Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Vampire_pilot]

We are happy to announce a new connection.

Direct services from London to Paris by Imperial Airways. See 1st post.

Your start into the big tour into the colonies in unprecedented luxury.
The Hannibal class is one of the largest aeroplanes in the world. It is fitted with four engines, the total horse-power of which is over two thousand.  A steward is carried, and there is a buffet from which light meals are served during the flight.

[larschance]

A few years ago I was chatting with a 90 plus year old pilot who used to fly Handley Page airliners from Croydon Airport. His favourite was Heracles if memory serves me right. He told me of two events that could be recreated.

1. They had an engine failure off the coast of North Africa. The pilots looked for a suitable stretch of sand to land on, being wary of quicksand or soft sand of course. When they were down the passengers disembarked as the steward laid a table surrounded by parasols and chairs and served champagne and caviar while the crew tinkered with the engine. In the days of Empire there was a refuelling station every few hundred miles. He also mentioned that the hammocks that served as passenger seats caused much airsickness.

2. When returning from Europe they often had to fly up and down the English Channel waiting for the clouds to disburse. If they were short on time or fuel they would fly up the valley from the coast to Croydon even in thick cloud and rain. I saw the original logbook at Croydon Airport that had much praise for the British and Dutch professional pilots in the 1930s but not so much for the less precise other airline pilots. Sadly, that first International Airport was swept away and turned into a restaurant! Even the Tiger Moth that was hanging from the ceiling for over 60 years was sold.

[Vampire_pilot]

Fantastic stories indeed. Thanks for sharing.

re: "Hammocks", that must have been a different plane though. That's the cabin of Hengist.



Here's the route with fuel stops at basically every oasis. There's stuff for a few more legs in IL-2 maps.