AVIATION’S PROGRESS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 November 1926, Page 10

AVIATION’S PROGRESS.

PRIVATE' FLYING IN ENGLAND. STIMULUS OF COBH AM’S FLIGHT “AIOTH CLUBS’ ’ FORMED.

At Croydon the delegates to the Imperial Congress were given a practical demonstration of the progress ol : aviation in Britain, -as a proliminary to their discussion of aerial communications within the Empire, one ol the most important subjects which they will discuss. The pageant was 'apparently a very impressive one, designed to give the delegates some practical knowledge of the different types of craft and their possibilities tor transport and defence.- A detailed memorandum of the -present position of cuvil living and an examination of xhe possibilities of Empire air developmentha s- been prepared for them. All Europe ALapped Out.

It .is .seven years since the firstPaiisLondon air service ;was started, with, ill-equipped two sealer planes, whereas to-day the service is run by giant machines of -three or four engines apiece, each carrying from 18 to 20 passengers, plying twice daily througnout the summer, not only from London to Paris, hut to Oatend, to Brussels and to Cologne, while there Is single service daily from London to Amsterdam for Hamburg and Berlin, and to Paris for Basle and Zurich. Even in the -winter months the air liners make daily journeys to Paris, Cologne, and Amsterdam. What- is more important from the point of view of the future of air travel, these machines of the Imperial Airways Limited operated continuously throughout last year without a single serious accident. The development of the services from London naturally has its counterpart on the Continent-. Indeed, some Continental countries, have far outstripped England in their .progress in this respect, and practically '-'he whole of Europe is now mapped out with air lines almost as well defined as the great trunk railways. In Germany in particular, despite the fact that the “nine rules”, imposed' by the Allied Air Control Commission prohibit her building full-strength machines, nearly all her cities are linked together by air. There are no fewer than 39 regular air services operating in the Fatherland. Not One Accident. Proguess has been less rapid -in England, -Decause of the shorter distances ana the splendid railway service. but, it England progresses slowly her advance is sure, 'the fleet of yie imperial Airways has grown .steadily on sound if conservative lines, and including the planes. added past few months to meet the expansion of summer traffic, they now operate almost a -score of machines, of which the largest are two Armstrong-Whit worth “Argosy” aeroplanes, which have seating capacity for twenty passengers, that they are stout machines is evidenced not only by the absence of accident's, which is the envy of the French Air Union, but by their durability—four of the company’s D.H.31 aircraft have eac-h completed 300,000 miles, in the: -air, while another of the WBiß type has 3000 hours’ flying to its credit.

The experience gained in the past half-dozen years will prove invaluable when at tlie- beginning of next year Imperial Airways Limited commence to operate Its much bigger project of a fortnightly aeroplane, service between Egypt and India,, with the prospect of it becoming a weekly service in the near future. Survey parties, including experts of the Air Ministry, inspected the route last year, and this year a more detailed survey was .undertaken to arrange final details of ground organisation. Quite apart- from .reserving .spaces for aerodromes a chain of wireless and meteorological stations have now been installed across the great desert of the Aliddle East, and, in co-operation with the Royal Air Force, aircraft on their journeys from Cairo to Karachi will receive constant bulletins from stations at Gaza, Amman, Riutbah, Wells, Bagdad, Basrah, Bushire, Bundar Abbas and Cliahbar.

A vigorous propaganda is- at work to emphasise the comparative safety of the modern plane, .but the memory of recent disasters lingers in the mind of the -public, and) propaganda is to -some extent nullified by the prominence that is given to accidents to- which pilots in the Royal Air Force lose their lives during flying. No fewer than eleven fatal accidents occurred in August to service airmen, -and although the inference is unfair to civil aviation, which is in the hands of aviators of riper experience, these disasters unquestionably deter the public from making fuller use of the -services now running. Light Aeroplane Clubs.

Perhaps tiie most effective means- of combating this piejudiee is the establishment of light aeroplane clubs, of which five- have now been, formed. The total membership of all five is 525 flying' members and 327 associate members, and of the total only nine have so far obtained “A” ela-ss pilots’ certificates. Those so licensed include one lady, and there are other ladies, who are among the growing, number of members who are- rapidly reaching the stage of proficiency entitling them to qualify. The training is done very methodically, and compared with the neek-or-nothing methods adopted for turning out pilots during the war, foolproof means are taken. . Before the aspirant -is allowed in the air at all he has to undergo a, course of ground training and must lea.rn all about the technicalities of his low-powered machine. Having done so it is said that a man of average intelligence can become a fairly good pilot after about eight hours’ flying under dual control conditions and .four hours’ solo flying. This is nob to say that such a man will have qualified for an Air Ministry certificate. It costs the Air Ministry £lO lor each member of a club, who obtains his certificate, and if for no other reasons than those of economy they are not handed out too liberally. The clubs receive also l a grant in respect of equipment from the Government, amounting to £2OOO, for each -authorised club, and out of this fund each of them has possessed itself of a couple of de Haviland “Moth” machines with one. spare. 60 h.p. Cirrus engine. The Ministry nurses- the clubs- also by way of maintenance grants, and .sums thus available, together with members’ subscriptions, aire employed among other things for paying one or more fulltime instmetors and a; qualified ground engineer. It speaks well for their work that, -although there have been a few minor accidents, no injury 'has resulted in the occupants of the •machines.