BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 23324, 21 July 1939, Page 3

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

by Gypsy moth

VALUE OE CIVIL AVIATION. With a little expansion of present civil training facilities, 1,000 pilots a year could bo trained at a very moderate expense to the taxpayer, said the Commonwealth Minister lor Civil Aviation (Mr T'airbairn) in an address to the South Australian School of Political Economy at Murray Bridge. The theme of Mr Eairbairn’s address was civil aviation from the national security aspect. The air routes of Australia exceeded 30,000 miles, a very much greater mileage than that operated by any other country in the world, with the sole exception of the United States, he said, last year our civil airlines Hew 9,000,000 miles. The record of Australian air transport, ever since its inception, had compared more than favourably with that of any other country in the world. The expenditure incurred upon civil aviation in this country was well justified and well spent. _ Civil aviation provided certain essentials for the defence of Australia more cheaply than they could be provided in any other way. Commercial pilots not only provided an incomparable reserve for the Air Force, but also provided it _ more cheaply that it could be trained in any' other way. ' ‘Airlines also provided a reserve of aircraft that would bo available for de>fcnce purposes more cheaply than tl«iy could bo otherwise provided. Civil aviation companies to-day possessed 111 airliners, freighters, and charter aircraft, capable of taking into the air more than 1,000 passengers a trip. As well as those, there were in Australia 200 civil aircraft, owned by aero clubs and civil schools and individuals. The cost price of those aircraft was £1,500.(100. Aero clubs and other organisations had trained 2,300 pilots, a fact which was giving Australia, at the present time, an additional reserve of about 1,500 “ ab initio ” trained pilots. For the expansion of the defence functions of civil aviation, a very groat deal could be done wore sufficient money available. As yet the Australian public did not seem to realise the wonderful facilities that are being provided for them. Subsidies to airlines, after deducting postal revenue, were to-day costing the taxpayer £214,000 a year. An average of one passenger more a trip on the airliners would reduce the subsidy to be paid by £70.000 a year, and a further three passengers a trip would eliminate the need for a subsidy altogether NEW FLYING BOAT HEADY. Ready for launching within the next few days is Golden Hind, first of the new G class Imperial . flying boats. Driven by four Hercules engines, Golden Hind will cruise between 180 and 190 miles an hour, with a maximum speed of over 200 miles an hour, and will have an “ all-up ” weight of approximately 31-J tons. The interior is on a two-deck plan. The upper deeik provides accommodation for the crew, and also contains large mail or stowage compartments. The lower deck, with the exception of a bow compartment and aft baggage bold, can be devoted entirely to passenger accommodation. MODERN BOOKING SYSTEM. In the European booking office at the Imperial Airways new London air station is to be found all the latest equipment for handling airway traffic. Two six-sided booking tables, with revolving centres and automatically operated red and green signal lights, are included in this equipment. When a passenger telephones to reserve a seat, a red light appears at each booking clerk’s desk. As soon as one of them answers the call and begins to deal with the booking, the light changes to green; and the clerk handling the call has only to swing round the revolving part of the table to bring to his hand the traffic book needed in completing details of the reservation. AERODROME LIGHTING SYSTEMS. The British Air Ministry has commenced experiments at Fleston with coloured lights to assist blind landings (states ‘ Shell Aviation News ’). Immediately outside the aerodrome are two parallel rows of lights, the distance between the > rows being 65yds, and , between the individual lights in each row, of which there are six, 40yds. All in one row are mercury vapour lights and in the other sodium. These lights are continued inside the aerodrome for the first 270yds by green lights, for 450yds by white lights, and then for 460yds by red lights; all lights on the. aerodrome itself are set flush with the aerodrome surface while those outside the aerodrome are inclined at an angle of 20 degrees, so that their beams are directed towards the incoming aircraft. The contact lights, that is those inside the aerodrome, ore capable of withstanding loads of 10 tons to the square foot. The method of operation by this system is that the aircraft; approaches on the radio beam and passes over the inner marker beacon at a height of 150 ft, at -which altitude tho pilot should .be able to see the light emanating from the sodium and mercury lamps, and by slightly steepening his glide patLshould soon be able to see the contact lights inside the aerodrome. The colour of the light seen, i.e.. green, white, or red, will indicate to the pilot whether he is in a suitable position for alighting.