Night after night now the drone of acro~ planes continues ceaselessly round London rising and falling like an autumn breeze, while the searchlights dance stifle across the sky Jike @ giant on stilts, or mingle themselves in ever changing patterns. When the States Know no law but their own interests, it is Just_as well to take no chances, and 'Great' Britain's strength in the air is very different from what it was only so little as seven months ago.
One very satisfactory side of our aerial expansion is. the increasing number Dominion and Colonial officers now serving in the Royal Air Force. In the past financial year 517 men from all over the Enipire have been given commissions in the RAF. as pilots; and Australis, New Zealand, Canada, Southern Rhodesia and Kenya are working with the British Air Ministry in a general training scheme. Under this plan 304 young men without previous experience have been taken for training as pilots in the RAF, and between 50 and 60 cadets with "one year's flying experience in a Dominion or Colony have also been enrolled. Many more are coming of their own accord to take their chance of passing the requi: tests and of being admitted for training, "The Military Strength of the Powers," published by Gollancz, has caused a considerable Impression although the writer is anonymous; it is generally thought that he Knows his business. He puts Russia very much first, for apart from her unlimited man-power she is believed to have at least 10,000 tanks and as far back as in 1937 to have had over 15,000 aeroplanes. German authorities are quoted as holding that the Red Air Force is by far the strongest in the world, not only numerically, but also in the matter of quality. Numbers and first-class technique complement each other in the Red Air Force, and the Soviet air industry is served by' absolutely modern and progres~ sive scientific laboratory work. Russia also has the unique advantage of being able to keep her factories and reserves far out of reach of enemy bombers, Germany, the author thinks, should have 10,000 aeroplanes by the end-of this year. But other observers are not convinced of the efficiency of them all. The German machines were undoubtedly found to be inferior to both the Russian and Italian. France is thought to be unduly weak in the air but the defensive power of her Maginot line is enormous. Of Great Britain's alr strength no exact estimate can be given as it is expanding rapidly on a quite unknown scale.
Italy, being poorest of all Powers in natural resources, has tried to make up for it in the alr and may have 6,000 or 7,000 machines, But the author quotes German authorities as thinking that Great Britain's sea power could cut off Italy's East African colonies and leave them and her colonial army to an uncertain fate."
Recently Great Britain jumped into the Jead by operating the three fastest services fon the main European routes—London-Paris, London-Budapest and—London-Warsaw. 'There are now eight daily services each way between London and Paris operated by the great four-engined "F" class airliners which do the 205-mile journey in 70 minutes. There are now five of these aeroplanes in the Imperial Airways' ficer and they have a maximum speed of 225 m.ph., a comfortable cruising speed of 210.
Similarly on all round speeding-up along the 30,000 miles of Empire route has begun. Seaplanes leave Southampton for different parts of the Empire every weekday except 'Tuesday. On the Australian fight it is now two days (three previously) between Southampton and Basra, though for meteorological reasons it has to' be three days between Calcutta to Sourabaya. To Sydney takes 9 days, 244 hours. The return journey is 12% hours longer.
On the African flight Durban is now only 424 days from Southampton. 'The trans-Canada' coast-to-coast service has been inaugurated, and the regular north Atlantic services are only waiting for the west Atlan: tie seaboard to be free from ice. Later in the year, when the ground organization is completed a regular service across the Tasman Sea, linking Australia and New Zealand will begin, It will then be possible to travel the whole by air from one end. the Empire to the other, from Vancouver to Wellington, One of the most notable features of air travel is the rapidity with which ultra eomfort for passengers has been reached. At Waterloo station one of the tiny box-like carriages in which railway travellers sat in the carly days of railways is preserved. Even 40 years ago first-class carriages were still unheated, and many of the 3rd's had bare wooden' seats and were lighted at night by one oil lamp between two com= partments.
Now with only years of air travel to look back on, the {eriors of airliners seem to have nothing more to add in luxury. Besides their alluring seats, thickly carpeted floors, downy sleeping-berths, and every sort of convenience for luggage, books, tea-tables and so forth, the air is kept at even heat and pressure, special devices shut out] the engine's noise and vibrations and meals are served worthy of any restaurant on Tana.
"The ever-growing popularity of aviation is being met by the production of numerous Tight aeroplanes specially designed to be easy to fly. A reporter of the "Manchester Guardian" who had never been in an acroplane before, gave a vivid description recently of how he actually flew one of these machines himself, An instructor was with him to tell him what to do, but he managed. the take-off and-landing entirely himself, or rather, and this is the point of course, the' machine did it for him on his pulling the'
A notable newcomer in the featherweight category is the Luton Major, with a small 4-cylinder engine developing 60 lip. and a maximum speed of 100 mp.h. General Aircraft, Ltd., are working on two new light planes, the Cagnet of 130 hip. and the: Cagnet of 50. In these a tricycle undercarriage Is used, which undoubtedly makes take-off and landing easier, as well as twin rudders.
The de Havilland Moth Minor with 90 lip. Gipsy Minor engines also promises to be specially useful to flying clubs for the t ing of Civil Air Guard pilots. It is extremely simple in design, with two tandem seats and folding wings (economy in hangar] space). The Moth Minor is said to be particularly stable it must, the makers say, be forced into a spin; and if the pilot gets into] difficulties all he need do (provided he has sufficient height, is to take his hands and. feet off the controls and the Minor will vapidly put itself on to a level keel. Ils! normal speed is over 100 mph. and its! service ceiling is 16,000 ft.
The promotion to flag rank of Air Com~ modore Raymond Collishaw, deserves special mention. His career began under the Canadian Government over 30 years ago and during the War he was officially credited with the destruction of 68 enemy aircraft. In one week he shot down five hostile craft and thus won the Distinguished Service Cross, the first of his many distinctions. Since' the War he has commanded in many squadrons and stations, in South Russia, Turkey, Exypt and as Wing Commander of} the aircraft carrier Courageous in the then Atlantic (now Home) Fleet. Air Commodore Collishaw is universally popular' and his unfailing good humour is an inspiration to all who serve under him.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.