OCTOBER IO, 1940

305
HERE and
THERE
Indo-China Service Resumed
T
HE British Overseas Airways will
resume their service over Indo-
China, but instead of calling at Hanoi a
stop will be made at Tourane.
No War Department Factories
T
HE U.S. War Department has
announced that it does not manu-
facture aircraft and that its present
plans do not contemplate that it shall
erect plants for such purpose. It pro-
poses to look to the aircraft industry to
supply the aircraft which it needs.
Second Class Air Travel
U
NITED AIR LINES intend to set up
second-class travel on their route
between Los Angeles and San Francisco,
subject to C.A.B. approval. On
schedules operated with the very satis-
factory but now somewhat outmoded
Boeing 247 airliners the company will
charge 25 per cent, less fare. On other
services run with Douglas DC3S and the
new Boeing 307 Stratoliners the usual
fare will be charged.
Aircraft Factory for India
M
R. F. TYMMS, Director of Civil
Aviation in India, is at present in
the United States purchasing machine
tools and equipment for an aircraft fac-
tory to be established in India. Ths
factory will be privately owned but will
receive Government orders. An American
engineer, Mr. William Pawley, has re-
turned to the United States after study-
ing the manufacture of aircraft by Indian
operatives and also surveying suitable
factory sites at the request of the British
Government. Bangalore, Mysore, has
been chosen because cheap electricity is
available.
FLEDGLINGS : The first contingent of Jim Crows to take the 14-day R.A.F. course
of instruction in roof watching. In London the roof watchers have quite defeated
the nuisance raider who floats around in thick cloud pretending to be a lot of him.
Birds at Airports
TJ/ESTERN FLYING publishes this
rv American solution to the problem
of birds making their homes in large
numbers round about airports:
At one plagued field a vigilante com-
mittee was formed to raid hangar nests
and nearby gull rookeries, breaking all
the eggs. The birds simply laid more
eggs. The next year- the vigilantes
became statesmenand visited the nests
and rookeries with a saucepan and port-
able stove. They hard-boiled the eggs
and left the birds sitting.
Eire Tours
A
ER LINGUS (Irish Air Lines) have
just completed a very successful
season of Sunday flights over Eire.
Although civil flying in Eire is restricted
to the regular service to Britain, special
permission was granted by the Depart-
ment of Industry and Commerce for these
Sunday tours, which were of several
hours' duration and took passengers over
many famous Irish beauty spo1,s. A.
landing was made at the Shannon Air-
port for lunch and to inspect the develop-
BUDDING CRAFTSMEN : This is not a scene at an airciaft factory but trainees at
work learning aircraft construction at a northern Ministry of Labour training centre.
ment of that site. A Douglas D.C.3 was
used for the tours and the machine was
invariably booked out early in the week.
First Canadian Bomber
T H E first Canadian-built Hampden
-*- bomber was recently successfully
test-flown near Toronto. This should be
the forerunner of a long line of aircraft
which will be used against Fascism in
the months to come..
A 4\ Million Increase
ACCORDING to figures issued re-
** cently by the Department of Com-
merce in Washington, DC, the value of
United States aircraft shipped to Great
Britain during August was 4,250,000
higher than the corresponding figure
for July. Higher, mind you. Even if
the July figure had been very low
(which it wasn't), an increase of 4^
million represents quite a few aero-
planes.
Engine Overhaul at Mascot
/COMPLETE overhaul of the Bristol
v ^ Pegasus engines of the Empire flying
boats has been proceeding for some time
at the engine workshop of Qantas Em-
pire Airways at Mascot Aerodrome, Syd-
ney. With the other end of the service
being at Durban instead of in England,
it is indeed fortunate that sufficient fore-
thought was shown to establish a com-
plete maintenance base at Sydney. The
engine overhaul shop could not be placed
at the Rose Bay Base owing to questions
of noise and space, and to have it a con-
siderable distance away at Mascot was
the only solution.
The Smith Group Spitfire
T
HE group of companies associated
with Smith's Aircraft Instruments
have in one month subscribed more
than enough for the purchase of one
Spitfire, the actual amount being
^6,563. This amount came entirely from
personal contributions of the workers
and executives, and nothing was added
by any of the companies as such. This
is indeed a very praiseworthy piece of
work, and contrasts strongly with the
attitude of some financial people who
informed the Government that 2J per
cent, was an insufficient rate of interest
for money to be lent for the conduct
of the war against Fascism.