 airports in the country and the inauguration of intercity air services. Other councils interested in the scheme are Carlisle, Dundee, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham
and Sheffield.
BLOW TO PLEASURE-FLIGHT BUSINESS AT BLACKPOOL.
BLACKPOOL Town Council has I./banned Sunday pleasure flying at Stanley Park municipal airport. This restriction will cause a big fall in the receipts from this line of business, for it has been estimated that out of the 20,000 persons who, last year, took pleasure flights from the aerodromes, 75 per cent. were taken upon Sundays.
The ban also breaks the draft agreement between the corporation and Whitehall Securities Corporation, Ltd., London. This company is associated with a number of air lines and was to inaugurate new services from Stanley Park airport. Councillor R. W. Marshall, chairman of the airport committee, is to visit London with a view to making a new agreement. RADIO STATIONS FOR BRITAIN.
I N addition to the Hull, Portsmouth and Newtownards (Belfast) radii, stations opened last year, sites are now being chosen for six portable radio sets and for a few permanent stations ih higher power. The first of the permanent stations will be at Heston and . will relieve the growing congestion at. Creydon. The second will probably be on the Channel Islands, where the local authorities intend to provide a station.
Three new permanent direction-finding stations, besides those already existing at the same points, are being put in operation for the Continental airways at Fulham, Lympne and Croydon. The first two will give position§ to aeroplanes equipped with radio tele; phony, whilst the third will assist landings at Croydon in periods of bad visibility (when the controlled zone is in force). The radio beacon at Croydon is being modified to work on the aural principle, so that aeroplanes do not need to carry the special equipment required for visual indication.
When the reorganization is complete there will be on the Continental routes seven direction-finding stations and transmitters and one radio beacon.
For aeroplanes not equipped with radio or having only receiving sets, the Ministry is expanding the programme of weather reports transmitted by telephony from Heston. Later, these will be sent out from a new high-power transmitter somewhere near the geographical centre of the British Isles.
COMETS FOR SOUTH ATLANTIC.
WHEN the de Havilland Comet (two. Gipsy Six 200 h.p. engines) won the England-Australia race, last October, the possibility of using such a machine on rapid mail services was widely discussed. The French authorities have now purchased the Comet flown in the race by Mr. Waller and Mr. CathcartJones, as well as another Comet to be built by the de Havilland company.. They intend to try out these machines on the 1,900-mile crossing between Dakar and Natal, and on other stages of the French weekly mail service to and from South America.
FLYING NEON SIGNS: A NEW USE FOR AEROPLANES.
ANEW commercial use for aeroplanes is being exploited by Air Commerce, Ltd., Heston Airport. In recent demonstrations the company has shown that Neon signs mounted on aeroplanes and flown over cities form a practical and relatively inexpensive class of advertising. The demonstrations were made with a Puss Moth, but a more suitable machine would be a de Havilland Dragon, on which letters 4 ft. high, forming words or a slogan 30 ft. long, could be fitted on the underside of the fuselage.