AVIATION NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22098, 31 October 1933, Page 12

AVIATION NEWS

SCARING MEETING .<„• INDIAN AIRWAYS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ' LONDON, September 13. v New air services are being planned in India, and although no definite decision has been made it is believed that the services will be run from Calcutta to Rangoon' and from Calcutta to Dadda. The first would probably be a weekly service and the second a daily service. Other services are also projected in Northern India, With a view to establishing these new lines orders have been placed with Airwork, Ltd., as the buying agents of Indian National Airways, for British aeroplanes. The machines ordered are two de Havilland Dragons and one de Havilland Pox Moth. Gipsy Major engines will be ..fitted to all these machines. The Dragons will be fitted as alternative long-distance and short-flight machines. For the long-distance work they will carry five passengers, and there will 1 be a lavatory and freight compartment. For the short-flight work lavatory and freight compartment will be removed and the cabin capacity will be increased to eight passengers. One of the new Dragons will be fitted I with the new “ homing ” wireless apparatus. This is used as an aid to accurate navigation and can. be worked from any broadcasting station on the route. It can also be transferred from one machine to another without difficulty, no special fittings being necessary. SCHOOL FLYING. ' • ; Approximately 100,000 miles have been flown during the past month by the land and'sea machines belonging to Air Service Training, Ltd., the air university at Hamble. The aeroplanes’ log books show a total flying time for this period of 1046 hours. Many new civilian and Royal Air Force Reserve pupils have been received by the school and the volufiie of ground instruction has considerably increased. A popular feature' of the training here is the seaplane course, which, is being taken by a number of civilian and service pupils. The special night flying, blind flying, and wireless courses are also much sought after by. pupils. During the month many distinguished visitors called at the school arid were showirover the buildings. Delegates to the World Economic Conference came down to Hamble and early in the month Marshal Chang Hsui-Liang, with his son Raymond, visited the school. SOARING MEETING.

A gliding and soaring competition is to be held at Sutton Bank, -Yorkshire, in October, and it is hoped that Flyingofficer Mile, who has done some magnificent duration tsoaring flights, will take part. During a recent, attempt upon the world’s soaring duration record lie stayed up for 6 hours 55 minutes, beating his own previous unofficial record of G hours 10 minutes. He hopes to make another attack upon the world’s record in the near future, his sail plane being a Bri-tish-built Tern. Mr G. M. Buxton is also expected to take part in the competitions. He made an altitude flight in his Scud II sailplane at Inglcby Grcenliow, Yorkshire, recently in which he reached a height of 2363 feet. Sutton Bank rises to about 1000 feet above sea level, and Ingleby rises to 1250 feet. FLYING BOAT CRUISE. Royal Air, Force flying boats arc continually engaged in making long-distance cruises which, though they may not be spectacular, often load to the accuniiila-. tion of a large amount of really valuable information as to the operating conditions for this type of machine in various parts of the world. On , September 21 a Blackburn Perth flying boat, belonging to No. 20!) Squadron, the squadron that recently flew out to Malta from England, is to leave Malta for a cruise of the Mediterranean. The Perth will, call at Mirabclla, Suda Bay, Candia, Syra, Athens (Phaleron), and . Corfu. Flightlieutenant D. C. Prance will bo in charge of the.flight, and Wing-commander R. L. G. Marie and Air-commodore C. E. H. Rathbonc will be with him. The Perth, which was formerly known as the Iris, has three Rolls Boyce Buzzard engines each of 825 h.p. and is the largest flying boat yet standardised in the Royal Air Force, although other and larger flying boats have been built and arc in experimental use.’