AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 42
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NEW SOUTHEND-ROCHESTER HOURLY SERVICE.
On June 9 a ferry service with departures hourly on the hours between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (including Sundays) was started between Southend-on-Sea (Rochford Aerodrome) and Rochester Aerodrome. This is a joint venture by Short Brothers (Rochester and Bedford), Ltd., and Southend-on-Sea Flying Services, Ltd. • Short Brothers is using a Scion fivepassenger monoplane (two Pobjoy R. 75 h.p. engines), and the Southend company is at present operating a Fox Moth three-passenger cabin biplane (Gipsy Major engine), but hopes to have a multi-motored aeroplane later. The water crossing is about four miles wide.
The flight takes about" 12 minutes, against between three and four hours by road and not much less by train. The fares are 8s. single and 12s, return, inclusive of the bus journey at Rochford, which is linked with •Southend by a seven-minute service run by Westcliffon-Sea Motor Services, Ltd. That company is the main booking agent on the Southend side.
There is quite a considerable traffic potentiality between these two towns, and the Rochester Aerodrome is well connected by bus services to Maidstone, Canterbury, Gravesend, and in fact, the whole of Kent. The directors of Southend-on-Sea Flying Services, Ltd., are Messrs. G. E. Weber, R. P. Evans, J. G. Smart, H. C. Lucas and Brian Allen. Mr. Evans is the well-known Chrysler car agent in Southend.
Hillman's Paris Traffic.
Hillman's Airways, Ltd., continues to concentrate on its London-Paris thricedaily air service, which will shortly commence to operate from the new Essex Airport at Stapleford Abbotts. In the weeks ended June 1 and 8 singlejourney passengers numbered respectively 114 and 121. Charter flights were made to Harwich, Berck and Nottingham during that fortnight.
Aircraft Equipment at R.A.F. Display Plans for the R.A.F. Display, at Hendon on Saturday, June 30, will include a special exhibition of aircraft equipment in the sheds near the main entrance; Colindale Avenue. It will be open all day to 10s.-enclosure ticket holders on payment of 6d. At the conclusion okthe display other spectators will be admitted at the same fee
'Remarkable Spithead Traffic.
Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd., carried 668 single-journey passengers on its Portsmouth-Ryde-Shanklin air-ferry service in the week to June 7. The corn B28 pany's Shanklin aerodrome, which is used also for its services to and from London, is to be extended to give considerably longer runways. The work will be completed by next Easter, so as to allow the company to operate larger and faster aeroplanes in 1935.
London-Plymouth-Penzance Results.
Provincial Airways, Ltd., reports the following traffic figures :—Week-ended May 20, 31 single-journey passengers, 4,860 miles flown ; week-ended May 27, 95 passengers, 6,945 miles ; week-ended June 3, 48 passengers, 5,230 miles ; week-ended June 10, 51 passengers, 5,320 miles. Two Fox Moths and a Dragon are at present employed on this company's Croydon-Plymouth line, and some flights have been extended to Hayle (for Penzance, etc.) Le Touquet Service Developing.
The British Air Navigation Co., Ltd., states that traffic on its Le Touquet service is already quite heavy at the week-ends, but still rather poor during the week. The season is not yet in full swing.
Last week the company made charter flights to Dublin, Harwich, Castle Bromwich and Leeds (Yeadon). The fleet now comprises a Ford Tr-motor, a Dragon, .a Percival Gull and 4 Puss Moth. A new Avro Commodore (Type 641) is shortly to be acquired. In 2-te years the company has flown• 300,000 miles and carried more than 3,000 passengers. EXCELLENT TRAFFIC ON JERSEY SERVICES.
The air lines which Mr. W. L. Thurgood, the well-known coachbuilder and bus operator of Ware, commenced on December 18, 1933, from London to Jersey, had carried 4,013 passengers up to May 31. Passengers between Jersey and Portsmouth averaged 5.06 per flight throughout this period, and passengers on the service between Jersey and London (Heston) averaged 4.76 per flight.
The corresponding figures for tho month of May alone were 4.7 and 4.5
respectively. In May 725 persons flew to Jersey and 701 to England. The May total of 1,426 includes 595 to and from Portsmouth, 247 to and from Southampton and 584 to and from London. On June 4 the company started a service twice weekly between Jersey and Paris.
Captain Birkett's Busy Derby Day. Some fast work was carried out by Birkett Air Service, Ltd., Heston, on Derby Day. Two aircraft awaited the development of films of the races, which were rushed to Heston by motorvan. One aeroplane delivered films to Southampton, Bournemouth and Bristol, and the other to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
A precise time-table was worked out to fit in with cinema programmes, and it was rigidly followed. In the week ended June 7, the company made 18 private-charter and Press flights.