MANY
AIR-BORNE
FREIGHT
THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1934.
NATIONS COMPETE IN THE AIR FOR NEW FOREIGN TRADE
ROMANCE
WHAT A VISIT TO CROYDON REVEALS
FASCINATING CARGOES
***** Mach has been written about
the romance and wonder of our London docks, with their fascinat- ing sea-borne cargoes for many far-off innds. And now to-day we have the thrill of the big modern air-port, with its traffic which passes high through the sky, and which may vary from a load of gold from Africa, to a crate of chicks for a poultry-farm on the continent; or from a spare-part for a pumping-plant on the Suez Canal to a box of toys for the children of a Rajah in a distant Indian palace.
To four the freight depart- ment at Croydon at the present | time, and to talk to the experts one finds there, is a revelation of the growing value of air trans- port in all cases where it is ur- gent that Ume should be saved.
"The facilities we offer improve constantly," explains an official of Imperial Airways. "Not only is air speed increasing, but the growth in the number of aircraft flying in and
Transatlantic seaplanej
Brazil's noted ocean airport
Graf Zeppel
coan airportf
Germany, Italy, France, and the United States are the principal powers striving to secure the plums of the South American market, each company using the most up-to-date air science to secure a foothold. With her Graf Zeppelin- and mid-ocean airport, Germany is proving a strong
contender.
out of Creydan now enables freight SPEEDY CIVIL
to be handled even more expedí- tiously than was the case some time agu. Take the case of any firm in London which may ring us up to say they have an urgent consign-Į ment awaiting dispatch. The load) is, collected at once by one of our] airway vans, and brought direct to the air-port; after which, thanks to the many outward-bound ser- vices now available, it starts its air journey immediately, and in a few hours has reached some point, hundreds of miles distant across the Channel. Loads are in Paris in 24 houra, in Cologne in 31⁄2 hours, in Berlin in 4 hours, or in
Zurich in just over 8 hours.
PLANE
Contest For Soviet Constructors
TWO TYPES SOUGHT
The Aviation Engineering and Technical Society of Mos- cow is sponsoring" an All- Soviet contest for the best de- sign of a fast aeroplane for civil aviation,
1
The contest calls for two types
of planes, with one and with two engines, each engine to be from aeroplane has to meet the follow- 700 to 860 h.p.
FASTER FIGHTING 'PLANES
Mr. Handley Page's Prediction
AMERICA'S BIG AIR LEAD
Across Continent In Flying Hotels
"SCHNEIDER TROPHY" SPEEDS WHY BRITAIN LAGS BEHIND
in
British Empire air lines are again driven to the defensive apologetic by an American air- line achievement.
COMMERCE SPEED-UP LANDSCAPES,
WITH S. AMERICA
SEASCAPES,
AIRSCAPES
PLANES AND AIRSHIPS IN WORLD SEEN BY AIR
KEEN CONTEST
AMERICA.
MID-OCEAN
AIRPORTS
PERNAMBUCO.
VOYAGERS
PHOTOGRAPHIC PAGEANT
Pyramids and temples amid gleaming sands! Vistas of moun-
RIVALRY ON A NEW FRONT HAS ARISEN tains, forests, lakes, and rivers! AMONG NATIONS STRIVING .FOR WORLD MAR-Glittering "airscapes," high in the KETS. THIS TIME AVIATION IS THE METHOD BY WHICH sky, formed by majestic banks of GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY AND THE UNITED STATES cloud! Wild life seen from a bird's ARE COMPETING FOR THE TRADE PLUMS IN SOUTH eye point of view! It is a new For generations, one of the great and seemingly Insurmountworld, now, which dawns for mo- able obstacles to South American trade has been the great dis-]
dern travellers world viewed tance of the Latin American republics from their large sources not from motor-cars or trains, or of imports in Europe and the United States.
Goods such as machinery replacement parts, necessitated liners, but from the saloons of big from the promenade decks of two-week delays before they could be delivered from North Ameri-aircraft flying thousands of feet ca by fast steamer, and three weeks from Europe.
above land and sea.
. With the invention of the air-
plane and the airship, the great
An exhibition of photographs which forms a fascinating pic-
handicap of distance began to 12,000,000 LETTERS torial pageant of the 16,000
fade away rapidly.
One large airways concern has established numerous landing. har- bours for their fleet of huge four- motored "clipper" amphibians carrying. 48 passengers, express and mail loads. Winging their way over the Caribbean craft have speeded up commerce, [bringing Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and other South American
A YEAR
VAST GROWTH IN
VOLUME
miles of air-lines which now con- nect England with India and the East, and stretch across Africa from Cairo to Cape Town, has been arranged by Imperial Air- ways at the Gieves Gallery, 21 Old Bond Street, London; and
aca the air WHAT RECENT FIGURES SHOW the interest of these aerial views
stead of weeks by steamers.
Speeds Up Commerce
the South Atlantic route. to de-
ia enhanced greatly by a remark-
In all the developments which able series of long-range infra- cities within a few days reach of are taking place in aviation, none Imperial Airways craft by a red photographs taken from the United States and Europe, in-is more important than the in- photographer of "The Times." creases which continue to be re- and included in the exhibition by It was left for Europe, in using consigned by air.
corded in the volume of letters courtesy of that newspaper.
The Exhibition is on view in the Gieves Gallery until July 21st. monstrate man's ingenuity in During a recent period of three after which it will be seen in a meeting the double hazards of months, for which figures have just number of cities throughout the scarcity of suitable aerial beacons long transoceanic flying and the.
Provinces Entrance is free, become available, there was 8 growth of nearly 50 per cent in air-
Beautiful Panorams and emergency landing fields.
In one's mind's eye, moving from Germany,
*B renowned
a mail dispatches from this country picture to pleture in this wonderful pioneer in aviation, partly spur-to destinations in Africa, India, and collection, one realises what it the East. And the air-mail from!
means to operate-as Imperial Air- London to the continent, during weekly air service through threa ways are now doing-a regular
Military aeroplanes with a speed approaching that attained the Schneider Trophy race were prophesied by Md. F. Hand-
red on by the realisation in recent years of the need for more
mar. ley Page when a machine of the The plea often put forward that
keta, embarked on two plane. Gugnuric type was added to the American operators, being con- exhibits in the aeronautical sec-cerned chiefly with mail-carrying guidance of that aviation genius; stantial increase, also.
The Graf Zeppelin, under the the same period, showed a very sub-continents, and over 28 different tion of the Sciencce Museum, ean specialise on speed, and are Dr. Hugo Eckener, began regular
countries South Kensington, recently. not concerned with passengers scheduled flights to this city from an Imperial Airways official, "our liner "Helena" leaving the London "At the present time," explains You see the great 4-engined air- The Gugnunc is a Handley Page comfort, no longer appears to be Friedrichshafen, Germany. During air-mail leaving London each Satur-air-port on the first stage of an air machine, incorporating the slotted sound, for in flights with passen the first 26 round trips in 1932 day for India and the East is car-journey across the Empire. Paris "Air-freightera from Croydon The design of the single engine wing sufety device and fitted with gere from New York to Los Ange the Graf carried 500,000 letters, rying approximately 60,000 letters appears below. Europe passes away, connect at stations on the continenting conditions: maximum speed at an Armstrong with the departure of services for the altitude of 2,000 metres-goose" engine. It has been given over the reverse route in 14 hours press merchandise. In order to bound by Wednesday's service to flying-boat "Sylvanus" above the Siddeley "Mon-les in 17 hours 45 minutes, and 200 passengers, and tons of exa week; while the total outward-beneath. And then you see the big destinations still farther afield; 4,001,500 kilometres per hour, land- to the museum by the makers. 34 minutes (about 170 miles per be able to service the dirigibles, Africa exceeds 30,000 a week, and is Mediterranean, with all its coastal which means that an increasingly ing speed-89-90 kilometres, cail- The machine was to have been hour), passengers dined and slept a hangar is being completed at increasing steadily.
and island beauties.
Now comes Cairo, with pyramid's
served,
Increasing Network
:
the
five
continue passenger
A sister ship of the Graf, the
for one more dirigible in the long
months.
"Accelerations on our service now!
to show atill greater and golden sands, and all the my- time-savings over surface transport.stery of a mighty past. On you fly in fancy above the desert to Bagh- Take a few exardples from these
dad, with the gold-covered minarets. quickened schedules.
To Baghdad of the El Khadimain mosque gleam- the air-mail now saves from 5 to 4ing in the brilliant sun. After
dispatch. To Khartoum the saving
14 days.
8
glimpse of that marvellous Arch of
the Parthian Kings.
Ctesiphon, relic of the Palace of
Persian Gulf with its Sheikhs, On, devouring distance, along the
pearl-flahers, and camels on to Gwadar and Karachi. Nowadays five days only from London by fly-
New On The Spot "Big banking, institutions are ing.mail.
wide network of routes is now being ing-7,500 metres, carrying capa-presented to the museum on bo-fen route.
A consignment which is city-6 passengers and 200 kilo-half of the donors by the Mar- This was not a mere stunt. for routes will
Rio de Janeiro where airplane dispatched from London in the grams of freight, crew-2 persons. quia of Londonderry, Secretary of Transcontinental and Western Air transportation to all parts of the enables us evening is, for example, delivered|
The two-engined machine must State for Air, but he was detain-Lines promise
a regular service. continent. next morning at a point as far-off have maximum speed at the heighted at the House of Lords. Sir 18 hours westwards. 16 hours as Copenhagen.
of 1,000 metres-400 kilometres Christopher Bullock, Permanent (with the more favourable prevail-
Mid-Ocean. Airport "Almost every kind of load is per hour, landing speed -76 kilo-Secretary to the Air Ministry, tookling wind) eastwards..... handled by air nowadays. The use metres, ceiling-Ĝ,500 metres, his place. of our multi-engined machines, with range of flight-1,500 kilometres. Mr. Handley Page aald the two circumstances denied to Bri-pletion, and eventual plans call
1. It has been made possible by /LZ-129, is rapidly nearing com days, as compared with ordinary (which you catch a fascinating their big freight compartments, carrying capacity-12 passengers slotted wing had been developed tish air-line enterprise In the non-stop route: which has its 6-9 days. To Cape Town it is enables us to deal with consign-and 300 kilograms of freight, crew largely to increase the stability first ments of a size and weight which-3 persons.
and control of aircraft when stall-American continent with no inter Spain, due to the unsuitability of burg it is 10 days, and to Singapore
place, flying across
days. To Delhi it has become 9 European terminus in Seville, would have been impossible not so
days. To Calcutta and Johannes- Both types must guarantee full ed, but during the past few years national difficulties to overcome long ago. Among leads which stability under all flying condi-attention had been directed to its has been organised for operation Germany's climate during winter figure frequently on our waybills tions, landing included, and be use a means of increasing top both by day and night. In are urgently-consigned fittings and provided with automatic controls, speed without unduly increasing years the United States Post Office The other German scheme of spare parts for engineering plants. as well as with instruments for landing speed. He added: has spent in mail contracts no has as its feature the Westfalen, [scheduled trans-atlantic aviation Many of these are rushed across tonight and fog flights.
"There is no doubt that by its leas than $82,680,118, or an aver- the continent. Others go for thou- The passenger cabin should be use the cruising speed of com-age per year. (at par) of £3,402,474, a 5,000-ton freighter equipped now expediting more and more of World In Miniature sands of miles along our Empire sound-proof and equipped with mercial aircraft will be greatly in- the bulk of which has been avail with a catapult, which cruises their correspondence by earmarking On still your magic Carpet Toutes. They furnish convincing ventilation and heating system.
within a limited area. in the it for air-mail. It is the same, too, bears you in unflagging flight creased without any sacrifice of able for air route development. examples of time-saving which is
safety in flight or in alighting on Imperial Airways has received South Atlantic between Bathurst, with many business which have to across India to New Delhi; away also money-saving, seeing that the
Africa and Natal, Brazil, as a keep in regular touch with similar eastward to Calcutta and over the floating airport for seaplanes. organisations along our Empire jungles to Rangoon; and then on Six hours out from Bathurst, the routes. In some cases the bulk of still farther east to Singapore, position by radio and then settles firms is now scheduled for air dis-London by flying-boat and plane. the freighter's the letter-mall between certain which is now within 8% days of seaplane finde down on a sea calmed by drag patch. Another point emerging, Scene after scene is recorded Ball towed by the steam. A hugo Just recently, is that an increasing photographically sometimes from 120,000,000-candlepower search-amount of private correspondence the air and sometimes from the light and flares are aboard for is being transmitted by air along ground. night duty.
the Empire routes. Homo news is You not only look down, from France also has joined the race: so much fresher when it comes in a above upon a world in miniature, With typical Gallic daring, It is few days by air; while the home- You are shown pictures of the con- planning a regular nonstop, 2,000- land appears so much closer when trol-cabins of the great modern air- mile route from Senegal to Natal you can send a budget of overseas Hiners; of the engines which drive to be traversed in 18 to 24 hours. tidings by air, and get a reply from them so smoothly through the air; Premier Mussolini of Italy, England, in the time taken in the and of the air-ports and wireless
sooner these fittings come to hand while there is a growing disposi- the ground. The old figure of 100 in subsidies only about one-tenth the sooner some piece of machinery tion to send gold to London by the miles an hour, often referred to as of this amount, and is faced, more- air route from some of the big reasonable speed for air trans-over, by the difficulty of operating can he started again, and be in
minés in Africa.
port, recedes into the background" across foreign frontiers and by profitable operation. So far
"An Interesting development in
land and sea. Journeys along our Empire routes are concerned, the use of the air our freight department is the way tion at the present time, what may may mean that, instead of standing in which the consignment of live- be said is that freight transport by idle perhaps for weeks, a plant can and more pedigree animals, such ever-growing facility, augmenting stock by air is increasing. More air now offers an established and be got going again in a few days, thanks to the swift arrival by flying as dogs and cats, are being sent dispatch by land or sea in all cases mail of, some essential part which over to the continent by airway, where time is the chief considera
an established andition. To-day London finds itself, Landing Field Opened has been cabled for from England. There is also
At Lydda
: "Films,
60,000
PALESTINE AIR SERVICE
Jerusalem.
on
successful traffic in the air dapatch linked by air., with some Many Advantages a of dap-old chicks from Poutry-farms miles of continental flying routes, wireless valves, and in England to airallar establish regular air connections being pro- gramophone records, and also such ments throughout Europe. Tropicalided with 160 cities throughout A step toward development of jealous of any foreign successes, passage of a letter in one direction and meteorological equipment which articles as urgently-needed medi-fish, in tanks, arrive by air from Europe; while our Empire lines now internal air services for Palestine has planned an air mail service only by surface transport. cines, are often to be found among along the Empire routes. Not long extend for 16,000 miles, with 50 has been marked by inauguration from Rome to Buenos Aires via "Statistics have just been prepar- to fly with a reliability of just on now permit our British air services our londs. It is not only the speed ago we had a crate of live locusta or more stations dotted along the of the new aeroplane landing field Dakar, Africa, Natal, and Rio de ed showing how air-mail loads have 100 per cent. of air transport which is so advan from Africa, intended for experi-trunk routes to Africa, India, and near Lydda. It is understood that Janeiro. tageous. Fragile, easily damaged ments in this country in the exter the East. And the keynote of all the authorities have authorised an
been growing from year to year. In Particularly fascinating are one's goods travel so much more safely mination
1924-25, which was the first year of pictorial impressions of a flight of this plague by this service is speed-speed not expenditure of $40,000 to make it
Imperial Airways, our machines across Africa. The desert leg be by airway than by any other means. chemical means.
only in the air but also in the a permanent airport
Cairo, Port Said, Jericho and Hal carried 1,000,000 letters. A year hind and you approach the big They need not be packed in any Livestock Transport
ground organisation, so that users Palestine has hitherto not made fa people with Hittle
later this total had increased to game lands, looking down from elaborate or expansive way. They"As a method of transport for of the services may obtain a maxi- extensive use of internal air lines, will be able to derive.
200,000. By 1926-27 it was 400,000. aloft on herds of elephants and are handled throughout with special Uvestock the air is now recognised mum of time-saving on every stage although the country is an impor advantage from the
In the following year it had jumped other animals of the wild. Hills. care. Such savings in the matter as being ideal. A valuable animal of an aerial journey,
to approximately 8,000,000 Another mountains, and rolling plates alter- twelve months saw an increase of nate with forests; lakes and The pag of a mighty
your eyes. such as those, and it airki voyages fre are compose enjoy: them дож
tollo and
of packing, and also the lower in of the pedigree type, makes Its surance rates which apply to air fourney by air in a minimum of borne goods, are powerful argu, time, while during its period of ments in favour of the flying routes, transport it can be fed and receive "There is a growing tendency special attention from the airway among manufacturers to send sam staf, arrlying at its destination in -ples-by-nir. This applies not only a condition which gives.
continental rvice, but also chance of success 3 as is often
case it has been sent to
routes
acco and comf London
in some exhibition or the
Finally, to sunimarise the
GUIDING PLANES IN: FOGGY WEATHER
The Croydon nerodromes
tant link In world air communica mobile distance from Jerusale tions. Use of aircraft has been Jaffa and Tel Aviv confined to the few who are able to afford the fare to England or
to the East, or to military services. has, been little flying within Quntr
The
roughly anotherz million,
1929-80 the total had gone. 500,000 For the two foll years the Increase was at the
AEROPLANE SOWING
IN SOVIET
of appro year
the rate
rourbi
12,000,000
Fear.
of the flying mall.
and