FLYING NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 21362, 7 April 1931, Page 2

FLYING NOTES

THE “BRAIN” ON THE AIRWAY. WONDERS OF WIRELESS CONTROL. London, January 31. A reliability of 94.18 per cent is now being maintained by the aircraft of Imperial Airways in their flights between London and the Continent, and England and India. Skilled pilotage, together with the standardization of a fleet of multi engined aircraft, and the existence of a ground organization which is the fruit of years of operating experience, all play their part in securing such a dependability as this; while another aid which is vital is represented by wireless telegraphy and telephony, as they are now utilized, systematically, in the everyday operation of a modern airway. Many of our present triumphs in commercial flying would, indeed, be impossible were it not for the powers which organized wireless can now provide. The basis of the system, as evolved for regular airway use, is represented by a stream of routine messages by wireless telegraphy, in which many abbreviations are employed to expedite transmission. These service signals are flashing constantly between our London air terminus at Croydon and stations along the main air-routes. The airway traffic controller, in his office in the tower at the London airstation, has a big map before him which he is studying constantly. From this he ascertains not only the position of aeroplanes which have alighted at stations here and there, but also the progress from time to time of machines which are in flight. These movements of machines are represented, on his big map, by a series of small flags which, as signals, are handed through to him from the wireless room, he is constantly changing in position. So that this tracing of aircraft may be effected systematically while machines are in the air, a method is in operation whereby pilots in flight make use of their wireless to broadcast, frequently, brief messages indicating when they are passing some city or familiar landmark, along main air-lines. On a flight from Paris to London, for example, a pilot reports his position several times while flying between the French capital and the sea-coast. Then he will wireless the exact moment of passing out across the Channel, indicating also the course he is steering towards the English Coast; after which, as he flies on towards the Metropolis, he will continue to report his progress until the moment comes when the outlook man on the tower at Croydon catches sight of the machine and informs the controller that the incoming aeroplane is now within visual range.

In misty or foggy weather the experts in the control-tower are exceptionally busy supplying pilots who are in flight with wireless bearings which tell them, when landmarks are temporarily invisible, their position from moment to moment in relation to the earth below.

One of the most interesting aspects of airway traffic control is, indeed, the power which wireless confers upon those in the control-tower of informing some distant pilot where he is, even if at the time inist or fog should prevent him, as he looks down from his cockpit, from catching sight of any tell-tale landmark. This wireless position-finding, as it is called, has been so expedited that, in less than a minute after he has called up the control-tower, a pilot flying in foggy weather, many miles away, can be informed of his position above the temporarily obscured face of the earth below.

This wonder of wireless is as simple as are many other of these apparent miracles. Upon the signals from the distant aeroplane, as a pilot speaks, wireless bearings are taken by several ground stations, all some distance apart, but all working in conjunction. These bearings, showing from what point in the sky the pilot’s voice is coming, so far as each listening station is concerned, are plotted out on one big map at the central control-tower; and the point w'here they all converge and meet on the map is the point where the aeroplane is flying at the moment. An excellent example of what wireless can do, when visibility is bad, was provided in the case of one of the flights, in a large multi engined Imperial Airways machine, made by the Prince of Wales from Paris to London. There was fog at the time on the French Coast, and also in the Channel and for a certain distance inland on this side, and surface transport was being much delayed. The pilot of the Prince’s machine, after leaving Le Bourget, ascended high into the clear air above the fog-zone, and flew towards London without any need to slacken the normal speed of the machine. Frequently, while in flight, he was in touch with the tower at Croydon, being informed by the traffic controller that, though there was an obstinate layer of fog over the metropolis, it was quite clear enough for a safe landing at Croydon. The pilot was given a wireless bearing, promptly whenever he asked for one, arid completed his Paris-London journey without difficulty or delay, although at the time surface transport—being unable, as was the aeroplane, to ascend above the hampering area of fog—was suffering much disorganization. Romance of Air-Borne Merchandise. One of the romances of modern aviation is the growth which is now taking place in the aenal transport of urgent merchandise. Often, at the present time, and in a single day, more than 20 tons of freight are passing either inward or outward through London’s aerial terminus at Croydon.

During a recent period 'of nine months, nearly 700 tons of urgent mails and merchandise were air-borno to and fro along the European and Indian lines of Imperial Airways. That suph loads are greatly on the increase may be gathered from the fact that, during 1928, the total figure was not more than about 500 tons.

Remarkable, now, is the variety of airborne merchandise. Often a stranded motorist on the Continent will cable for some spare part for his car. Across this goes to him at once in the next air express. Fragile articles in growing numbers are dispatched by aeroplane, not only on account of the speed but also for the reason that air-borne goods receive such care in handling and transport. An important point, when considering the airway as a means of transit for urgent loads, is that insurance is cheaper by air than by any other transport, owing to the absence of pilfering and the greatly reduced risk of breakage. ' Nearly 2,000,000 wireless valves have now been air-borne’ in the machines of Imperial Airways between London and the Continent. So, also, haxe approximately £BO,OOO worth of loud-speakers. When valuable pictures have to be sent to and fro between London and the Continent, it has now become the rule to consign them via the airway. It is increasingly the habit, also, on account of the special handling it receives, to send delicate electrical apparatus by air. Perishable goods find their way constantly into aerial cargoes, the saving of time in aeroplane transport representing not merely hours but days. Not long ago, owing to the fact that Brussels sprouts are not normally available in Egypt in winter, some of the big hotels in Alexandria and Cairo conceived the idea of having a consignment sent out specially by the Indian mail-plane to give an extra attraction to the Christmas fare; so, also, on another occasion, were a number of lobsters. Nearly all the bullion dispatched from London to the Continent is now air-borne--a convincing tribute not only to the speed, but also to the security, of aerial transport. Often, too, as a contrast from this, a consignment of day-old chicks will be placed on an early-morning ’plane, and in not more than a day’s flying will reach some destination far distant across the Continent. Strange loads are sometimes air-borne. Not long ago an Imperial Airways cargo machine had its interior transformed, temporarily, into a lion’s den. In this improvised cage a fully-grown lion, accompanied by its trainer, flew from Paris to London to take part in a circus. On another occasion a big Handley Page-Napier cargo-plane, had. its hull fitted up- as a

horsebox, in orSer'to Iraniport a'valuable, animal on an urgent aerial journey front abroad. " > F ■' ' ■ ' Occasionally o lank of those strange creaturcsi, "sea-horsen,” will come through from lhe South of France, consigned to the London Zoo, ’ A British Factory in Greece. Last Thursday, February 12, a contract was signed between the Greek Government and the Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company for exploitation during a further period of seven years by the British concern of the aircraft factory at Phaleron, opposite the port of Piraeus, near Athens. The new contract, obtained after competition with constructors of other nations who wished to take over the factory, is the most recent milestone in a picturesque and important enterprise. The Blackburn company has administered the factory since 1925, building new machines for the Greek government, re-conditioning others and making large quantities of spares, parts for motor vehicles, special gear for the Naval Air Base nearby and filling innumerable small engineering orders for the Greek air services. Work at first was extremely difficult and progressed slowly; to find workmen trained to the degree of skill and exactness essential in aircraft construction was almost impossible. Actually more than one thousand workmen passed through the company’s hands before a complement of three hundred men was selected. In time the Greek workmen became gradually more and more efficient, till to-day the works are manned, except for twelve Englishmen, entirely by Greeks, who have even replaced the British leading hands and chargehands. Torpedoplanes and Trainers. Altogether the factory constructed under the old contract forty-six new aeroplanes, comprising “Velos” torpedoplanes, Avro training machine and “Atlas” general purpose craft. Wood and metal floats were made for the torpedo-droppers and the training aeroplanes. It was responsible for the reconditioning of fifty-one service machines. During the past two years the factory has done the repairs needed by the British, Italian and French air liners which pass through Athens. The gaining of the new contract follow’ed a probationary period of six months, ending on December 31 last year, enjoined by Mr Venizelos, the first Minister for Air, to determine whether the Blackburn firm could operate the factory with equal efficiency in the building and reconditioning of all-metal aircraft, a recent and complex development in aeroplane design. Mr Robert Blackburn, who personally conducted negotiations with the Greek Government was considerably helped by a letter, signed by the Chairman of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors, which promised the hearty co-operatfon of other British aircraft firms if a British company should be awarded the contract. Diving at 380 M.P.H. A dramatic incident in the struggle for orders from the Belgian government between British and Continental aircraft manufacturers was revealed a day or two ago by Mr C. R. Fairey, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, whose company ultimately secured the contract, worth more than £300,000, to supply singleseater and two-seater fighters to the Belgian Army air' regiments. ... At a critical moment in the negotiations the question of relative strengths of the British and other competing aircraft was raised. There was discussion and counterdiscussion about safety limits, load factors, and so forth. Mr Fairey, wffio himself took an active part in the discussions, suddenly cut the knot by offering to put the Fairey “Firefly” single-seater through the severest possible test. To prove the strength of his machine, he said, his demonstration pilot would take the “Firefly” to a height of 20,000 feet. There he would put the aeroplane into a vertical dive, with engine on, and hold it in the dive till it was plunging tb earth at a velocity of 380 miles an hour (the terminal or limiting velocity of dive assumed in designing the machine) and then pull out of the dive safely. He made only one stipulation. Other competing aircraft should be required to do the same. . The challenge was not accepted. The dispute about strength was considered closed and, a little- later, the order , for British aeroplanes was confirmed. Captain Campbell's World Record. A British aero engine has once again propelled a motor car in record breaking runs at Daytona Beach. All speeds on land were eclipsed last week when Captain Malcolm Campbell averaged over the flying mile 246.154 miles an hour, surpassing the previous world record, set by the late Sir Henry Segrave, by more than fourteen miles an hour. His car, called “Blue Bird,” is equipped with a single Napier 1,400 horsepower racing engine similar to the power units evolved for the last Schneider Trophy contest and first flown in the Gloster-Napier 6 racing seaplane which at one time established a world’s speed record of 336 miles an hour. It is a notable engine, developing an amount of power from each cubic inch of cylindrical capacity which has never been attained by any other powerplant. The engine has twelve cylinders, arranged in three banks like a broad arrow, and is water-cooled. In driving at more than four miles a minute Captain Campbell sets the seal on British speed supremacy in the air and on land and water. The ultimate record is held in each medium by British vehicles.