AIR TRAVEL

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 283, 30 November 1931, Page 10

AIR TRAVEL

ZEPPELIN AND 'PLANES.,

WANDERER'S EXPERIENCES

EUEOPE TO SOUTH AMERICA,

Globe-trotter, journalist, actor, amateur airman, author—any of, these might describe Mr. K/ Coke, who arrived by the Niagara to-day. At' present he is interested in the development of the commercial airways of the world, and he intends to write a book on the subject. To that end, some time ago, he went from Friedrichshafen, Lake Constance, to Pernambuco, South America, in tbe Graf Zeppelin. , ,: He has bee i on most of the other airways of the world, from England to .India, from England to Paris many times, he has "pottered" about Europe by air, he returned from South America to Miami, Florida, by air, and he intends to try to go from Australia-to England by air.' That will, he think, give him enough material to start writing. After the war, Mr. Coke went "out to Mesopotamia to organise entertainments for the soldiers, under the direction of the Y.M.C.A., but the Arab revolt intervened, and to use his own word, his work was "knocked on the head." So then he did odd jobs for the Y.M.C.A., and, . in his spare time, free-lance journalism. He was foreign correspond _dent for many papers, including the "Ma'nahester Guardian" and the "Sydney Morning Herald." Then he joined the staff of the "Bagdad Times," a newspaper on which there were two white men" and many Arabs. But as with so many other men, the war had made of him a wanderer,' and he determined to go back to the London stage. Then the "talkies" came and, said Mr. Coke, repeating his former phrase, acting was "knocked on the head." '

It was then that he became so interested in the development of commerce by air. He went to Friedrichschafen, and from there by the Graf Zenplin to South America, "i went in the second trip in September," he said, "and I was mediately struck by the tremendous future which transport by air must have, got only for passengers, but also for commerce., Ran Away From Storm. As far as the, actual journey itself was concerned, he. described it briefly as o]:e of few thrills. In the main the great ship kept very steady, and it was just like being on land. The one object in navigating a ship was to keep out of trouble, and for that reason, if the instruments on board indicated a storm, the course was immediately changed to the opposite direction. Particularly, the officers dreaded a rain storm, because that added materially to- the weight which the "gas-bag" had to support.

The weight of everything was carefully calculated. Even water used for washing, was not allowed to drain away overboard after use, but was, stored, so that the balance which the 6hip had had on starting should not be "altered. [. As far as possible the fittings of the interior were arranged so that there wae no dead weight. All articles, even the teds, hung like hammocks. Up in the body of the Zeppelin itself there were two walks, from one end of the "bag"_tb the other, and these were suspended'like swing-bridges. The reason for so much suspension was to avoid any jar. For the passengers everything was quite comfortable. Fittings were in good taste and quite adequate. The cabins were well appointed and the food was up to standard. The great drawback, of course, was lack of moving space, and the only way to get a decent walk was to go through the long corridors in either side of which were the cabins—either tha,t or to use the "swinging bridges" up above. . Smoking was not allowed, which, to some people, would havs lieen" a great disadvantage. Drinking was allowed, and the ship carried good liquor. -Most of the meals were cold, but there would be one hot. There was a. plant for generating electricity which supplied heat and light. ■ The fare was 1000 dollars, which, all things being considered, was reasonable, and the trip had been a great experience. It was journeys like those which showed how great an economy of time air travel had inaugurated. ' Personally, thought that the future of air transport lay not in the development of 'the Zeppelin type, but in the, aeroplane. ...■■•'.• Altogether,- Mr. Coke has .travelled between 30,000 .and 40,000 miles by air, and, in 1 his opinion, the education of the public in "air-mindedness" has cbine to a temporary standstill. "Those who travel by air will travel by no. other means. For the rest, it seems impossible to get people even to go up."