AVIATION NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 142, 20 June 1927, Page 9

AVIATION NOTES

WOMEN AS PILOTS

EMPIRE ROUTES

PEVELOPMENT <OF METE- // ' OROLbGY

(Fro?* Our Own Cerrespondent.)

V:";; ■.■■■:.'■ :■■:■■ ■: LONDOJ., 4th May. /Women.wiH have the right to pilot pasaenger aeroplanes from now onwards. This was the main decision arrived at during the first session of the International Commission fox" Air Navigation which eat under the chairmanship of Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary for Air. " In opening the proceedings. Sir Philip paid: "I understand that among the questions which will be submitted at this session will be toe to carry yet further the progressive emancipation of that sex whose members we, have always been.accustomed to regard as ministering angels, even though we have hitherto hesitated officially to endow them with wings. We in this country are now hardly in" a position to refuse to the ladies full, opportunity to qualify for any profession, including, that of flying; and indeed the increasing number 01 ladies who are becoming- qualified pilots is a very encouraging indication of the growing popularisation of ■flying as/ one of the accepted means of communication;." •..."■ The motion in favour, of women aviators was jpassed without a; dissenting voice, and women will therefore have the right to pilot passenger aeroplanes in the future in any; country represented on the Commission. It is questionable, however, if any air company will engage a woman to pilot passenger aeroplanes, since it is considered likely that the public' would object,'and in the case of an accident certain complications might arise. '-'■■■-' Other subjects before the conference were connected with various aspects o£ commercial air transport, and also dealt with: meteorological and wireless matters in regard to the organisation of the air routes. The German Government had been asked to fall into line with;'the procedure already followed by tfae other' ;members of the Conference in such, things as issuing notices to airmen to ensure the prompt circulation of up-to-date information concerning civil aviation regulations in' Germany. < The exchange of German civil; aviation statistics on. the international basis had already been agreed to. The' question was raised of adopting uniform codes for making air route meteorological Teports/ and the question, brought forward by Belgium, of the certificates required for test pilots ni the various countries, was also discussed. Means for the prevention of aircraft collisions in' foggy Weather: were considered, and the importance of the inspection of wireless trailing aerials before the departure of/machines was emphasised. Another request put forward by Belgium was that there should be a uniform method of calculating distances between the terminal aerodromes of the various air lines. LINKING UP THE EMPIRE.

Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Braneker, Director of Civil Aviation, has returned to London after several months' absence. He first vigited India, and subsequently Central Africa, and' took part in a number of experimental flights over the proposed Central African air route. He was piloted by Captain Gladstone, the originator^ of the scheme. \ • 'Interviewed as to the prospect of the new route Sir Sefton said: "I found everything from an: aeronautical point of view quite ? satisfactory; In fact, the starting of this route •would be really quite simple. .There i 8 nothing to worry about except money and organisation. -. The latter would not occasion: much trouble, and given the necessary money, the whole thing? is easy. . All-the experimental flights were su'ccess- < ful, and our only hold-up occurred through a nasty landing on Lake Victoria. Even . their r thihgs would have- been all right ifctut'forVa crowd Of wild natives, who, in heaving the /plane ashore, managed to break its.back. No, I was not hurt.. My only concern was for the machine. It was most unlucky. y "Linking up the Empire by air has now become simply a question of adequate finance and careful organisation. There are no technical difficulties that cannot now be overcome. Very great importance is to be attached to the impending tests with very large multi-engined flying boats along the ocean sections of the Empire air lines. These big air boat services will bo vital , links in-the 10,000 mile air chain which before long should extend through from London to Australia. ■''.'. During his four months' tour Sir Sefton Brahcker h^a flown more than 10,000 miles through Europe, Asia, and Africa, crossing' deserts and jungles. Leaving London shortly before Christmas in the first of the D.H. Bristol Jupiter Empire air liners to leave this country for the Middle East he visited Egypt, Palestine, Irak, Persia, India,- Kenya Colony, Italy, Australia, Germany, and Belgium, studying the developments of trans-Empire air lines. METEOROLOGY IN FLYING.

"The development of aviation depends almost more on the development of meteorology than on anything else?', said Sir Samuel Hoare, M.P., Secretary for Air, who gave to members of the Royal Meteorological Society an account of his flight to India and back. The first essential to an air route, he said, was a properly organised meteorological system. Where such a system existed they experienced little or no difficulty in the flight; where they were without it, or where it was inadequate, they found themselves in difficulties. It- was necessary that there should be a more widespread and detailed organisation than existed at present. One of the most striking features of a long-distance flight, he explained, was the rapidity with which changes of weather were encountered. For instance, on the second day of the flight they left Marseilles in a thick white fog, ran into glorious sunshine, found rain at Pisa, and throughout the rest of the day the weath-

er was so bad that th,ey doubted whether ' they would be able to make' Naples. Next day, from Naples to Sicily and Malta they 'flew at a height never exceeding 500 ft, beneath dense banks of cloud. At Jask, on the Persian Gulf, they ran into the ■ worst sandstorm that had been experienced for years, subsequent inquiries showing that it had a front of 2000 miles. Visibility became so bad that at one time they descended to within 12ft of the sea. The pilot and navigator decided to turn back, and, in: spite of the sandstorm, they returned to Jask and landed the machine within a few yards of where it had' taken-off in the morning. On the North-West Frontier the same rapidity of change of weather was experienced. At Peshawar, the weather was ideal when they went to bed, yet in the morning they were awakened by an earthquake, and at Delhi they struck thick, white, London fog. , : SKY WRITING.

Two new kinds of sky-writing are about to be demonstrated in this country. In the first an aeroplane pilot fires - from '.a pistol a "shell" which, when it bursts, takes the shape of a huge coloured letter. By putting up a "Garage" of such letters the airmen can spell a word or, series of words, across the sky. the second method is for cloudy nights, and the main feature is a specially-de-signed searchlight of immense power. Using a low cloud as "screen," a message formed' of brightly-coloured words is projected as from an enormous magic lantern. The words give the appearance of a vast x illuminated sign which has been hung by ■! some uncanny means high in the sky. KEEP TO THE RIGHT. Regulations established for the navigation of aircraft have been now modified and clarified regarding the rule "Keep to the Right." This is an outcome of the International Commisison for Air Navigation. ' "We have reached an international arrangement by which airmen flying; •eavi-h-om London to Brussels, Cologne, Amsterdam, or any recognised air route, will keep to the right. This will obviate the possibility of collisions," said a representative of the Commission. The main provision that aircraft should keep to the right has been in. existence for some years, but the new regulations stipulate that aircraft, when following' a canal or railway, will keep it on the left at a, distance of approximately 300 metres, except in special cases. "A machine following a canal or railway will keep it on

the left," it was stated. "If the airman has to cross it he will do os at right 'angles as rapidly as possible, and if it is absolutely necessary to follow it on the right, he will keep as far away as possible." "We have agreed that aeroplanes used for the League of Nations shall have a special identification mark which will obviate delay and trouble when entering different countries," asid the representative of the Commission. "It may be necessary to rush delegates over to Geneva by air, and it is very essential that they should riot be delayed by Customs and other officials. We have, therefore, arranged that an aeroplane used for the League of Nations shall have a black line right across the letters one-third of the way up. Thus the machine will still retain its nationality mark, but it will be apparent to everyone that it is on a special and important mission. The day may come very soon when the League will possess its own fleet of aeroplanes." NEW INTERNATIONAL SIGNAL. ! A new distress sign for the world's code of signals was studied, and in future any aircraft' which is in difficulties not sufficient to warrant an S.O.S. will send out an international signal of P.A.N., an abbreviation of the French word for breakdown. A new dictionary of air terms has been compiled, among the words being many which have hitherto not appeared in the English language. So far as England is concerned, the word "dirigible" will disappear and only "airship" remain. The dictionary will be printed in English, French, and Italian.