FRENCH CIVIL FLYING

Evening Star, Issue 19666, 20 September 1927, Page 8

FRENCH CIVIL FLYING

IMPRESSIONS AT LE BOURGET From the investigations of various French writers and experts there emerges the conclusion, common to all the critics, that Franco has definitely led; her early lead in commercial flying (writes a correspondent of ‘The Times'). It is still stoutly maintained that she leads the world in military aeronautics. One need not grudge her this consolation, though a candid critic might bo tempted to suggest that it is based rather upon the quantity of her material than on its quality. It is enough lor the moment that in the commercial field at least American .superiority is frankly faced, British superiority finds" qualified acknowledgment, and German progress is realised with something like dismay. it is true that Germany lias been greatly helped both by her central position and by the fact that Allied restrictions after the war lorced her to concentrate her efforts on commercial firing. Sho lias not been idle; and if any guarantee of her success were needed, it was provided by tlio treaty restriction which compelled her, until 1925. to make shift with engines of no more than 2LIO h.p., and therefore constrained her to turn out machines which possessed in a high degree the commercial desiderata of stability, reliability, and economy, and were not uselessly endowed with enormous power and the ability to accomplish military “stunts.” It is the 200 h.p. engine which has made this year’s Atlantic (lights; machines of medium power, long endurance, and high reliability aro needed for commercial flying. They have been produced in the United States, in Germany, and to some extent in Great Britain; they are still neglected in France. This is confirmed by a visit lo Lo Bourgct, the air port of Paris, and by a comparison of tho machines of tlio various air lines. The staple machines of tho French service between Paris and London are still the Farluan “Goliath” (two -150 h.p. Salmson engines) and for smaller loads the Sum! berline, or saloon, which lias one engine of tho same type. THIS FA PM AX “GOLIATH” Tho Farmau “Goliath” is a military, machine which was used as a night bomber during the war—nine years ago. 'The engines arc of a modern pattern, and the fuselage has been altered to carry passengers; otherwise tho machine has not a single featiii# specially designed for commercial service. So much iis tliis tho ease that on opening the door of the cabin one is coni'roll Led with a uctwoi'K of bracing wires which have to be unshipped before tho passengers can get in and out; a small detail, perhaps, but showing the machine as a makeshift, not a special design. The uuder-carriagc is obsolete; it depends for its .suspension on rubber strands in tension, a system long since abandoned by up-to-date constructors. Xo attendant and no fillings besides chair# and luggage racks are carried in tho cabin. In the same way tho Spad was a r«coiuinuissanco machine in 1918; its fuselage has merely been turned into a cabin, with basket chairs for passengers and a row of windows on each side. Accommodation is cramped, and the factors of safety and of endurance aro those of a military, not a commercial, machine. ' The Farmau “Jabini, ’ the only modern French passenger machine to be seen at Le Bourgct, is semi-military in design, and still in tho experimental stage, ft docs not inspire confidence. The fact is that French constructors have no inducement to produce commercial types. They exist by building military models, which are ordered in large numbers by their own and other Governments. Jn 192 G orders for military machines amounted to £2,000,000; tho-so for commercial aircraft to onetenth of that figure. Only a small fraction of tho animal Air Budget of the State is devoted Lo aeronautical research. The Government occasionally purchases new military aeroplanes, which it considers promising, and after testing them has them adapted to commercial use. The French air fines have appealed in vain to the constructors for suitable machines. They have at last turned to foreign concerns, such as the Fokker Company, and have then been forbidden by their Government lo purchase their machines abroad. Tims they have to be content with makeshifts, and their passengers, finding that the air lines of other nations possess machines specially and newly designed for their safety and their comfort, naturally tend to avoid the French lines if they can. LE BOURGET. The aerodrome at Le Bourgct is, mi tho whole; well organised, but it shows no sign of any preparations for expansion. It lies seven and a-half miles from Notre Dame and nearly four miles outside the Porte do la Yillette. Like Croydon, therefore, it suffers from its situation, and lacks the luxurious setting of the Tempelhof aerodrome in Berlin. The road to Le Bourget is of the roughest pave, and runs through some of the slums of Paris. The layout of the aerodrome is on a modest scale; permanent buildings aro limited to immediate requirements, and tho grounds organisation, though sufficient, is by no means impressive. The aerodrome and the permanent buildings im it, with the exception -d the air liner offices, have been constructed by and belong to the tate; shrls and workshops are rented by the an lines. These include Imperial Aiiways, the Fiench Air Union, the German Lufthansa, the Royal Dutch Air Lines, the “■China” (Compngnie Internationale de Navigation Acrienne) ; and the Com-' pagnie Aerienne Francalsc ; which provides short flights over Pans and takes air photographs. The commercial air port is confined to the east side of the s rer idrcnie. alongside the Paris-Maubeuge road; on •the west side are army establishments, "’ho most notable feature of the place

is the group of five modern sheds, each 60yds wide, 40yds deep, and about 00ft. high. These sheds aro built, even to their roof girders, entirely of reinforced concrete in tlio manner which is to-day in such general and such intelligent use in Franco. The sheds have steel folding doors, which are moved by electric motors, and arc warmed in winter by hot-aii-'blowers. Offices and workshops cluster about their mighty flanks. Besides these, there are six older sheds, almost as large, of brick and steel, and one sheet-mcial shed, which is used for small machines; behind each aeroplane shed is a. large building containing stores and workshops. TRAFFIC ORGANISATION. Traffic organisation is simple, and seems to work smoothly. Incoming aeroplanes are compelled, as at Croydoy, to circle the aerodrome once, anti-clockwise, before they land, in order to prevent' collisions. Elaborate arrangements have been made for tlio landing of aeroplanes at night, though there arc no regular night services ai present. A beacon with a range of about feny-live miles in clear weather guides machines to their destination; as will be remembered, it was not seen by Commander Byrd after bis Atlantic crossing. All obstacles are marked by red lights, and two mobile batteries of floodlights are used to illuminate the ground itself. Signals arc made from the ground by means ol colored lamps. Tho air port keeps in constant touch with aeroplanes by means of wireless telephony. Its weather bureau, also, is supplied with continuous news of the weather at given points. It contains two rooms, in one arc the wireless receiving sets; in the other two large maps are fixed upon the walls. One shows the state of tho sky in various places; the other the force and direction of the wind. On the sky map little brass frames about 2in square are fixed at such points as Croydon, Lympno, Calais, Brussels, Cologne, and Amsterdam. Into these frames arc slipped metal plates and strips which show the local conditions at a glance. A plain blue plate means a clear sky, a yellow plate means fog, and so on. Painted metal strips show the density and altitude ol clouds and tlio range- of visibility. On the wind map each point under observation carries a group of arrows on a common axis which indicate the velocity and direction of the wind at various levels. Pilots visit this room before starting on their (lights, and by a glance at the two maps inform themselves of the conditions on their route. TRAVEL PROCEDURE.

When they arrive at the aerodrome, cither from Paris or by air, passengers pass -straight through a small Customs Jlouse and out to the motor car or aeroplane which is waiting for them. Tim whole proceeding is surprisingly simple and expeditions. It is said that tlie “week-end habit” has greatly increased since the Paris-London air linos became popular, and this may be so. Most of tho passengers on this route arc British or American. it is very noticeable that the big liners of the imperial Airways, the size and power of which are justified by the heavy traffic which they carry, are the most sought after. They are extremely well appointed, and the psychology of the air passenger has, been well studied by their designers. For instance, tlio presence in the cabin of a smartly-uni-formed steward, even when he does not dispense drinks from a miniature bar, is reassuring to the nervous or inexperienced, and helps to make air travel seem a normal thing and not a perilous adventure. Passengers in machines which curry no steward have rather the look, and "no doubt the sensations, of fowls in a crate. Beside those who travel only for pleasure, the buyers and a cents of" London and Paris firms and business people to whom time is important are most numerous. A surprising quantity of luggage can be stowed in the hold of an _ Armstrong “'Argosy ” or a three-engined Hancl-ley-Rage, and one can believe that the slorios'of fashionable women who arrive from London with a dressing bag and return the next day with a cargo ot hats and frocks are not exaggerated. A photographer awaits tho arrival of each machine, and many of the passengers are not averse from submitting to bis attentions.