Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways Ltd.. was founded in 1924, a British aerospace company with a focus on international shipping services. In 1939 it was nationalized and merged with the domestic company British Airways British Overseas Airways Corporation ( BOAC ).
History
Foundation
The foundation was preceded by a recommendation of a government commission ( the Hambling Committee) in 1923, according to which the most important at that time existing in the UK aviation companies should form themselves into a society to be ready for international air traffic. Imperial Airways sat down on 1 April 1924, the company Handley Page Transport Ltd. , Instone Air Line Ltd.. , Daimler Airway and British Marine Air Navigation Company Ltd.. together. Among the acquired are aircraft ( three Handley Page W.8B, a Vickers Vimy, de Havilland DH34 seven, and two flying boats of the type Supermarine Sea Eagle ) was a part obsolete or no longer usable.
The basis of the land-based aircraft was in the London Borough of Croydon. The tasks in addition to the air links between England and the rest of Europe was one particular connection within the former, long-range British Empire.
1920s
On April 26, 1924 took a de Havilland DH34 of flight operations with a daily service between London and Paris. Then came first from May 1, the routes Southampton -Guernsey, from 3 May then London - Brussels - Ostend and Cologne as well as the routes London -Basel - Zurich and London via Paris to the latter was flown only in the summer months.
From 1 October 1925, the first non-European connection could be taken within the then British Empire in operating the route Cairo - Karachi.
1926, the fleet with a Handley Page W.9, four W.10 and the new Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was greatly expanded.
In January 1927 Imperial Airways set up a connection between Cairo and Basra. Since the navigation was very difficult over the desert area, previously specifically a clearly recognizable furrow was plowed through the desert floor between Palestine and Baghdad.
On May 1, 1927 was accompanied by a Argosy on the London - Paris the first line that includes its own name - " Silver Wing " - in operation. Here, a meal during the flight has already been offered.
In December of the same year they took on an air route between Egypt and India. For the especially for overseas connections commissioned de Havilland Hercules was used.
Gradually, the lines were further expanded, and on March 30, 1929 Imperial Airways took a flying boat of type Short Calcutta on the route London- Karachi the first stage of an air link between England and India in operation.
1930
The first part of the route between Cairo and Cape Town was opened on February 28, 1931 with a weekly flight between London and Tanganyika. On January 20, 1932 post could be flown to Cape Town. As of April 27, 1932, the passenger service followed on this route.
On April 1, 1931 tentatively launched an airmail shipping between London and Australia. In the Dutch East Indies an Australian aircraft took over the post and brought it to Sydney on April 29.
After the purchase of eight four-engined Handley Page HP42 Imperial extended the offer significantly. The comfortably equipped aircraft full meals were served during the flight. 1933 extended the airline connections in Asia to Rangoon and Singapore.
On January 18, 1934 Imperial Airways and Qantas Qantas Empire Airways jointly founded Ltd..
With the de Havilland DH86 more routes in Europe were opened as London -Brussels -Cologne- Prague -Budapest from 1935. 1936 was followed by other compounds in Africa and to Penang and Hong Kong. In addition, the Short S.23 Empire took over flights in the Mediterranean. From 1937, the Mediterranean on the route Southampton -Marseille- Rome - Brindisi -Athens- Alexandria was served by direct flights. Southampton since served as the basis for all flights in the Empire, while Croydon became the starting point for flights within Europe.
On June 16, 1937 Imperial opened in conjunction with Pan American Airways their first Atlantic connection from Bermuda to New York with the Short S.30.
1938 there was the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign and the De Havilland Albatross further modernization through which some records were broken in the connection of European capitals.
To cope with the North Atlantic route, Imperial Airways was experimenting with a kind of mistletoe team, called Short Mayo. This consisted of a four-engined flying boat, the " Maia " on which a smaller seaplane, the "Mercury ," was mounted. After the Maia had reached a certain altitude, the Mercury left her to cope with the rest of the way alone. On July 21, 1938, the first flight took place in this way, in which the Mercury landed in Montreal and flew on after unloading by newspapers and photos to New York, where she landed after almost 25 hours. The second method tested was the air refueling from a converted Handley Page Harrow. As the first so fueled flying boat arrived in New York, the Second World War had just begun.
1939 Imperial Airways had announced the development of a new aircraft, the Short S.26 in order. When the machines of this type were ready, they found themselves already in the war. The aircraft were therefore equipped II Vierlings MG stands with three Boulton Paul BPA Mk and used as long- range reconnaissance aircraft for the RAF. During the same year, Imperial Airways finally went along with British Airways Ltd.. in the British Overseas Airways Corporation ( BOAC ) on.
Fleet
Administration Building
The last administration building of the Imperial Airways was in 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road in London ( Westminster SW1) and in 1939 was based. Before that still stands the sculpture Speed Wings Over The World by Eric R. Broadbent with the three-dimensional emblem of Imperial Airways.