BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 22684, 25 June 1937, Page 7

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

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PROGRESS IN INDIA. . Rapid progress has been made during the last seven years in the development of .aerodromes in India, According to Lieutenant-commander W. H. W att, R.N.R. (retired), chief aerodrome officer for the Government of India, who is paying a short holiday visit to New Zealaiid. Commander Watt, whoso headquarters are at Karachi, said in an interview with the ‘ New Zealand Herald ’ that seven years ago there was only one British service run by Imperial Airways each week, and a Government extension service from Karachi to Delhi. Now there were two Imperial Airways services each week right across India, and, instead of being tho terminal, Karachi was now the changeover station for the Empire air route. The Dutch also ran two services through India, and Ah France ran a weekly service to Indo-China. Commercial and private machines going East also added to the traffic. There were branch internal services from Karachi to Bombay and Madras, and the latter was being extended to Ceylon. A service from Karachi to Lahore took air mail to the northern p? 6 vinces. “ While aerodromes have been constructed all over India, the main work has been the development of aerodromes along the transindian route at Karachi, Jodhpur, New Delhi, Allahabad, .Calcutta, and Rangoon,” said Commander Watt. “ Between these main stages the whole of the route is now lit for operation by night, and continuous 24-hour watches are kept by the aerodrome staffs. There are 30 Indian aerodrome officers, who were trained at Karachi, and mostly chosen from those who had a certain experience in flying in England and other countries.”

Commander Watt said the Government of India had spent a considerable sum on aerodromes in the past, and had now approved a three-year programme, involving the expenditure of £1,000,000. This money would be used principally for improving landing grounds and essential buildings. When the new Empire air mail service started thp Imperial Airways services would gradually increase to live a week. There would be three operated by flying boats right across India, and two with land machines.

“ In the meantime,” he said, “we are busy 'making arrangements for flying boat bases. 'The principal base will be at Karachi, and will be provided .with a slipway, workshops, and general passenger accommodation. The harbour is 12 miles away from the airport, and the flying-boats will operate from there under the control of Imperial Airways and the harbour board authorities, but when the aircraft are in the air the control will pass to bur main aerodromes.” MAGNITUDE OF IMPERIAL PROf: GRAMME. Only those intimately associated with air transport can have any conception of the magnitude of the problems which confront Imperial Airways and its associated companies in their task of carrying out the Empire air mail programme. For example, the capacity to be provided for the carriage of mails alone amounts to some 14,000,000 ton miles, whereas the total ton miles carried in 1936 was just over 4,000,000 for the Empire services. Even the former ' huge figure does not take into account the passenger ton mileSj which will be greatly increased. Vast as Imperial Airways’ organisation is, its present size /is small compared with what will be necessary under this new scheme. No less than two million pounds is being spent in building the new air liners which are needed—the Empire flying-boats and the Ensign air liners. The finest air port in the world is to bo built in . England. Throughout Africa, India, the Far East, and Australia, large sums of money are being spent on improving ground organisation, building air ports, improving wireless and meteorological services, ahd on the innumerable details which, small in themselves, are necessary to the operation of an air service which will cross over some 25 different countries. For example, special types of moorings, motor launches, and flares have had to be designed and built. . A great deal of research has been devoted to the design and manufacture of rafts and floating gangways for the rapid and efficient embarking and disembarking of the passengers and _ freight. The buildings on all the principal stops in the tropics are to be fitted with airconditioning apparatus. A 24-hours meteorological, wireless, and directional finding and'lighting services are to be provided throughout the range of the Empire routes. The companies responsible for the provision of fuel are providing special types of high speed refuelling launches, and by no means last all members of the staff of Imperial Airways responsible for the services have to become nautically-minded. Even captains and first officers with thousands of hours’ experience on land aircraft have to undergo a long course in flying-boat instruction, and Imperial Airways has established a special school for this purpose. "