The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1948 THE DAILY TIMES-GAZETTE Air Refuelling Brings Argument To Sea Airways By FORBES RHUDE Canadian Pres Business Editor Refuelling of airplanes while in flight is being tested over the Atl. antic, and is causing a lively argument. Proponents say it is just what is needed to make long-distance avi- ation pay; that it enables planes to start with light gasoline load and heavier payload; that parti- cularly right now it would enable Britain to use present.type planes until she develops the craft she is aiming at five or 10 years hence. They say it is safe and reduces some present dangers. But many crews don't like it-- | they don't think it is in the inter. ests of peacetime flying fo have another aircraft hovering about 100 feet from you high over the ocean; that it adds an unnessary hazard to a business which is not without hazards already; they term it variously "Operation Hang- over" and "Operation Trapeze." An important point is whether the average passenger will accept it as he has accepted other phases of flying, Whether or not flight refuelling comes into use in trans-ocean runs now, much research has gone into it which should be of future value. There seems a chance. it will find early use on some routes, such as Africa, even if only temporarily, It's long-range place may fluctuate with the direction of airplane de- sign. There is consideiable doubt that this is the time to use' it on the North Atlantic. Questions which occur are: Is it an undue strain to put on crews responsible for many lives? Will widespread use add up too many human. and mechanical factors which may break down at some point? Is it a performance of skill which calls for greater consistency than can be humanly expected? Flight refuelling proponents say "No" to those questions and point | out that there has not yet been an accident. Tested For Years Refuelling in the air as such is | not new, but its application to pas- senger lines, and widespread use, | would be. | § Sir Alan Cobham, famous for his | world flights in the 1920s, became | interested in 1931, and by 1939 it| was used as a method of assisted take.off for heavily-lgden flying boats of Imperial Airways operat- ing non.stop between Ireland and Newfoundland. Wartime develop- ment was continued in 1946 and 1947 and, last summer, with 11 round-trip tests between London and Bermuda refuelling was done by a receiving plane which came out from the Azores. Now it is re- ceiveing tests on the North Atl. antic. The tests are being made by Plight Refuelling Lid, of which Sir Alan is managing director, un- der auspices of the British Ministry of Civil Aviation. British Overseas Airways Corporation have lent a four-engined Liberator, with crew, which flies between Montreal and London. Tanker planes.-four.engined Lan. castrians--are based at Gandar, Nfld, Goose, Labrador, and Shan. non, Eire, and come out 200 to 600 miles" over the Atlantic .to meet the ship to be refuelled. No passengers are carried on the tests trips, but a few newspaper- men, including this writer, have observed it. We happened to see one of the few failures when our tanker plane had radar trouble and couldn't find us in an hour's search off Gander. We were not unduly concerned because we had faith that the crews would have a decent .respect for thefr own necks, but we doubt- ed that passengers would have been at ease while two huge planes hunted for one another in hazy conditions over the Atlantic. How. ever, this was a test trip to iron out "pugs" and in actual passenger operation. the search probably wouldn't have gone on when equip- ment trouble developed. If passen. ger confidence is to be maintained the operation needs to go off with. out a hitch, or else be abandoned immediately. . Failure to make contact is not in itself a-danger, because the ship to be refuelled carries enough gas- oline to take her to one of two or| three arpports--with reserve to | spare, + Successful Jobs | Later we saw three successful re. | fuellings--off Gander at 9,000 feet; and on the return from London, off Shannon at 18,000 feet and off Labrador at 9,000. With two re. | fuellings we came non.stop from London to Montreal in 19'z hours, delayed by winds. | The actual refuellings were | beautiful jobs--the tanker coming up below' to starboard, intercepting | our line with one of theirs, rising | above us, paying out hose, feeding | gasoline--all the while the two | ships with speeds matched seeming | almost to stand still through pro. ceeding at 175 miles an hour. It | takes about 20 minutes from con. | tact to breakaway. : | There seemed no hazard except for the one question of whether the two planes could 'be depended | upon to keep sufficiently apart | under various human, mechanical and air factors. Maybe the "miss is | as good as a mile" theory applies. | On one refuelling we thought the | tanker plane was about 70. feet from us and rather overlapping our ship vertically, though distances | are deceiving in those expanses. | The feeding hose is 250 feet long | and a separation of 150 ft. between | ships is regarded as desirable. If that distance is kept and there is| no vertical overlapping of the planes, it may be a truly safe op. ! eration. | At 18,000 feet we thought the tanker somewhat unsteady in the! thin air, but that she seemed ,to| keep a good distance. | i One objection from a pilot's' ~ |Hamilton Airman | Killed In Crash | Hamilton, March 24 -- (CP) -- |! (Ralph E. (Cash) North, 35, former | R.CAF. instructor and a partner | {in Peninsula Air Services was | | fatally injured late yesterday when | | a light plane in which he was fly- | ing alone crashed into Hamilton | Mountain. ! Sings for Crippled Children Urged As Solution | |For Cutting Costs | | Toronto, March 24--(CP)--All in- dividuals and interests need to be lin a state of mnid which will con- | | sciously resist inflationary pres- sures, Donald Gordon, Deputy- | { price levels. of other countries. . . 'Buyer Resistance | Since June, 1946, the United States price for coal has risen by 355 per cent, for crude petroleum by 100 per cent, and for fats and oils by some 90 per cent. SEED PLANTS BUSY H. L. Fair, agricultural represen- tative for Ontario County, reports that seed cleaning plants in the county are busy. With the excep- tion of some barley, there appe Vv PAGE FIVE eee eens eee | WHIZZER MOTOR BIKE Rafa Enjoy Life North died a few minutes after | (he was admitted to hospital. He | | point of view is that the operation | was removed from the "wreckage by | | takes the safety of his ship, crew | city police and ambulance attend- | and passengers out of his hands. ants who struggled up the wooded He just proceeds on course while the tanker formates on him and is | mountainside to, the spot. The aircraft circled low over the | responsible for holding proper po- | city for about 10 minutes before the | sition. Precautions against fire * include | the mountain, more automatic equalization of the elec- | people converged on the, area to two ships | view the wreckage. tric potential of the the moment their lines first meet --any spask going off out in mid- | survive. air. Also, the hose is flushed with nitrogen before and afier gasoline I is passed. "Weak links" allow the Navy Wanted Anchor ships to break away from one an. But Museum Got It other at any time it beccmes ne. cessary, An Open Mind | crash. Shortly after the plane hit transport department than 1,000 North's widow and four children Louisburg, N.8.--(CP)--When the ice.breaker We had an informal chat with |Saurel dragged up an old French | Lord Nathan, British Minister of | anchor off this former French fort- | Civil Aviation, to thank him for | ress it precipitated a tussle between the trip the Ministry had given us. |the Royal-@#nadian Navy and the We judged he had an open mind | National Museum here. on the matter but felt it would be at least a present aid to British | commemorate the battle between I the French and British fleets in Liberator was | 1758 while the National Museum far from luxury ship conditions |thought it should be preserved in frem which passengers would ex- | Louisburg. ' aviation if it proved practicable, The work.a.day perience the operation, though we were comfortable our oxygen masks as we moved | enough with | the Saurel to deliver th overcoat and blankets, plugging it |the museum, hit The navy claimed the anchor to | ¥ 3 The transpert department ordered Joy Easter Seal Sales. from one part of the ship to the --m™mmmm--m oo -- -- other at high altitudes--a bit mournful over the 'no smoking" ban. We were taken care of and kept posted by Captain James Heron | and his crew of Captain Arthur | Beatty, First Officer; Navigators' Harry Thompson and Alfred Blacklaws; Chief Flight Engineer John, Spring; Radio Officers Allen Finch and Frank Cox; and Percy Woodus, Fligit Refuelling Officer who also 'refuelled" his three | newspaper passengers with hot cof- fee, sandwiches and -¢chicken pie. | We think jt was Harry Thomp. | son who showed a nice sense of | humor and drama by sending back | communiques like this: | "Flying an airway we enter New ing our ggrival at Gandar at 19:23 { GM.T. Ahead of us our tanker is already moving out to take her position heavy with some 700 gal- | lons that we need to complete our journey." ! Forced To Return | Later: "The refuelling operation has been successful. We have sel cour- se for Gandar (from 400 miles over | the ocean). I will inform you if we are to return to Montreal." (We stepped at Gandar). | Another day: "Every minute | some 100 gallons of precious fuel | is entering our tanks. Looking en. | ommous above us in the clear morn. ing air, our tanker quietly, without | any contact beyond a thread of hose, is tending to our needs" ] Later: "At 11:06 GM.T, we pas sed the weather ship, our passing call on radio telephone being one | of her contacts with the outside | world of money, shortages and | Stalin." | Return trip: "Refuelling (600. miles out from Shannon) and] again we're alone in the sky. Ahead 950 statute miles awaits an- | other tiny specks of human friend- { ship and fuel to see us into Mont. real." We had 30 hours at Gandar, no hardship with B, O. A. C. acting as tosts. A couple of hours in the Gander terminal is worth a trans. | Atlantic trip in itself--a fantastic place of world travel cast in the | wilderness, with planes and people popping in frcm London, Paris, | New York, Montreal. BLIND PHONE OPERATORS London -- (CP) -- Experience in Britain has shown that blind per- sons can successfully operate cer- tain types of private branch tele. phone exchanges with a capacity of | noct more than 50 extensions. A special device which does not inter. fere with operation of the board by a sighted person has been designed to facilitate the work of blind oper. ators. GRANDADDY OF EM ALL Film boards in Australia, Great Britain, Inda and South Africa | were modelled on Canada's Nation- al Film Board. Offensive cough due to colds, smoking? Get this safe, prescription- type formula of proven cough-relief ingredi- ents long used by doc- tors. Not a narcotic. Let children enjoy freely. Gives quick, long- lasting relief 3 important ways: 1. Ease throat tickle 2. Soothe raw, irritated membranes 3. Help loosen phlegm | foundland by Stephenville estimat. | . | "Timmy" " All Star Easter Party at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Tor: pe 3 h y A onto, | been close to 4 % | Suniay, March 21st was tops entertainment during which over $9,000.00 ha Wars worth of Canada's top talent entertained on behalf of the E r S i [ « op e x o e Easter Seal | United States accounts for ly | Campaign for Ontario's Crippled Children, Headlining the bill was Mar- | half the world's total peas | jorie Lawrence, famed Metropolitan Opera Star, still crippled from polio, | Output and nearly one-third fo the | i# {who appeared without fee and at her own expense as did the other | World's exports it is no difficult to | artists to appeal for afflicted youngsters in our Province who are aided | understand why American prices | Outdoors America's thriftiest power transporta- tion. You'll go 125 ; : miles on a gallon of gas! It's a transportation treat that's hard to beat. Whizzer Motor with all necessary attachments - - - - - - $169.00 Complete Standard Motor Bike - $249.00 emi Deluxe with spring fork - $269.00 Remit with order -- or send 10% deposit, bolance C.0.D. PEERLESS BICYCLE WORKS 195 Dundas St. W. Toronte | Governor of the Bank of Canada, | y | . » | to be ample supplies of seed grain | Seriared Tuesday in an address to | in the county. es are Bi | Toronto members of the Investment | freely, with supplies in some sec- | Dealers' Association of Canada. tions becoming quite scarce, "I suggest that you get out of the a habit of thinking that thi§ infla- tion problem is purely a gpvern- -- [meni problem The time i past for mmployees of the Board of Works GO yerEmenL nic Y i ques- have started their annual job of { I os a Segme 1€ DEr= | cleaning up the dirt and debris left nia i OF €ar) Citizen, by the .winter's snow and ice. The i First, in our capacity as consum- | pusiness section is well on the way ers, let's complain long and loudly | to being completed. : about high prices. And let's "do : without a whale of a lot of things until the price gets down to a re- spectable level. And let's look over | our imported stuff and get along without it wherever we can." One of the obvious factors in in- £ | flation was rapid upsurge in prices in the/ United States follow- ing the ending of Office of Price Administration control in July 1946, In four years of war the general wholesale price level in the United States rose only 15 per cent, but in the last 20 months the increase had CLEANING UP STREETS a ta wae woo S-- t =S Fan Y-. / Earli Zz ring comes er Hey, BIg Come nT 07a b: Mild, sunny days meet you half-way at this delightful, hospitable seashore hotel. 250 attractive rooms, sea- water baths, "Ships Sun-Deck." Luscious food. Fireproof. American and European plans. Booklet. a ATLANTIC CITY Bagin o0r ia A Overlooking Boardwolk i hier, + Pennsylvania Ave. Overlo 9 Bi aul Acre, THE HOTEL OF MANY HAPPY RETURNS ci Gen. Mgr. a LB xs SE "When we bear in mind that the industrial | have such a powerful effect on the NEW CHEVROLE eH EVROLET / Here are the nation's greatest trucks --a com- plete line from light delivery to heavy-duty models that make short work. of the toughest jobs. Here are the nation's newest trucks with the greatest features and biggest values! Here is advance engineering in body, cab, chassis, fenders and hood. Come in, and see these Advance- Design Chevrolet trucks that provide -- TRANSPORTATION UNLIMITED! ONTARIO MOTOR SALES LTD. |86 KING ST. EAST - OSHAWA - PHONE 900 ONLY ADVANCE-DESIGN TRUCKS FOR 1948 HAVE ALL THESE NEW AND FINER FEATURES: NEW IMPROVED CHEVROLET VALVE-IN-HEAD ENGINE The world's most economical engine for its size--Chevro- let's power-packed valve-in-head engine is now even finer, with vital new features that assure greater - than - ever operating efficiency! NEW CHEVROLET SYNCHRO-MESH 4-SPEED TRUCK TRANSMISSIONS Entirely new, Chev- rolet-developed Synchro-Mesh trans- mission assures truck users of unparalleled new ease and effi- ciency in truck _ operation! NEW FOOT-OPERATED PARKING BRAKE Here's a revolution- ary new feature of » Advance-Design! The new Chevrolet foot-operated park- ing brake provides new, clear, floor NEW CHEVROLET "ADVANCE-DESIGN GEARSHIFT CONTROL Unrivaled new con- venience and ease of operation in Advance - Design * models with 3-speed transmission. Gear- shift is mounted on the steering column area! It's far safer-- to provide new effi- far more efficient! ciency on every On half and three- 'hauling job! quarter ton models. Plus « The Cob that "breathes"* o Flexi-Mounted cab « Uniweld, all-steel construction e Large, durable, fully adjustable seat ~~ ® All-round visibility with Rear-corner windows* e Extra-durable frames e Full-floating single and two-speed rear axles e Specially designed hydraulic truck brakes o Thorough cab sealing, insulation e Standard cab-to-axle-length dimensions permitting interchange of bodies . . . and MANY other fine features. *Fresh air heating and ventilating system and rear corner windows optional of extra cos' DONALD MOTOR SALES 300 DUNDAS ST. EAST - WHITBY - PHONE 304