Croydon, a Matter-of-fact Air Port

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18009, 20 November 1926, Page 17

Croydon, a Matter-of-fact Air Port

Great Aviation Centre Guides Many ’Planes Lost in Mist.

LONDON. September 30. PROYDON, as the airport of London, and the chief point? of departure and arrival for the Continental services, impresses one in various ways—chiefly by its incessant activity, its atmosphere as a miniature terminus, and its quiet matter-of-factness. To spend a few hours at Croydon is to have revealed, more clearly than the high figures of Continental passenger traffic issued officially can ever achieve, the* popularity which civil aviation is quietly gaining. Taking an average throughout the day, barely half an hour elapses without an arrival or departure—sometimes two and even three huge passenger ’planes will arrive or depart within a few minutes. Croydon’s attitude of nonchalance about the matter —a development in comunications which 20 years ago would have been incredible —is delightful. Afar off, amid the clouds, a dark smudge emerges, grows rapidly larger, resolves itself into a ’plane, circles the aerodrome once, planes down, alights with the daintiest effect (rather like a seagull descending to a wave)—taxies down the ’drome, swerves round gracefully, and draws up as handily as a motor car in the appointed spot of “tarmac” in front of the Customs office, to which passengers may walk almost dryshod, whatever the weather. Porters and luggage barrows—the latter mounted on aeroplane wheels, apparently a quaint conceit of the air companies—appear, luggage is decanted and inspected by the Customs officials, and within a few minutes the passengers are being whirled to London in the motor cars or motor coaches which the companies maintain to complete the journey. Out of the Skies. Departures are equally matter-of-fact. Passengers, rid of all the anxiety as to seats, such as is inseparable from a crowded railway station, stroll up casuallv, enter the fuselage, and wave farewells to their friends through the •plane-windows. Mechanics hitch a looped rod to the huge propellers and pull them round once—perhaps twice. The engines start with a roar, and the wind of them bends the grassblades flat. The pilot puis on the. overcoat which he had flung over the wing of the 'plane when he alighted, and disappears into the cockpit. An official hangs Ihe departure disc out of the Control Tower, P the ’planes glides off as easily as a Rolls-Royce, turns into the wind, puts on speed, lifts imperceptibly, ■fains height by an easy angle, circles Sndis los® to sight almost m less time than it takes to write this. Croydon ust glances at the disappearing aircraft and turns its attention to the neX The«f scenes are repeated all day long Huge uark blue Imperial Airway ’p.auL, w-.h the proud namei ol great cities oi the iimpu-e picked out in white; brown French i* Goliaths, with them fiat. L ■ rather ungraceful wings, bearing I the names of French departments, ft light blue three engined Belgians,

yellow Fokker monoplanes—all drop down out of the skies in turn, and go back to them with less fuss than an omnibus picking up passengers. Casual visiting ’planes look in, so to speak; a local company gives flips at ten shillings a time; and soon it is expected that German ’planes will be added to the daily adventurers in the air. The busiest and most responsible place at Croydon is the Control Tower, which is designed to asvsist pilots en route and in landing. It is only a tiny place, glass-sided, and approached by a steep iron ladder which no unauthorised person may climb. On a table is a map of Southern England and the western part of the Continent, with the air routes clearly marked. Work of the Control Tower. The Control Tower assists pilots who are doubtful of their whereabouts, owing to mist or other causes, to steer the required course. The ’plane is asked to start its wireless, and Croydon and Hendon aerodromes, by means of ingenious special apparatus. take a bearing from the buzzing. Then, when these bearings are plotted down upon a chart, the point where they intersect is the spot where the ’plane was at the moment of inquiry. If necessary, Lympne can assist in this calculation. The pilot is informed, and is able to change course, if expedient. He can obtain as many bearings as he wishes. Usually, in thick weather, he would fly on a compass-bearing,' taking occasional advices from the aerodromes.

So efficient is this means of guiding ’planes that an aircraft has been brought in to Croydon from France and landed safely, without the pilot once seeing the earth until he descended.

Another duty of .the Control Tower is to issue weather reports, which are received every few minutes, to pilots, and also to give the different heights in which to fly on misty days, in order to avoid collisions.

There is at present little night-flying, but Croydon is equipped for the landing of planes in such circumstances. The buildings round the ’drome are never extinguished, and its limits are picked out in red lights which are marked with flickering red lights. In the landing space an arrangement of lights has been installed which can be illuminated by the mere touching of a switch. These lights allow L-shaped designs to be lit up, according to the direction of the wind, for ’planes always land into the wind. The approaching pilot sees two L’s with the long arms back to back. He knows that if he lands down the long arm of the right-hand L and taxies into the centre space he will avoid any ’plane which may be leaving, and which will be using the long arm o fthe other L to guide its course. These lights are used in dirty weather as well, and a switchboard in the Control Tower indicates which particular set of L’s is in operation at the moment.