HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1937.
AVIATION
The New Year In The Air
Inaugurating The Great Empire Mail Scheme
PRELIMINARY COMMERCIAL FLYING ON
THE NORTH ATLANTIC
FROM LOS ANGELES TO RHODESIA IN FIFTEEN DAYS
By A Combination Of Air
And Sea Travel *
Another remarkable illustration is now forthcoming of the speed with which long-distance journeys tun be accomplished by a com-
The world's air stage is now bo-, fast multi-engined mail-carrying bination of air and sea transport. ing cleared for yet another great seaplane is to be launched in mid-Mr. J. A. Brun, an American phase of progress. The New Year air from the wing of a large flying- engineer with interests in Africa, will, in fact, see developments boat. Yet another method of apanding that he needed to take an which should make 1937 one of-if proaching the problem of long- not the most important years in range flying with commercial loads the history of British civil avia- is by means of fuelling in the air. a direction in which Imperial Air- tion
ways have been collaborating with Sir Alan Cobham in researches and experiments which are shown to have great promise.
urgent journey from Los Angeles to Salisbury (Rhodesia), has just succeeded in completing the trip in 15 days by afriner and veean- liner: whereas by surface traris- port alone the journey would have taken him five weeks ut more.
Leaving Los Angeles or Decem- 14th. Mr. Brun crossed the
ber
Atlantic in the Queen Mary, the ilner docking at Southampton on December 22nd. On the same any at 12.30 p.m. Mr. Brun caught. the Imperial Airways outward-bound Africa service at Croydon and, af-
ter his fight through to Salisbury
The new Empire air scheme. with its carriage of letter-mails without surcharge over thousands of miles of routes, will be in- augurated on the Africa service In addition to the putting into and extended stage by stage on service of huge day-and-night ny- ather lines. Preliminary fights ng air-liners, the Empire will be will take place on the North" At- busy during 1537 with the com- lantic, with a view to the estab-pletion of a wonderful system of Ushment of a regular ocean ai ground. organisation so as to per- mail connecting Great Britain with mit air services to operate to à 24- the serial networks of Canada and hours schedule. This amplified the United States. An important organisation. carried out system-landed there on December 29th. marine route will also be opened-atically. implies the establishment up between Bermuda and NEW of new air-ports and landing- York.
grounds: the provisior of new Further units of the new Im-wireless stations equipped with perial Airways fleet of glant multi-the latest apparatus: the installa- engined aircraft will be coming in- tion of new airway beacons: and to service. Already the 'C' class the operation of a meteorological flying-boats of which 28 are in system which will furnish a con- construction, have proved them- tinuous day-and-night service of selves the fastest in the world bei weather forecasts and reports. sides being the most sllent and luxurious; while a speed. in the neighbourhood of 200 miles an hour is to be attained by the 12 huge 20-ton land-planes of the 'E' class which are now being but for the Company.
On the Atlantic the aircraft em- ployed in preliminary fights will include 4-motored flying-boats of a "special long-range type; also the composite apparatus in which
AIRWAYS AND
AIR-PORTS
An exhibition dealing with air- ways and alr-ports has been ar- The ever-growing network of the ranged by the Royal Institute of world's long-distance air-lines will British Architects and, after being! be augmented during 1937 by, the shown in London in February; It is opening for traffic of the great to be seen also in various provin- trans-Canada route. Other links. | cial cities The Exhibition w{}} also. are promised in trunk Bir Illustrate, among other things, the routes and the year 1937 should,
selection of sites for alr-ports and their planning and equipment. Models of air-jimers, and photo- graphs from various routes. are be-
In fact, go a long way towards re- alizing the ambition of great inter- connected Imperial air-lines carry- ing their loads completely rounding supplied for the Exhibition by the globe.
MOTOR
"WHAT DOES IT COST?"
First Life Of A Twelve
THE PRICE OF
SPEED"
!!
BY JOHN PRÍDLEAU That it is one of the original question asked about motoring
does not affect the fact that an "Observer" reader's simple inquiry as to how much a modern £300 12 h.p. car ought to coat to run is as pertinent to-day as ever it was.
It is as pertinent, as easy and as meult to answer as ever. As ever, you could compose a dozen answers to it and still find that you had left points untouched. sources of expenditure unmentioned There 1s, 50 far as I can see, only one difference between the question as It was asked thirty years ago and as it is asked to-day, and that is that now you are perfectly safe in replying that the less you use the car, the less it will cost.
This remark is not intended to be caustin Thirty and more yeara lago there were sars that cost large suras lo, run, however little you fran them, cars that in fact could (only be said to be economical when they were not being used at all. Those were the days when you Ewent out for the shortest run fully prepared for series of break- downs, the days when as you left
Imperial Airways.
JOTTINGS
ment when the other evergreen problem arises to renew or to buy new? This, however, is a subject
Very few of these things hap- pen to-day in any decently built car that is properly looked after We still have in certain cases crops that demands individual discus-
of extremely irritating electrical | sion and has no place here. I am
roubles from ignition to screen wipers and from lamps to traf- fic signals, but even here I am daily becoming more convinced that the fault is as much ours as the makers of the badgets,
only concerned for the moment with the answer to the bulk of the inquiries I have had during the past few months from "Observer" readers. What should a £300 12- h.p. car cost to run for three
For there is no doubt at all that | yearst the modern battery is asked to do far too much. If you count up is work you will find that it is responsible for
of a minimum seven lights in a closed car (hut it probably has at least two more), signalling apparatus, B double
screen
CIVIL AIR PROGRESS
IN RUSSIA
Some Interesting details of the air freight services of Russia were given recently by the Chief of the Trame Division of the Soviet Civil Air-Fleet. Freight aircraft, ha mentioned, are now carrying in- creasing quantities of bromide and lodine from Baku to Moscow. Cargo aircraft leave Moscow with regular. loads of ball-bearings for Rastov, while large quantities of. sulphur are carried by air from Kara-Kum to Askhabad, Aircraft flying to the Karasakpaisk ore mines are loaded with fruit and return with cargoes of copper. In the near future
concentrates weighing between 11,000 and 15,000 tons are to be alr-borne from the Ridder mines to rail-heads and sea-ports.
Another report Just to hand from Russia describes a novel way of stimulating Interest in civil avia- tion. Above remote Russian vill- ages an aeroplane suddenly a.p- pears. From it jump two men with parachuter. Down they float and alight on the outskirts of the village. Then one of them begins to play an accordion to attract the attention of the villagers who, as they come streaming to the sport. see that the other man has erected a screen and is fitting up a minia- ture Alm projector. Whereupon, without any delay, the two visitors from the clouds give an entertain- ment featuring the aerial progress of Russian, and stimulating air mindedness among the wondering spectators.
TEST FLIGHTS OVER THE ROCKIES
Test fights, to try out radio equipment, are now being made over the Rocky Mountains in eon- nection with the establishment of the
trans-Canada air-mail. Re- cently, while flying high above the mountains, pilots have been carry- ing on conversations with ground stations by wireless telephone,
Air Notes And News From All Quarters
The Womens Aeronautical A5- sociation, fuunded some years ago in the United States, is now estab- lishing branches in other countries. One of its chief aims is to encour- age the use of the air-mail · in quickening friendships and ex- pediting business.
At a recent meeting of the Ear- bour Board at Auckland, New Zea- land, it was stated that as soon as
plans are sufficiently advanced the Board will be ready to undertake the establishment of 1 marine air-port for the use of flying-boats connecting New Zealand with the main" Empire air scheine.
The first aerial beacon to be erected in New Zealand is being installed at Hamliton. It will be of 3,000,000-candle-power, and will be visible in clear weather at a dis- tance of 25 miles.
The Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia is setting up a committee to decide how best to expend the gift of £3,500 by Sir Abe Bailey for the assistance, of civil aviation in the colony.
On trans-America routes express air-liners are now covering in less than an hour journeys which, in the old days, would have involved three weeks or more of wearisome travel by covered wagon or ox- train.
The natives of New Guinea have watched many land-planes in the gold-mining districts, but just re- cently they have been seeing am- | phibious-type aircraft for the first time, and these they have decided to call "big fella' pigeons"
describing the wonders of the scenery lying below them. One pliot declared that this mountain scenery surpassed anything he had-- ever seen froin the air above; while another, who had, been fly- ing recently in South America. said that from his bird's eye view- point the splendour of the Rocky Mountain vistas was greater even than that of the maintain-ranges of South America.
J
TERRAPLANE AND
elliptical, and the back springs arë splayed out to help stability. There HUDSON CARS
are hydraulic shock absorbers and a torsional rod stabilizer in front. Features Of Latest Models
The brakes are called duo-auto- matic, the primary system being The latest range of Terraplane hydraulle and working on the four cars comprises four models of Ter-wheels, while a rotary equalized raplane 3lx of 16.9 nominal horse power, and 117in, wheelbase, and six models of Terraplane, De Luxe or big Six with similar wheel-bast with 21:6 horse power engine.
In the case of the Terraplane Six the 21.6 engine is optional ut £10 more. In the Hudson range there are the 21.6 h.p. Hudson Six de luxe saloon and special de luxe saloon. These have a wheelbase of 122in. The Hudson Eight with its 28.8 hp. 8-cylinder engine can
A ROUGH ESTIMATE.
Taking, then, those three years as 40,000 miles, which I consider to be a fair average mileage for a var that works all the year round, I think you need only add to the
be had in eight different wiper, one, if not two, price the insurance premiums, the tax, and the bill for fuel and oll (the ordinary 12-h.p. car should average, year in and year out, at least 28 miles to the gallon of pet- rul and 1,000 to the gallon of oil), the cost of a new set of tyres for cach 15,000 miles,
horns in all probablilty a gauge or two, dashboard lighting, Ignition, pumping the petrol from the tank to the carburettor, and the last bale of the heaviest straws, start- ing the engine. I do not think we should make too much fuss when our pretty toys cease to work. Apart from these I cautiously as- sume that the average car costing £300 is in all its important res- Pects thoroughly reliable.
out
And at this point comes the crux of the whole matter. The life of tyres, as the life of the whole car, depends almost wholly upon how they ar treated. For every
moving part in the car, including the tyres, speed Is the greatest
source of expense. In the case of the tyres themselves, there are other considerations, such as main-
times, never, except in cases of taining proper pressure at all
urgency, using the brakes to pull the car up dead, and never bor- rowing the kerbstone as an ad- ditional brake. The failure to ob- serve these precautions is extreme- ly destructive.
HOW TO MAKE IT LAST. Its possible unreliability in the more mechanical: directions is closely connected with this fiam- ing question of cost. If the ma kers Instructions are faithfully and conselentiously carried with a little over for good measure and if he always drives well with- in, the power of his engine, there is no reason why for a very con- siderable time the owner of a mo- dern £300 car should be faced with a.bill.for repair. A considerable time, of course, should read's con- the house for a destination ten siderable mileage, us a car has no miles away you were aped on your age but only a work record. Judging gear connections, springs or way with the remark. "We shall ing from personal experience and expect you back when we see you." the records of friends and friends
THE WILD DAYS.
of friends, I should say that the average car in this class should
.
į
remain in at and efficient condi- tion for at least 30,000 miles.
Those were the days when prac- Ucally every conceivable portion of the machinery was on the verge of fallure at all hours of the day This means that during that or night from ignition to back axle period it will not need more than from brakes to carburettor. One routine attention, such as valve after another, and sometimes two | grinding and decarbonisation,
In a well-designed and well-built car there should be no need for renewals at such points as steer- any part of the running gear with the exception of brake linings, and the last also vary a good deal in their durability. It is quite on the cards that you will complete your 40,000 miles without new linings and equally on the cards that you will have to renew them at least once, especially if the car is used much in hilly country. Add, there-
unforeseen.
11
or three at a time, these and other At the end of what might before. £10, and another £10 for the Organs would let you down, and no | called its first life, that is to say mán, know at what hour, or even between 30,000 and 50,000 miles, berbups on what day, he would even a well-cared for car will pro- Coux, the machlan back, into its bably need a good deal doing to motor-house
It, and that, of course, is the mo
Finally, and once again. I am not ashamed to remind you that it is speed that costs more money than anything else..
forms,
from special sports saloon to de luxe saloon with a wheelbase of 122in.: while there
are two mo-
dels which are longer by 7in. These are the de luxe Club saloon and Special de luxe Club saloon In all cases the engine unit is what is termed three point pneu-mounted. and the engines have a compres slon ratio of 8.25 to 1.
mechanical system acts on the rear wheels in the event of the failure of the primary system. There is a trigger type hand-brake lever mounted under the scuttle on the off-side. The pressed steel wheels carry by 16in. tyres."
The Terraplane Big Six 1s on similar lines, and therefore need not be detailed here. It should be said, however, that the engine capacity is 3,475c.c., the b.h.p. at 4,000 r.p.m. is given at 101, and the overall forward gear ratios are 4.11, 6.6, and 9.9 to 1. There is an 181. spring-spoke steering wheel, a thermostat in the cylin der head helps warming up from cold and the preservation of an even temperature, and there is voltage control of the generator.
THE HUDSON SIX The Hudson Six has the same size engine as the Terraplane Big Bix, and is on the same lines as to such mechanical features" as the ing. The clutch, however, also has brakes, suspension, and the steer-
an automatic vacuum clutch with dash control and governed free-
In the Terraplane Six the cylin- ders have a capacity of 2,7230.0 developed at 3,800r.p.m. is 76. The and the horse power stated to be downdraught carburettor is fed by "a mechanical pump from a 133 gal- į lon tank at the back, and there is wheeling under 18 m.p.h. the a vacuum booster, mounted direct ly under the petrol pump to help the screen wiper action. Engine lubrication is on the "duofio" 375- tem, which includes a double act- ing pump supplying all to both ends of the crankcase and then through gullies and troughs to all bearings. The cooling water forced by a centrifugal pump; the ignition is, fully automatic. The front axle has "radial safety con trol" incorporating fully, floating front springs with radial arm tor- que members. Worm and roller with a
are used for the steering w 17-inch steering wheel:
{
three-speed gearbox has synchro- mesh, and on all these Hudson cars. there is the electric hand, which is a form of pre-selector gear operat- ed electrically by a small vertical finger and thumb lever working in a gate near the steering wheel.
The Hudson Eight has a capa- city of 4,168c.c, and the stated break-horse power is 122 at 4.200 rpm. The firing order in 1, 6, 2. 5, 8, 3, 7.4. The tyres are 6.25 by 18in.
Prices for the Terraplane Six run from £283 for the Victoria, coupe the Terraplane De Luxe or Big 81x to £315 for the Spectal saloon; for
The forward transmission com- from 335 for the de luxe "saloon prizes a single alloy plate clutch to 445 for the Special Sports sa- running in of and having cork loon, for the Hudson Six from inserts and a spring cushion drive..
£375 for the de luxe saloon to together with a three-speed gear-
£399 for the Special de luxe sa- box with synchromesh, The for- loop; and for the Hudson: Eight, ward overall gear ratios are. 4.55, 122in. wheelbase, from £395 for 7.3. and 11.1 to 1. The propeller- the Victoria coupe to £555 for the shaft has needle roller bearing Special Sports saloon. The two de Joints, and the half Boating back luxe Club saloons on the 12911. axle helical bevel drive. The sus-wheelbase. Hudson Eight are £475 pension front and back is halt and 2496,7
23
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