APRIL 1932
Volume
1 Number 1 (1 of 88)
This very first issue of Popular Flying magazine features the first ever publication of a “Biggles” story
The White Fokker
Contents
This issue runs from page
1 to page 64 (64 pages)
Page 3 – Contents Page
(The co-author of Falcons of France has his name spelt wrongly
here as “Woodhoff” when it should be “Nordhoff”)
Page 5 – The Editor’s Cockpit – W.
E. Johns
(W. E. Johns first ever editorial for Popular Flying Magazine)
Page 7 – Aviation as a Career – Lord Wakefield of Hyde
Page 9 – My Most Thrilling Flight – Lt-Col. L. A. Strange
(This was published in 1936 in the book ‘Thrilling Flights’ as
the 2nd of 20 accounts)
Page 11 – More People are Flying – Sir Alan J. Cobham
Page 13 – Falcons of France – A Serial – Charles Nordhoff and J.
N. Hall
Page 15 – Travel by Air – “Hannibal”
Page 17 – Flying Must be More Popular –
Nigel Norman
Page 19 – The White
Fokker – William Earle
(This is the first ever Biggles story ever published anywhere
and it continues on pages 60 and 62.
The illustrations are by Howard Leigh (John’s brother-in-law
effectively).
William Earle was, of course, a pseudonym for W. E. Johns, his
first names being William Earl (without the ‘e’ )
In August 1932 this story was published in the first Biggles
book – “The Camels are Coming”
Page 20 – Women and Air – The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce
Page 26 – Growing Up in Aviation – Joy Muntz
Page 30 – Your Great-Grandson’s Aeroplane
– Beech-Screw
(Contains the quote “Oil may be getting scarce and dear by
then”)
Pages 32 – 33 – Centre Page Photo Spread – British Flying Schools
No. 1 Air Services Training
Page 34 – Howard Leigh illustration of The De Havilland “Four”
Page 36 – Why not 1,000 Miles an Hour? – Flt-Lieut. H. M. Schofield
(In 1931 the air speed record was 407.5 mph. By 1956 man had flown at 1,132 mph and in
1976 the record was set at 2,194 mph – although the Space Shuttle re-enters
earth’s atmosphere at some 17,500 mph!)
Page 40 – See the World from the Air
Page 42 – Told on the Tarmac – Officer of the Watch
Page 44 – Gliding – J. R. Ashwell-Cooke
Page 46 – Fit to Fly – Dr. W. T. R. Chapman
Page 48 – Round the Clubs
Page 54 – Air Stamp and Flown Covers – Francis J. Field
Page 56 – Model Planes
Page 58 – Under the Wind Stocking – a space reserved for Readers’
Correspondence
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