Flight International – 6 August 2019

ightglobal.com 6-12 August 2019 | Flight International | 33

AIRLINE SERVICES

Royce Eagle engine and flown by a single

pilot, seated in an exposed cockpit ahead of

the small passenger cabin.

Flight reported: “An Airco 4 machine, fit-

ted with Rolls-Royce engine, left Hounslow at

9.10 a.m. ; it was piloted by Lieut. E. H. Law-

ford, and carried Mr. G. M. Stevenson-Reece,

of the Evening Standard, as well as a full load,

including a number of daily newspapers, a

consignment of leather from a London firm to

a firm in Paris, several brace of grouse, and a

considerable number of jars of Devonshire

cream, it arrived at Le Bourget, the Paris

terminus, at 11.40.”

DIFFICULT CONDITIONS

That Monday in August, which was reported

as being “grim with heavy rain”, was a busy

one with several flights criss-crossing the

Channel on routes between the two capitals.

“At 12.30 p.m. an Airco 16, fitted with

Rolls-Royce engine, left Hounslow for the

regular journey to Paris, the landing being

made at 2.45 p.m. Major Cyril Patteson was

the pilot, and four passengers were carried,”

reported Flight.

“One machine – an Airco 4A – left Paris at

12.40 p.m., and piloted by Lieut. J. McMullin,

with Lieut. Lawford and Mr. V. M. Console of

the Daily Mail as passengers, it arrived at

Hounslow at 2.45 p.m.”

Another UK airline – Handley Page Trans-

port – which had been created in June 1919

by the Cricklewood-based aircraft manufac-

turer of the same name, also flew its first

London-Paris service on 25 August, carrying a

group of Fleet Street journalists, but regular

flights did not begin until the following week.

The aircraft used was the much larger Hand-

ley Page 0/7 passenger conversion of the

0/400 twin-engined biplane bomber.

“The pilot was Maj. Foot, while the 14 pas-

sengers included Mr. L. A. Northend, of The

Times; Maj, C. C. Turner, Daily Telegraph; Mr.

E. A. Perris, of the Daily Chronicle; Mr. Harold

Begbie, Daily Chronicle; Mr. Tourtell, Daily

Express; Mr. Bartholomew, Daily Mirror; and

Mr. Crosfield, Daily News,” Flight wrote.

“The machine started from Cricklewood at

8.20 a.m., called at Hounslow for Customs for-

malities, was away at 9.20 a.m., and landed at

Le Bourget at 1.15 p.m. Owing to difficulty in

obtaining petrol the return journey was post-

poned to the following day.”

Hounslow Heath’s moment in the spot-

light did not last long. Although its customs

facilities ensured it handled those early in-

ternational flights, its grass runways proved

less suitable for passenger operations as fly-

ing machines grew in size. So, the opening of

the new London Terminal Airport in Croy-

don in March 1920 saw Hounslow “relin-

quished for the use of Cavalry” – only for one ❯❯

AT&T’s Holt Thomas predicted transatlantic links in 1920 but was frustrated by perceived government apathy towards civil aviation

Flight gave full coverage to the landmark

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