RAPID TRANSIT

Southland Times, Issue 20661, 17 April 1929, Page 5

RAPID TRANSIT

INDIAN AIR MAIL

WOMAN PASSENGER’S VIEWS

“EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE'’

(United Press Assn.—-By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, April 15. Miss Chetwynd, a daughter of Lord Cbetwynd, vice-chairman of Imperial Airways, who arrived in London yesterday from Karachi in the first Indian-England air liner, had never previously entered an aeroplane. She says that the journey was extremely comfortable and interesting, and she never experienced one moment’s nervousness. She is the first of her sex to make the India-England flight. Sir Vyell Vyvyan, who made the double journey to India and back again covering 10,000 miles in 15 days, said that the only trouble experienced was sandstorms, which even extended to a height of 10,000 feet. The oppressive heat of the Persian Gulf was avoided by flying over it at 6000 feet. The total flying time had been 54 hours each way.

The Air Minister, Sir Samuel Hoare, also flew about 10.000 miles in 15 days, including several thousand miles over the northern part of the African air route to Cape Town getting nearly to Uganda. The new 5000 miles’ Imperial Airway route opened most auspiciously. It marked the beginning of Empire work of the Imperial air routes. The entire journey from Ixmdon to India and back has been made in less time than the fastest shipping transport, travelling night and day, takes to make the journey one way only. The transport of mails between England and India is thus reduced by at least half. The route crosses thirteen countries, the machines alighting in India, Baluchistan, Persia. Iraq, Transjordania, Palestine, Egypt, Italian Libya, Greece.ltaly, Switzerland, France and England. Three different types of machines are operating on the route.

The section from India along the Persian Gulf and over Iraq via Basra and Baghdad to Egypt is flown by triple screw de Havi-land-Jupiter air liners especially built for operating in the extreme climatic conditions prevailing there. In Egypt a change is made to big all metal Short-Jupiter flying boats, which carry the mail to Genoa. Here they are placed on board a night train to Basle. This is the only section of the entire journev not covered bv air. At Basle the mails are transferred to 21seatter triple screw Armstrong-Siddeley air liners and are flown via Paris to London. —- British Official Wireless.