CIVIL AVIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18319, 9 August 1921, Page 6

CIVIL AVIATION

AIR MINISTRY'S REPORT. IMPERIAL ROUTES TRIALS OF R 26, (Fko-m Ouk Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 21. R 36, tlie big airship which lias been equipped for commercial flying, made a successful endurance and wireless navigation test flight preparatory to her cruise over Europe with the dominion Prime Ministers on board. , Ascending from Pulham at 10.7 p.rn. on the Friday, she was heal'd and seen near the outskirts of London soon after midnight. At 2 u.m. on Saturday officials at the London terminal aerodrome at CroydOn had a line view of her. She was then Hying rather low, with a brilliant bow light shining, and another navigation light at her tail; while the cabin,\illuminated with electricity from within, showed a long row of bright lights like the port holes of a ship. Communicating constantly by wireless with various land stations, and carrying out direction-finding and other tests, the R 36 travelled during one of her .evolutions ns far as Land’s End. passing out for a time over the sea. It was not until early on Sunday morning'that she re-appeared at Pulham, and was berthed again, having boon in the air, cruising at various heights and speeds, for opproximatcly 30 hours. SAFETY TESTS. Early this year the Royal Aeronautical Society appointed a committee to discuss what is required to ensure the safe and economical working of an aeroplane carrying mails and passengers between London and Paris. The results of the deliberations have been issued in a report, which points out, in the first place, that the primary cause of breakdown is duo to faults m the installation of engines and oil, water, and petrol systems rather than to failure in the engine itself. Suggestions for improvement are made. In connection with engine design the committee would like to see aeroengine tests made more drastic, and more representative of the conditions met with in practice, by having a large number of compulsory stoppages and restartings during the trials. The type of aeroplane with engines out on the' wings is considered less desirable than one with a single engine placed centrally, though tho committee would like to see an aeroplane with two central propellers, one in front of the other, each driven by a completely separate engine. “If possible (says tho committee) provision for safe alighting qn water and for the flotation of the aeroplane for at least half an hour should bo provided, coupled with spine means of signalling for assistance.” « NIGHT FLYING. Many interesting points of information ore given in the Air Ministry’s half-yearly report (October, 1920-March, 1921) on the Progress of Civil Aviation. Arrangements, it is stated, have been completed lor the ratification of the Air Convention by the Empire cs a whole, but freedom of action is to be retained for Canada in regard to tho United Htatee. Temporary arrangements for the control of air traffic have liSi-n concluded «nn Denmark and Sweden, and it is expected that a similar agreement will shortly bo signed with Norway. As regards the organisation of civil aviation in this country, it is noted that the installation at Croydon of a night-flying system to permit regular night-flying on commercial services is now nearly completed, and steps have been taken to provide two new lighthouses on the English section of the Londqn-Paris route. The value of diroction-finding and wireless communication is How being proved, as one instance will show. A machine, flying' from Paris to London, was instructed while over mid-Channel to land at Croydon. Later this order was cancelled, and the pilot was told to climb to 2000 ft, and go on to Oricklewood. He was warned to look out for a rocket, which was duly observed. Landing instructions wore given, and the machine landed safely in thick fog. The pilot afterwards reported that he had not seen the earth after passing Maidstone. • PASSENGER TRAFFIC. "Whereas during tho six months from April to September, 1920, British air traffic was about four times the foreign traffic, from the beginning of 1921 to tho end of March it has been only about one-quarter of foreign traffic, the number of arrivals and departures of British aircraft to and from the Continent having fallen from 1997 to 614. During the period under review the machine mileage tor civil aviation was 212,200 miles, ttie number of passengers carried 10,103. and tho weight of goods 38 tons, as compared to 639,000 miles, 32,345 passengers, and 86j tons for the previous tix months. The figures for April and May, however, bear out the expectation of an increase in air traffic on the London and Paris route during the summer months. INCREASED FRENCH SUBSIDIES. Activity in air matters is reported in the various dominions. Negotiations are proceeding for the acquisition of an aerodrome site at Holfar, Malta. Abroad the most conspicuous features of the period under review are the French subsidies to air transport companies, and the energy with which Germany is prosecuting air schemes with the limited resources at her disposal. Tho French civil aviation vote for 1921 shows a considerable increase on that for 1920, and amounts to 147,374,012 francs, of which 31,700.000 francs are for subsidies to air transport companies, and 25,am,000 francs are for the construction of two rigid airstlip.-. irises, and equipment. Beyond this vote, 4,500,000 francs have been voted for aviation under the Minister of Colonies. The effect of the French subsidies have been to permit of the reduction of single fares from Paris To London to 300 francs, from Paris to Strasburg to 150 francs, and from Paris to Prague to 500 francs. ASSISTANCE OF THE DOMINIONS.

Speaking at a public dinner in London, Sir F. H. Sykes (Controller-General of v nil Aviation; s. d no .iype-u taut commercial aviation would play y a similar part in tho country’s prosperity as the mercantile marine had done heretofore. All history proved the close connection between progress, power, and communication. In the luture development* of civil aviation they looked for the assistance of the dominions, which were untrammelled by the spirit of conservatism, which was sometimes apt to make progress slow in this country. The strength t of tho British Empire depended upon good ‘communications, since there was danger that decisions of Imperial importance might be forcerl upon its Government without sufficient time to .obtain the requisite knowledge or to consult with each other. Telegraphy had done much to bridge the gulf, but neither it nor steam could compensate for personal contact between individuals and the most rapid conveyance of the written thought. Air transport, careless whether the route be over land or water, unhampered by foreign frontiers, gave the Empire precisely those essential powers of direct supply and speedy intercommunication which ship and sail had already shown to be vital. During their forthcoming conference he hoped to have the opportunity of patting before the Prime Ministers of the Empire the initiation of some scheme of Imperial intercommunication by air. A WINGED BICYCLE. Mons. Gabriel Poulain, who for years has championed the idea that it is possible to fly 10 metres without tho aid of a motor, accomplished the/feat at Longchamp Racecourse. His curious machine, which he calls his “Aviotte,” consists of a bicycle provided with wings similar to thosp of a small biplane. In spite of its unwieldy appearance, its inventor controlled the machine with much dexterity, and succeeded in rising to a height of about?- one yard and gliding 15 or 16 yards through the air. He took off from the ground at a speed of 30 miles an hour, and landed again with the aviette perfectly balanced. Expressing himself as well satisfied with the results of his experiment. Mons. Poulain said that his short flight had convinced him that as soon as he had discovered the knack of raising his machine a few feet from the ground ho would he able to fly several hundred yards with his cycle plane.

Discussing the flight or hound. Mon,s. Louis Dnmblanc. the aviation engineer so closely connected with the helicopter, said he had already brought out designs for applying lifting planes to tho motor bicycle. He is convinced that such machines would be of very real military value, particularly in scouting work, as they would enable scouts to be independent of bridges in crossing rivers, and would also permit them to avoid being hold up by blocks of traffic.