No Interruption During The record of the four Puss Moth aeroplanes which make up Siam's Aerial Transport fleet surely deserves notice. They have maintained. uninterrupted service the company's routes were opened August, 1931, No forced land-Sngs or accidents causing damage tothe aircraft or injury to the passengers have occurred, nor has Any trip been cancelled or defaulted. A scheduled punctuality 584 per cent. has been maintained.
Results such as these would be noteworthy in any climate. 'They may justly be described as magnificent' in Siam, which, in addition to. wind and cloud conditions resembling those met in much more northerly Iatitudes, suffers from terrific, tropical rainstorms. Further, thong! the configuration of particularly in the lourable to long distance' aerial navigation, there is tone great. disndvantage—most_ of the aerodromes lie in typical riceing country and the majority Of them are under water for part
in choosing sites for the flying the year, Great care was taken fields andthe construction was governed by the need to keep them well drained as possible. but all "of the efforts made are _infuiclent to keep, them, dry.
Targe air wheels fitted to the Puss "Moth" planes. and. the slow Janding speed of the craft play an art, making ascents los cents. in, soft. fie quite safe, Actually, "in the wet monsoon period, the aeroplanes are the "only vehicles other, than carts, which can be employed. between Korat and Nakon Pnom, the resent. terminal points of the air me.
73,542 Miles Flown in First Year company's 73,543 In the, first year of working the
miles, operate Vice" between Korat, Prom with three intermedi hats 'The weekly distance flo yut 1,550 miles. Mail carried hed0,812 pounds, and freight pounds. Forty' passengers used the aeroplanes. The average the ground Neither the aeroplanes, nor their "Gipsy IIT" 120 Ip. motors gave any' trouble—tribute to their sturdiness and trustworthiness, and. to the efficiency of the star which, with the exception of Mr. R. Jackson, the operations manager, jo entirely Siamese. The pilots are ex-officers of the Royal Siamese Air Force, whence are also drawn the compahy's engineers and me-
That the Swe ier now in cou will carry" British aeroplanes is revealed in an announcement Hawker company, Following a demonstration undertaken" in Sweden by, the Hawker and Bristol concerns, important orders have been placed for the supply of Haxt and Osprey, biplanes, fitted with Supercharged, "Pegasus" ar-cooled 'A. number of Harts are now being Built for Sweden at the Hawker company's factory at Kingston-on-thames. and Swedish government factory Deginning "to ""construct similar planes under licence. All of them, and the" Osprey shipboard connaissance fighters will be equipped" with Swedish-built, Pegasus nits." Performance of either. type if" stated to she approximately the same ax, that "attained. by the Harts and Ospreys "employed the Royal Air Force, which are fitted "with Rollo-Roves "Kestrel water-cooled engines. Consequently, These fine "aeroplanes may expected easily to reach maximum speeds. well in excess of 180 miles 'Since it was first introduced, standard equipment. of British Service squadrons about three years ago, "the Hart has earned a high Fepitation for flying Jongevity. Those. the Swedish Service are' to be equipped for use with a land under carriage or with seaplane floats. The Swedish Ospreys, which derive directly. from the. Tart but are modified to. meet the: requirements of work with the Fleet. will be made still more adaptable by the iting "of eatapelting point, nab-Ting them to. be Taunched from a cruiser or other warship. A con-jerable amount of stainless steel is used in the building of Osprey aeroplanes, lessening the nuisance of corrosion due to the action of son water.
Osprey two-seater craft are the Jatest addition to the flying equipment of the British Fleet. They have already seen service the Mediterranean and a number Two Years: Difficulties
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.