GERMANY

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1929, Page 2

GERMANY

BECOMING THE LEADING AIR. POWER. (Tn tlie following article Major H. 0. D. Segrave, who lias just returned from Germany, describes the remarkable advances being made in civil aviation in that country.) (London Daily Mail.) That Germany is rapidly becoming the world’s leading aeronautical Power is a fact which is not realised in Eng land to-day. The first thing which strikes the traveller in Germany is the intense interest taken in civil aviation and the advance which has been made in this direction during, the past few years. To-day it is possible to travel from all the leading cities in Germany by air in comfort, warmth, silence, and safety. The methods of flying adopted are different from tlipse wo are used to in England. The comfort in the machine is far greater; the efficiency of the aerodrome service has reached a point as near perfection as possible. THOROUGH EFFICIENCY. Flying from England to Paris by Imperial Airways is not, in many ways, exactly a pleasant form of travel. The noise from the exhaust of the engines is excessive on account of the fact that the fuselage, or body, of the machine is

constructed of wood covered with fabIric, which does not keep out the sound to any great extent. The cold is often severe in winter the view obtained from the machines in use is not very good; and also the height at which our machines fly is often confusing to the passengers, as they do not readily recognise landmarks and towns over which they are passing. As one who has made several trips to Paris, my views underwent a eomplc.e change alter flying to Berlin. Everywhere the reaction I. got was one of complete and thorough efficiency. On leaving Croydon the machine rose to a height of 400 ft, which it maintained until we reached Calais, and then the pilot reduced his height to 150-180 ft at which height he flew all the way to Berlin. As an old pilot myself, this worried me considerably because of the fear of engine failure and not having sufficient height to be able to choose a field to glide down and land in. However, after a talk with the wireless operator niy fears were dispelled. LIKE A PULLMAN CAR. In all the machines of the Deutsche Lu.t Hansa there is a-wireless operator in the cabin with the passengers with an installed wireless and transmitting set. He is in constant touch with aerodromes and wireless stations, which in turn provides him with weather reports, so that he knows what lies in front of him. When we started to fly I walked forward and sat beside him and chatted to him. Conversation was made compartively simple because all the. big

Gorman machines arc of metal construction, no fabric being employed. The body of the machine is built like a Pullman car, with large safety-glass windows which can be lowered at will by the passengers. The body construction deadens nearly all sound of the engines, which in their turn are again silenced to a certain extent by the use of long exhaust pipes conducting the sound away from the fuselage. The wireless operator told me that danger of forced landing was eliminated by the use of three engines, any *jj|\vo of which can keep the ma'chiiie in flight without losing height should the remaining one lirculc down. These engine?!arc all of the low efficiency, low-rcvoliition type. They arc water cooled, G-e,vlinder in line B.M.AV.’s (Eadiselie Motor Werke), and run at about 1,200 r.p.m. which explains the secret of their reliability, as :they arc only running at a little over two-thirds of their maximum speed. The same bilots and the same machines always fly over the same air routes, another important point, because the pilots learn to know their particular sector by heart. Our journey to Amsterdam was without event, but at tlie time was a new and interesting experience to me on account of the height at which we wore flying. Towns could lie easily recognised by reading the names of the railway stations. - it was not cold because the interior of the machine was electrically heated throughout its length. The seats provided were leather padded armchairs affording the maximum of comfort.

On landing the machine was taxied to the marked square provided for it in front of the Customs house, and the passengers were guided'to the restaurant for an excellent luncheon. The same machine, which had been filled up with petrol, oil, and water, and examined by the Air Service, then took the air for Hanover, flying over the southern section of the Zuider Zee. The journey from Amsterdam to Hanover took 2J hours, and we arrived at Hanover about 4.30. LINE OF “LIGHTHOUSES.” After this the machine left for Berlin. It was now getting dark, and tlie efficiency to which the German service has been perfected was made apparent. Every four kilometres between Hanover and Berlin there have been erected large steel towers, painted red and white, with a revolving searchlight' on the toji flashing every so many seconds. The.se towers have been erected on all l.i principal air routes in Germany between the large towns, and arc used every night in order that the pilot may Id.get about his compasses entirely. You can see several of them flashing their lights ahead of you, so that you know that you are always cm your course. > Night- flying is a thing which has hitherto not been attempted on ain large scale by our own Civil Aviation {service on account of the dangers attendant thereto. In Germany, however, it takes place all the year round. The risk of getting lost is comparatively eliminated because of the control towers. On either side of the course there are red lights which indicate to the

pilot that ho is over some large works with, a high chimney, or a village with a tall church steeple, and that he must therefore, go up to a height of iiOOft. Soon we were passing over Potsdam, having left Spandau on our left. The lay-out of the town could be clearly seen by the streets, which acted a.s a mirror and seemed for all the world as though we were looking down on to a vast illuminated map. A few minutes afterwards we turned round, ami the wireless operator said one word, “Tcmplehof.” On looking down in Iront of me 1 saw in the distance what looked like a large black howl in the middle of a brightly •lighted area of streets and houses and so forth. The edge of the liow’l was a series of blood-reel 'floodlights shining inwards on to the aerodrome. The aerodrome buildings themselves arc all I)rightly lit and one could see perfectly. the-name of “Berlin” in huge red illuminated letters, the same colour ns the light of the aerodrome. The engines were cut off. At the same time the pilots ignited their landing Hares and the whole machine turned to silver in the light of the mercury flares on each wing-tip. AVe glided down and made a perfect landing, the machine being taxied to the covered entrance leading to the Customs buildings. The whole journey had taken 7 hours, as against 23 hours taken hv train, and the fare was nearly £1 cheaper.