|
North Eastern Airways, Ltd.,
whose plans were outlined on the 14th of March 1935, inaugurated
their service between London, Leeds and Newcastle with the requisite
pomp and circumstance. Two Airspeed "Envoys" had flown
up to Yeadon on the previous day, and at 11.15 a.m. all was in
readiness for the christening ceremony, which was ably carried
out by Mrs. Anthony Eden in the presence of the Mayor of Leeds
and of Lord Grimthorpe, the chairman of the company. The first
two machines were named Tyndale and Wharfedale. The services
were carried out more or less according to plan. One machine
carried Admiral Sir Cyril Fuller and Mr. R. Somerset, the managing
director, to Newcastle (Cramlington for the time being) and the
Mayor and Mayoress of Newcastle to Edinburgh (Turnhouse for one
day). The second machine, carrying Mrs. Eden, the Mayor of Leeds,
Lord Grimthorpe, and sundry other notables, flew up to Heston,
where lunch was given. It was rather unfortunate that after a
perfectly good landing, perhaps rather far up the airport, this
machine should have run gently into the fence on the south side
of the new hangar. Actually the surface of Heston was just about
as greasy as it could have been, and the pilot's gentle application
of brakes, sufficient under normal circumstances, merely caused
the " Envoy " to slide slightly broadside with the
tail track well outside the wheel tracks. However, very little
damage was done. Permission to use Turnhouse aerodrome had, unfortunately,
only been obtained for the single day, so presumably the service
will stop its journey on each day at Cramlington until such time
as Edinburgh sees fit to have a useful municipal aerodrome. In
a week's time Heston will have D/F facilities, but the pilots
are virtually without help in the north, though eacti "Envoy"
three will shortly be in service carries Standard radio equipment,
and Yeadon is connected by landline to Barton, where radio facilities
are available. Hedon, Hull, too, will have its mobile D/F equipment
in due course, if this has not already been returned. When the
new airport al Woolsingham is complete radio may be available
there. The pilots are: R. J. Barrett, V. J. Wheeler (late of
Wilson Airways, East Africa) and H. W. Easdown (late of Hillman's).
All the maintenance is being carried out by the company's own
engineers. North-Eastern Airways are considering the possibility
of running a special series of services to Hamble at Easter for
the benefit of London yachting enthusiasts, and this idea may
be extended if it proves sufficiently popular. On the 29th of August 1939, prior to the outbreak
of war on the 1st of September 1939, the British government started
to implement the Air Navigation (Restriction in Time of War)
Order 1939. That ordered military takeover of most civilian airfields
in the UK, cessation of all private flying without individual
flight permits, and other emergency measures. It was administered
by a statutory department of the Air Ministry titled National
Air Communications (NAC). On 31 August 1939, all flights to mainland
Europe were briefly suspended, later reinstated under the organisation
of NAC. By 1 September 1939, most of the aircraft and facilities
of British Airways Ltd (BAL) were transferred from Heston Airport
to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, and to Exeter Airport. Similarly,
landplanes of Imperial Airways were transferred from Croydon
Airport to Whitchurch, while others were temporarily dispersed
to Coventry (Baginton) Airport and Exeter Airport. Imperial Airways'
flying boats were transferred from Southampton marine aerodrome
to Poole Harbour, Dorset. All the usable fleets of private air
transport companies were dispersed: North Eastern Airways Ltd,
from Croydon Airport to Liverpool (Speke) Airport. |
