AVIATION NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18392, 28 July 1931, Page 11

AVIATION NOTES.

BRITISH FLYING NEWS

MR C. SCOTT'S GREAT FLIGHT,

EPIC OF ENDURANCE

(From a Correspondent.)

LONDON, June 9

When Mr Charles Scott landed in a gale at Lympne aerodrome four days ago the most notable light plane exploit in the history of aviation was gloriously completed. Within a 1 few weeks this iron young Englishman lias smashed Air Commodore Kingsford Smith’s record for the flight to Australia and now, still flying alone, he lias eclipsed by an even greater margin the previous fastest journey from Australia to England.

His story of the flight home i-s an epic of endurance and determination, leaving no room for doubt in the abilities of the modern British light aeroplane to fly in the most severe weather and ■to carry its pilot safely through the risks attendant on record-breaking flying anywhere in the world. Scott tells of the solid walls of rain he flew through in the monsoon, of powerful head winds, and of cloud in the mountains. He left Australia without a sun helmet and was forced to alight early each day while flying in India by fear of sunstroke —a loss of time that makes his achievement still more noteworthy. Piloting a de Haviland “Gipsy Moth” single-seater biplane bought for him in Australia by Lord Wakefield—lie handed over the machine in which he made the outward journey to its Australian owner—Mr Scott left Wyndluim early in the morning of May 26. His first idea was to take the flight home by easy stages, but the chance -to set up new figures in place of the 12 days 14 hours taken by Kingsford Smith and three' companions in the big monoplane "Southern Cross” during July, 1929, was not to be declined, and before lie had battled through to Rangoon, which he reached on the fifth day out, Scott was determined to break the record. Thence onward, except for the short days in India, he piled In as many hours as possible in the air each day, and finished a magnificent journey with a non-stop “hop" of 1350 miles from Brindisi, in Italy, to Lympne.

His elapsed lime for the homeward run of 11,000 miles was 10 days 22 hours, or forty hours better than the “Southern Gross,” which is a threeengined craft employing len times Hie power of Scott’s light plane. The only alloration from standard, as in the machine used for 1 lie flight to Australia, was Die tilting of cxlra fuel tankage In the front, or passenger’s cockpit. Altogether the tanks held 101 gallons of fuel, sufficient for a flight without refuelling of more than 1500 miles. In every oilier detail the 'crafl was exactly similar to the light biplanes employed by private owners and club members in all parts of the world; actually the model with extra tanks, as used by Scott, has Jts place in the company’s price list and may be bought by anybody at an extra cost' of £SO.

The double flight in just over 20 days shows emphatically the degree of speed that may be expected of future air mail services between England and Australia. What one man can do, flying alone in a small light aeroplane, should surely not be beyond the powers of a properly organised mail service, employing relays of fast, powerful machines. And ordinary commercial practice in aviation treads hard on the heels of the record-break-ing “stunt” flight. Three years ago Squadron Leader Hinkler established a record of 15. J days for ihe flight, lo Australia, Hying alone in an “Avian" light plane; recently Imperial Airways have been able to schedule experimental mail services between London and Port Darwin in 15 days. Three years hence the mails should move regularly at least as swiftly as Scott. If mails wore separated from passengers and carried in specially designed high speed mail planes of the kind now being designed and built in this country they could move still more quickly. Twenty-two Years of Aviation. That the well organised air meeting remains an unsurpassed entertainment, even after more than twenty years of air meetings, was shown magnificently on Saturday afternoon, when two aerodromes in London’s outer ring staged displays declared by spectators to be among the best ever seen in this country. Both events, at Hanworth Air Park and Brooklands, were controlled with precision, and the programmes went through with unhurried swiftness.

At Hanworth, where nearly four hundred members of Parliament, were ihe guests of the day, Ihe most picturesque incident was Hie appearance together of aeroplanes representing between them 22 years of progress in aviation, a faithful replica of the liny monoplane in which Blcriol. made the first flight across the English Channel, in 1909, and “Hannibal," first of Ihe fleet of eight huge Handley Page biplanes, each weighing fully laden more than J 3 tons, acquired by Imperial Airways for their European and Empire routes. Piloted by Mr Quatremarre, the tiny Bleriot machine—just 6001 bof aeroplane and pilot—flew steadily around the aerodrome, driven by a small 25 h.p. motor. “Hannibal," with four 575 h.p. engines, roared off the ground, lifting into the air after an astonishingly short take-off run. This, tiie first, machine delivered of the new fleel, is equipped for use in Ihe East, and has space for IS passengers and no loss than 35001 b of mails and urgent freight. The same type of air liner, with accommodation arranged for service on iiic European routes, has space in two saloons for no fewer Ilian 38 passengers, in addition to a crew of four. The Hawker "Fury," the new singleseater fighter adopted by Hie Air Ministry for re-equipment, of eerlain “interceptor" squadrons of Hie Royal Air Force—-units Dint may be styled the spearhead of London’s air defence because ’lhey are intended especially to make first contael wilh enemy raiders on (heir way lo bomb (lie. city—was actor in Hie star lurn at Brooklands. Piloted by Mr P. E. G. Saver, Hie "Fury," which is a beautifully slreatnlined biplane aide lo tly al 21 i miles an hour with full military load on hoard, gave a remarkable display of aerobatic Hying. The Icrrille performance of Ihe machine was timuistakeable. Mr Saver dived the plane at a speed of more Ilian 250 miles an hour and zoomed skywards in a rocketlike climb lo reach a height of nearly (Continued in next column.j

one mile in a few seconds. \yhile still on the climb the machine was' put through in quick succession two nearly vertical rolls, almost literally “hanging on the propeller" and at the top of the zoom yet a third climbing roll brought choers from the airmen in the crowd of spectators. Only an aeroplane of outstanding performance could accomplish such a feat. The speed of the machine was strikingly shown by .contrast wilb a squadron of day bombers. These were moving over the ground at a comfortable cruising speed of two miles a minute or so. The “Fury” swept by them like a road racing car passing the oldest inhabitant on his tricycle. - '

80, 000 Miles a Month. The London Aeroplane Club, which is stationed at. Stag Lane aerodrome, set up exceptional figures for flying done during May. The six “Gipsy Molh” biplanes operated by the club accomplished in the aggregate no less than (it 3 hours actual (lying, representing a distance covered of about 50,000 miles, and involving more than 4000 'separate landings. And the weather was not perfect by any means. The only replacements required were two sets of scraper rings, renewed during top overhauls of one or two of the engines, and two sets of sparking plugs. Petrol consumption averaged five gallons an hour, equivalent in straight Hying to between 18 and 20 miles to the gallon, but including all running up, tests and taxying at nearly full throttle to take-off. Glub flying, which means strenuous tuition, much ham-handling by enthusiastic but unskilful novices, and landings, frequently very rough ones, every few minutes, Is just about the hardest job any aeroplane can he set. Aeroplanes that get through it with the ease of the London Club’s machines are fit for any flying duty anywhere. „

International Flying. Delegates from 27 nations combined in the International Commission for Aerial Navigation met in London last week in the nineteenth session of the Commission. Some important decisions were reached. Regulations designed to set up a certain minimum standard of airworthiness were adopted to serve as a guide for I lie various national technical services, particularly in countries where aeronautical instruction is still undeveloped. Approval was given to new scales and new projections for use in international aviation maps; the conventional signs marked on these maps were altered and improved. Rules governing the weather organisation of international airways, including the exhibition and communication of meteorological information at aerodromes and tlie exchange of weather Information, were completely re-modelled, and a new international weather code was adopted. Navigation lights and tlie sanitary control of air navigation, which has introduced a new problem in the spreading of contagious diseases, were discussed. Conferences of this kind become more and more important with the growth of international flying. They can do much good if Ihe regulations drawn up and adopted are siillicienlly elastic and general in phrasing to avoid the risk of hindering progress.