CHANNEL AIR SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18153, 27 July 1922, Page 10

CHANNEL AIR SERVICE.

NIGHT FLYING EXPERIMENT. "AS EASY AS BY DAY." The first commercial "air express'' ionrners by night between London and Paris were made eiriy in Juno. Starting from Paris at 10.22 p.m. on Juno 7. a twin-engined Farman "Goliath ' biplane operated' by the Grand Express Aericns Company, carrying eight passengers in its electrically-lit saloon, alighted at the Croydon air station at 1.12 a.m. All the airmen's harbour lights. nigM lighthouses, and special beacons were illuminated to facilitate the journey of the machine. The French pilot, M. Reno Labouchere, -was at the controls, and on approaching Croydon aerodrome at a height of 8000 ft., he switched on two powerful searehKghts under the hull of his machine, and glided down with these illuminating a path below him, and enabling him to judge accurately the preciise moment of his contact with the. ground. "With the Lon-don-Paris airway illuminated as it is now. and with specially-equipped machines, living by night has become as easy as by day," M. Labouchere declared. Ho mentinned that the pilotage light at the Lympne coastal station was visible to him befo-e he left the coast of France on the passage ibove the Channel, while the London air station lights were picked np while the "express" was flying in the neighbourhood of Tpnbridge. A relief pilot and wireless operator, seated beside M. Lalxwchr-ro during the flight, was in constant touch with ground stations, receiving weather and other reportsirom time to time. After supper the night voyagers^took their places again in the " express " for the return flight to Paris. Ascending at 2.50 a.m., this second night flight was accomplished with perfect regularity, and the machine alighted at Le' Bourget at 6.5 a.m. .M. Hnyat, London manager of the Grand Express Aeriens Company, stated that his company is contemplating the inauguration of a regular night passenger " air express" service between London and Paris.