MILLION MILES BY AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 February 1921, Page 11

MILLION MILES BY AIR.

AVIATION IN BRITAIN INCREASE IN PASSENGERS. (Great improvements. in British air organisation to meet the steady increase in commercial flying are indicated in the third report on the progress of civilian aviation, covering the six-monthly period from April 1 to September 30, issued as a White Paper, and signed by Sir F. H. Sykes, Controller-General of Civil Aviation. In regard to commercial flying, the establishment- of regular services from London to Paris to Brussels, and to Amsterdam is recorded, and a substantial increase in the traffic is shown, a comparison of figures being as follows: — Six Months Previous Under Review. Six Months. Machine miles .. 689,600 231,600 Passengers ..... 32,345 9,808 Goods (tons) .. 86| 25f The aggregate machine mileage since May, 1919, is well over a million miles. The number of arrivals and departures to and from the Continent during the last six months has risen from 734 to 2445, and the value of imports from £131,615 to £376,606, and of exports from £63,743 to £165,300. The number of letters carried since the inauguration of the air mail services shows a steady increase. There has been an increase in the number of accidents during the last six months, though the machine mileage per accident is greater. Progress has been made in developing the ground organisation in order to provide for the expansion of services in the future. The report deals with the installation of wireless stations for telephony and telegraphy, the wireless telephone having been found of great assistance to navigation. Electric landing lights for indicating the direction of landing arc being installed at Croydon Aerodrome, and trials are being made at the same aerodrome to test the value of powerful searchlights as a means of helping to locate the aero- • drome. • It is noted that the transfer of the naval meteorological services to the Air Ministry has completed the unification of the meteorological services of the counirv. and the consolidation has proved beneficial, and further new distributive centres have been opened. The number of inquiries for forecasts has increased, among such 'hieing frequen/t Bequests from farmers for direct telegraphic fore-

casts. . , . A large number of new licenses nave been granted to civil pilots and ground engineers, and the number of registered aircraft for civil flying has aho grown. Navigation tests for pilot® are tO . strictly enforced in future, and revised regulations are being drawn up. Ibe physical condition of the pilot engaged in ' the regular Continenta'l services Inis been found, on medical examination, to compare favorably with that of the selected University athlete or o£ the candidate for a commissiou in ths R.A.F.