THE NEW JOY-RIDE

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1920, Page 9

THE NEW JOY-RIDE

A FIRST AIR JOURNEY

FARE BY TIME AND DISTANCE.

It was on a London "tube" train, writes a Wellington business man, who has recently returned from a trip to England, that I read an advertisement, which was worded, "Com« for a joy-ride by aeroplane at Northolt. passenger flights daily from one guinea. Frequent trams from Ma-rylebone to Northolt Junction." I can remember Northott "Junction only 10 years ago, when it was a Station without a place—two houses only were visible from it—a remarkably rural district, considering that it is only about 15 miles from the centre of London.

Now, however, all is changed. A model village is springing up close by the Station, the Central Aircraft Co.'s Aerodrome and Flying School is withing half a mile, and about a mile further on is a. large Royal Flying Corps' Depot and Gamp. A few minutes aiteT my arrival on the grounds, a big "bus" marked "London, Brussels, Paris," came gently down with a load of nine happy-looking passengers, so I decided to try a flight.

I found that it is much the same as taking a railway journey—you pay according to the distance and time—and almost any type of journey can be quoted for. My requirements were modest—2o minutes' flight around the neighbouring country—price, 35s per passenger. A two-seater "Avro" machne was provided, and my fellow-passenger and I entered the machine by climbing a step ladder into the little seats. Several .assistants, all incredibly young fellows, had now arrived, and we were strapped in, then the pilot strolled up, and the young mvchanics took their stations—one on each wing, two at the propellers, and one at the wheels of the under-carriage. There occurred a conversation between the pilot and one of the mechanics regarding the extraordinary' behaviour of the engine during the previous flights, and the pilot wound up by saying that "he. would examine the old 'bus' after this trip." As he was watching me out of the corner of his eye, I concluded that the conversation, was a "stunt," calculated to take a rise out of a beginner. After the pilot had fussed about with, his gear, and got all ship-shape, the propeller was smartly swung over, andi the engine started with a roa-r, and, after a> few preliminary coughs, was "hitting" just right on all of her cylinders, and was then throttled down to a regular purr. On a signal from the pilot, the chocks under the wheels were kicked away, and we started to move slowly forward, and, ran - across the rather bumpy field. At the crest of a slight rise we left the ground, and' rose steadily into space. For 10 minutes or so we flew towards Uxbridge and the open country, and the expected "air-sickness" did not come. The sensation was rather like a very fast motor ride in. a luxurious car and on a perfect road. Then the pilot turned round, and gave me a smilins and questioning glance—which I construed into "are you enjoying it?" As conversation was impossible, owing to the noise of the engine and the rush of air, I nodded, but next moment wished I hadn't, for we were "banking," that is, turning a sharp cornor, at an alarming angle. Flying back towards London we were treated' to an, aerial switch-back, the falling portions of which were more sensational than enjoyable. Then another sharp turn, and we mounted continuously for som* minutes, till finally we put our noso down, and seemed to dive. I admit I shut my eyes, and didn't much care what happened. On opening them for a second ,and looking up, I saw the green fields swinging above my head, and realised that we were in tho "loop." Straightening again, and looking down to earth, I watched a thin, black ribbon gradually enlarge till it became four tracks of railway line, and a few minutes later we camo to a velvety landing only a few yards from our starting place.

The feeling of exhilaration last for hours after your flight; but my advice to would-be joy-riders is—"don't order 'stunts' on your first trip."