1935-09-28 — Page 11

THE CHIA MAIL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER

PILOT A "LUXURY" IN SELF-FLYING PLANE?

AIR RAID TRIALS

VAST AREA

EXPERIENCES

"BLACK-OUT

50 Searchlights To "Spot" Planes

SEVERE TEST OF REALISTIC CONDITIONS

Portsmouth.

Portsmouth. Southampton, and Gosport relived their war-time ex- periences recently when, for nine hours, they were subjected to an intensive bombing attack.

Aeroplanes droned overhead. periodically dropping "bombs," while 50 searchlights swept the sky. For two hours bes tween one and, three am. ----- the whole area was "blacked out. All street lamps were extin- guished, motorists stopped their cars and householder

up at that hour drew blinds and cur- tains over their windows.

The object of the raid was to give Territorial Army air defence units a thorough test in realistic -conditions. There was no firing

the defenders concentrating on de-- tecting the attacking aircraft with their searchlights and on the accurate -ranging of their guns.

Observers" Success

The success of the defenders in *spotting" enemy, machines was shown early in the raid by the large number of reports flowing into the defence headquarters at Government House. Portsmouth.

The producers' ban on flying by important Hollywood stars and directors' is regarded as the sequel to the crash which cost the life of Will Rogers while he was at the zenith of his career. Fre quent air passengers are (top, L to r.) Katharine Hepburn, Euth Chatterton, Wallace Beery, Gail Patrick and (below) George Brent (L) and Clarence Brown. Beery and Miss Chatterton are licens ed pilots. Am Harding owns her gwn plane. Other flying enthusiasts include Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne and Hoot Gibeon.

AIR

DEVE LOPMENTS IN BRITAIN

The attackers had a number of NEW AIRCRAFT

Fuccesses. At 8.30 "bombsTM-in reality. Verey lights were -dropped on Southsea Castle, and

at 10-15 a single aeroplane bomb-} ed the dockyard and Guildhall without being caught by the searchlights.

CARRIER FOR

́BRITISH NAVY

Work Starting This

Month

At 10.30 it was reported that at 8,000ft. there was a belt of mist which prevented the searchlights PREPARATIONS ALL COMPLETE spotting machines above that height.

Liverpool, August 28.

On, sighting the machines the Constructional work will Observer Corps units reported, to start on the £2,500,000 aircraft visual plotting stations in the Isle carrier Ark Royal at Camme'] of Wight and at strategic points Laird's Birkenhead yard early on the mainland. When reports next month..

GROWTH IN EMPIRE AIR MAIL Largely Increased Figures Reported

London

Imperial Airways statistics shaw an increase of 70 per cent. in the number of Empire air line passengers passing through Croydon aerodrome last May, as 'compared with May, 1934.

On the Indian and Eastern route, the passenger increase was about 100 per cent. Mail -loads were greater by 60 per cent.

HUGE SCHEME

FOR TREATMENT

LATEST IN FLYING

WONDERS OF

NEW FLIVVER

TYPE PLANE No Control During Flight

PILOTING IS LIKE RIDING

A BICYCLE

(By A. Journalist)

Washington

Flying in the newest of the Bureau of Air Commerce, "flivver" planes is like riding a bicycle.

A World War pilot once said that he could take anyone with sufficient sense of balance to dance well and make a pilot of iltine That statement came home forcibly when, 1.500 feet in the air in the new bat-like "arrow-plane.”: Lynn Puleson, veteran air lines and burean pilot, released the controls and said calmly: "Take her over.”

Conscious of very few hours in the air, always as a passenger, the writer palled and pushed on the stick, timidly trying the feel of the ship.

ly

It answered readily and smooth- Slight pressure on the foot pedals turned ber, the banking being automatic. In either wide turns or cramped short reversals with the plane standing almost on. the wing tip, she moved steadily and unwaveringly.

Hardly Needs Pilot

The feeling of superiority generated as the plane cruised along at 90 miles an hour over

.

Washington was short-lived, how- IN AIR RAIDS Take your hand off the stick,”

China Of Clearing

Stations

NATION-WIDE PLAN ANNOUNCED

ever.

Mr. Juleson said.

The steady, even progress con- tinued without a waver of the altimeter needle. “Now take your Heet off the rudder" he ordered. Still the ship flew on as smooth. ly as before. Apparently it would have gone on until the gas save out and then landed itself.

No Spin

*

London. August 29. A scheme for setting up throughout the British Isles a A little later, evidently to prove network of first aid and "decon- that the ship would not spin. Mr. tamination centres for use in Juleson put it over the Capitol and, air raids, with casualty clear-pointed one wing tip exactly over

were received at the Portsmouth The first consignments of steel headquarters they were passed to for the keel have arrived, and CIVIL AVIATION IN ing stations and base hospitals, the tip of the bronze state of London, for measures to be taken there is considerable activity in to order defensive fighters into the air.

preparing and altering the Earth, the one from which the giant bat-i [tleship Rodney was launched.

Steel stage poles are being

SAILS TO EARTH ON erected in place of wooden ones,

CANVAS WINGS

Woman Parachutist's

Strange Feat

GREAT POSSIBILITIES.

and additional cranes are being put into place. A new shed has been built, close to the berth and equipped with the latest type of electrical welding plant

Electrical Welding

ENGLAND

Two Committees Appointed

TO TENDER ADVICE

is outlined in a memoranda Freedom on the dome. published yesterday.

Around

and around like a top we went.

It was issued by the Air Raid with that point the centre of the Precautions Department of the circle Home Office.

The scheme aims at the provi- sion, in urban areas, of first aid facilities for "walking cases" at la distance of not more than

mile from the place where the casualty occurs.

2

It is suggested that the e tablishment of these centres at intervals of two miles ought

deal with a

London,+ Two committees have been ap A feature of the construction of pointed by the British Govezz the aircraft carrier is that she ment to advise, the Secretary of will be largely welded electrically. State for Air on measures therefore to make it possible to The contract is one of the most nected with the promotion of civil Fluttering on two heavy valuable placed in Birkenhead aviation. -canvas wings like Daedalus of since the war, and it is anticipat

mythology, Mrs. Babe Smith ed that it will take nearly two manship of Sir Warren Fisher, Walker, Akron girl parachutist.

Secretary to the Treasury, is to recently thrilled an audience ofyears to build the vessel.

At the peak period of construc-consider questions affecting inter 10,000 at the Municipal airport for a glider meet, when she tion, 2,000 men will be employed national air communications, while on her. Clerks and draughtsmen the other, under Sir Henry May-

One of these, "under the chair-

sailed a few minutes with these are already working at high pres-bury, well known for his work on wings after having made a

sure preparing plans, specifica-Britain's road system, is to report parachute jump...

tions, and quantities.

on civil aviation at home. It will take into account the require- ments of the post office for air mails and the relation between aviation and other forms of trans- Iport.

FRENCH SERVICE PLANS

Giant Seaplane To Fly Atlantic

Though. Mrz. Walker's feat} made her probably the first woman Darius Green" according to air- port officials, Clem Sohn," nation- ly known jumper, used wings successfully previously. Flights of this character have not much basis at present other than a stunt. With the use of these wings, jumpers can Boat through the air horizontally for a few min- ates and descend diagonally, in- stead of dropping vertically to may be pioneered this year by the earth.

The Construction -*:

Paris

A North Atlantic Air service

POPULARISING

LESSONS

Truants Decrease In Austria

Vienna.

giant French seaplane named the Lieutenant Paris, which is now } The wings employed by Mrs ready for its first long fight. Walker were constructed of strong According to a reliable source this white canvas and were fastened machine, which has six motors and

Truants- have decreased in num- with clips to the under edge of is built to carry 70 passengers, bers here in Austria and mathema- her overall sleeves and over her will attempt a "boy" to the United tics has correspondingly increased parachute, harness. To test their States before Dec. 15.

in popolarity as the result of a durability in hea winds and to It was originally designed for new and exciting lesson being in- insure the wings clearing the service between France and Souta troduced into many schools-aero- perachute balloon ropes Mrs America but this route is well on plane modelling Walker tested them herself in the the road to development with *The aim of the new lessons is Guggenheim Airship Institute's smaller machiness and the French to ensure that in future wind tunnel before the airport are anxious to get in ahead of the keeps

Jump

WISE SPENDING

British Americans or GermaETS

commercial

North Atlantic

very considerable number of causalties.

WWW| General Scheme

is suggested that the organisation The general scheme on which it for a county borough should be

J

(Continued on Page 11-)

AIR PLANS IN SWEDEN

FORCE MAY BE DOUBLED

DEFENCE SYSTEM TO BE OVERHAULED

Stockholm.

A complete overhaul of Sweden's based is

defence system, including a con- Mobile first aid parties available aiderable increase in air strength, to be despatched to any place is recommended in a report pre- where air raid casualties have been) canted.

sented to the Government by a First aid- centres and deconta commission which has just con- mination centres- preferably com-¡cluded.

enquiry-lasting five bined to which persons with minor years. injuries, or suffering slightly from gas, or with contaminated clothing: can go independently for treat-posals, recommends that ment.

test seroplane'de jne.

The report, among other

anisation of defence should

Casualty clearing hospitals" to once be put under the control of which more serious cases can be one supreme commander. taken by ambulance, ne vla

"Ease hospitals," situated, as far The number of Army

officers

as possible outside area of special should be increased from 1,686 to danger, for cases evacuated from 2,112, and NCOs from 1030 to casualty clearing hospitals.

(Continued on Page 117

NOSE-DIVE BY GLIDER

Airman Alive After 50 Ft Crash

When his

nose-diver

1,375.

Air Force Increases The Air Force should

creased, at a cos

009, spread over 121 divisions

drst-line? aircraft Ito 257%

with 80 the

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