AIR TRANSPORT D]
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7ELOPMENTS IN 1934 AIR-TRANSPORT activities in the summer of 1933 were analysed in this journal dated October 6 of that year. The mileage of routes operated to schedule was four times as great this summer as last
year. The total of internal routes shown in an accompanying table (3,443 miles) compares with 1,180 miles at.the height of the 1933 summer.
Routes on which services are being MR from October onwards total 2,200 miles, which figure compares with 380 miles of route regularly operated last winter. This summer the external linsubSidized services, shown in the other table, aggregated 1,268 miles, including the K.L.M. Hull—Amsterdam section. Of this number, all but 437
miles has closed down for the winter.
The services actually runeing to schedule in October are :—Inverness-Orkney; Aberdeen—Orkney ; Orkney's circular route; Aberdeen—Glasgow; Glasgow—BelfastManchester--Biriningham—London (Croydon) ; Isle of Man—Blackpool—Liverpool; Leeds— Nottingham — London (Heston) — Paris ; Bristol--Cardiff; London (Croydon) — Portsmouth — Haldon— Ply7 mouth; London (Croydon)—Southampton — Ryde—Cowes—Bembridge ; Heston—jersey; Southampton—Portsmouth — jersey; Heston — Ryde ; Portsmouth—Ryde ; South en d— Rochester.
To estimate the number of passengers carried this summer is not possible as few operators have disclosed figures. In the first five months of 1934, between 8,000 and 10,000 passengers had been carried on internal lines.
Road-transport men may well consider in relation to their own plans the air routes so far opened up. The water crossings have offered the best scope, and the opportunities for combined air and coach travel have already become numerous.
We will now deal briefly with the activities of individual companies.
Aberdeen Airways, Ltd..
A twice-daily Aberdeen—Glasgow service was started on September 11, one de Havilland Dragon and one Short Scion being employed. The traffic has been poor and no winter plans have been announced. There is a need for connection between the ser
vices of Highland Airways, Ltd., and the Glasgow—London services.
Blackpool and 'West Coast Air Services, Ltd.
From May 1 to September 17, two services daily between Liverpool, Blackpool and the Isle of Man were run With the Dragon which was used on this line in 1938. About 3,300 passengers were carried this summer, also some40,000 lb. of newspapers. A limited winter service will be run. Mr. Gordon P. 011ey has become managing director of the company.
The British Air Navigation Co., Ltd.
Summer services from London (Heston) to Le Touquet, Deauville and Dieppe have been run with sucCess this year. There were 1,484 farepaying passengers on the Le Touquet and Dieppe lines, ;against only 156 in 1933. Ford Tr-motors for 10-12 passengers and One Dragon were nsed. All three services will certainly be run next season, and co-operation with coach undertakings might prove advantageous.
Eastern Air Services. • The Nottingham—Skegness experimental service, operated with a fox Moth in 1933, was reopened for a short time this summer and extended to Leicester. The traffic was not heavy and there will be no winter operation.
Highland Airways, Ltd.
Mr. E. E. Fresson started the Inverness—Orkney service on May 7, 1933, and from May 29, 1934, he was given the Royal Mail contract until October 31. On May 7 this year he opened a new line between Aberdeen and Kirkwall, and on August 6 a circular route among the Orkney Islands. There is also a ferry service between 'Kirkwall and Thurso.
In the four months from April to July, this year, 20,865 miles were flown on the Inverness—Kirkwall line, and 818 passengers, 7,109 lb. of mail and 4,581 lb. of newspapers were carried. A. Dragon and a Monospar S.T.4 have dOne most of the work. Next year the mail contract will. probbably start earlier.
"Hillman's Airways, Ltd.
Mr. E. Hillman has for three seasons been developing air services. This summer he moved to a new and fine aerodrome near Abridge, now calledEssex Airport. Mr. Hillman did not run the services to Clacton and Margate which he operated in 1933, but concentrated on the London—Paris route and, provided three services daily from May to September, with cheap week-end and Sunday tickets. From May 25 to August 24 this service averaged 163 passengers per week, compared with 73 in the previous summer and 70 during the 1933-34 winter.
He started to operate between London and Belfast once daily on July 16, when Mr. John Sword withdrew. his service. Traffic on this line has not been so good and winter operation is unlikely. Mr. Hillman has said that, next year, 037
he will run services to Margate, Clacton, Bournemouth, Belfast, Paris and Ostend. Dragons and Dragon Sixes are used.
Jersey Airways, Ltd.
Mr. W. L. Thurgood, the successiul bus operator and coachbuilder of Ware, Herts, started on December 18, 1933, a Portsmouth—Jersey air service, and this has been built up steadily with Dragons. The company now has eight such machines. A twice-daily service between Southampton, Portsmouth and Jersey and a twice-daily London —Jersey service have been run all the summer. Once-daily winter operation
is planned. A twice-weekly service has operated between Jersey and Paris.
K.L.M.
The Royal Dutch Air Lines (K.L.M.) obtained British permission to operate, from June 1 to October 7, a service between Amsterdam, Hull and Liverpool, and to carry mails between Hull and the Continent. The service, which is not subsidized, will sta-rt again on April 1 next year and may continue through the following winter. The idea is to link North Britain directly with North European centres, and is part of a far-sighted policy.
This company runs a network of services in Europe and regular services to the Dutch East Indies. Traffic on the Liverpool line has been promising.
London, Scottish and Provincial Airways, Ltd.
This company started on August 6 a twice-daily service between Leeds, Nottingham, Heston and Paris. It is being continued into the autumn and Airspeed Couriers are employed.
Lundy Island Service.
Messrs. R. T. Boyd and T. W. J. Nash have made experimental flights this summer between Barnstaple Aerodrome and a landing ground on Lundy Island. A Defonospar has been in service, but schedule operation has not yet been possible.
Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd.
Mr. John Sword, who built up the motorbus system of Western Scotland and is now generai manager for the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., has abandoned the air-transport project which he started in 1933, His LondonLiverpool—Isle of Man—Belfast and the Liverpool—Glasgow branch were discontinued from July 15, and were carried on from the next day by Mr. Hillman, who had been co-operating with Mr. Sword. The Glasgow—Campbeltown—Belfast and Glasgow—Campbeltown—Bowmore services, which ran daily throughout last winter and this summer, have also ceased. The traffic carried shows scope for development,
Norman Edgar Western Airways, Ltd.
Mr. Norman Edgar started the Bristol—Cardiff air ferry on September 26, 1932. This year he has run four daily services, two of which were extended to Bournemouth, and traffic has
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shown a big advance. He has a work-, ing arrangement with the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd. Red and White Motor Services, Ltd., has helped to develop the business. Timetables have been co-ordinated with those of Railway Air Services, Ltd., and the Bristol-Cardiff ferry has carried the Royal Mail. A Dragon has done most of the work.
Northern Airways.
Mr. George Nicholson operated experimentally with a Dragon from August 1 to September 30 between Newcastle, Carlisle and the Isle of Man.
Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd.
This company's Portsmouth—RydeShanklin service has developed enormously this summer and has carried 31,457 passengers in the financial year to September 30. Moreover, 3,078 passengers have been carried on the London—Isle of Wight service, run from July 1 to September 30. Less important are the Brighton—Portsmouth —Bournemouth, and the Bournemouth —Shanklin lines, which connect with the Norman Edgar services. The Isle of Wight ferry runs every few minutes in the summer and is used in the same way as a bus service. A Westland Wessex and a Dragon have performea most of the work.
Provincial Airways, Ltd.
Two Dragons have been used on a thrice-daily service, from March 19 to September 17, between Croydon, Portsmouth, Southampton, Haldon and Plymouth, with an extension, on request, to Newquay and Hayle. Optional halts are made at Bournemouth and Dorchester. From September 17, a once-daily service has been run, and it may contiuue through the winter, although flying conditions are difficult.
Railway Air Services, Ltd. (G.W.R. Section.)
The G.W.R. Co. this summer extended to Liverpool the service that it had run in 1933 between Plymouth, Cardiff and Birmingham. Traffic was better, but was not really good. The season was from May 7 to September no, and the machine used was a Dragon. From August 20, when the mail contracts were given out, this line carried Royal Mail. ,
(G.W.R. and S.R. Sections.) A twice-daily service was operated with a Dragon, front July 80 to September -30, between Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton and Cowes, no such line having been run in 1933. The traffic was fairly good, and mail was carried from August 20.
(L.M.S. Section.)
A more ambitious air service was that between London, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast and Glasgow, which the company operated with large D.H.86 machines (four Gipsy Six engines). This service started on August 20 and an attempt -is being made to continue it during the winter.
The traffic has been fairly good and is clearly of a commercial character. From August 20 to September 30, 608 fare-paying passengers were carried. Royal Mail is conveyed, but the timetable did not give much advantage over the normal rail delivery and has been altered as from October 1.
Spartan Air Lines, Ltd. (in conjunction with Southern Railway Co. and Railway Air Services, Ltd.). This concern operated for the S.R. Co. four services daily each way between London, Ryde, Cowes and Bernbridge from May 1 to September 30, Spartan Cruisers being used, as during the 1933 summer. The traffic has been good, From October 1 there are two services daily and a call is made on weekdays at Southampton.
Thames Estuary Ferry.
From June 11 to October 7, Southend-on-Sea Flying Services, Ltd., and Short Bros. (Rochester and Bedford), Ltd., jointly operated a ferry service between Southend and Rochester, which was run "every hour on the hour." A Fox Moth and a Short Scion have been used, each machine making five return trips daily, or about 1.190 crossings in the season. More than 2,000 single-journey passengers have been carried. From October 8 there will be four services daily each way.