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Daimler
Airway & Daimler Hire Ltd |
Daimler Airway
De Havilland DH.34
Daimler Airway livery red and white
In February 1921 those assets
needed to form a new business to continue Air Express were purchased
from the liquidator (Searle) to form what became Daimler Airway.
When tenders were called by the Air Ministry for civil air services
Searle and Woods Humphery persuaded the BSA-Daimler group to
make a tender. It was accepted by the Air Ministry on the 9th
of September 1921. Searle remained managing director. Major George
E Woods Humphery, an engineer and a former RFC pilot and general
manager of Handley-Page Transport from June 1919, was appointed
manager of Daimler Airway. Beginning in April 1922 Daimler Airway,
became the first company to operate de Havilland DH.34 single-engined
cabin biplanes. A total of six were operated, the first (registration
G-EBBQ), flying from Croydon Airport London to Paris. Managing
their aircraft as Daimler Hire managed their cars – each
to be used a minimum of 20,000 miles a year – Daimler Airway
set its standard at 1,000 hours per year per aircraft (later
raised at Imperial Airways to 2000 hours a year). This and other
control of overheads let Daimler run much more efficiently than
its competitors. Their DH34s were good reliable aircraft but
in winter heavily muffled passengers missed heating in the cabins.
From October 1922 until early 1924, Daimler Airway operated daily
scheduled flights from Alexandra Park Aerodrome Manchester to
Croydon Airport London. The northbound flight left Croydon in
the late afternoon and the southbound flight departed Alexandra
Park during the next morning. This timing enabled passengers
from the north of England to connect at Croydon with Daimler's
continental schedules. In 1923 Daimler added further routes from
Croydon to Amsterdam, Hanover and Berlin using their DH.34 fleet.
This route dealt with floods of passengers. Woods Humphery was
to succeed Searle (who was forced out) as general manager of
Imperial Airways in 1925. |
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(above) entrance to the new Waddon Aerodrome with 'Daimler
Airways' office sign on the right. Picture about 1922. |
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(above) 'Airco DH34's' of 'Daimler Airways' at Waddon |
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(above) Daimler Airway's early 'DH34'.
(below) another 'DH34' in the Red &
White livery of 'Daimler Airways'. |
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(above) DH34 Daimler Airways. (below)
1923 |
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(above)
Jack Sanderson started
as an airline steward at age 14 for Daimler Airway in 1922. (below) typical in-flight service on Daimler Airway in
the 1920's. |
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(above) Aircraft of Daimler Hire Ltd. |
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(above and below)
'DH18's', both transferred to Daimler Airway from Instone's in
1922. |
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