FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0030.PDF
JANUARY 16, 1909. FLIGHT. 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. LONDON, W.C. Telegraphic address : Truditnr, London. Telephone : 1828 Gerrard. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. FLIGHT will be forwarded, post free, to any fiart of the world at the following rates: — UNITED KINGDOM. 3 Months, Post Free6 •„ 12 s. d. 1 8 3 3 6 b ABROAD. 3 Months, Post Free 6 ,, ,. 12 s. d. 2 6 5 o 10 o Cheques and Post Office Orders should be made payable to the Proprietors of FLIGHT, 44, St. Martin's Lane, W.C., and crossed London and County Bank ; otherwise no responsibility will he accepted. Should any difficulty be experienced in procuring FLIGHT from local newsvendors, intending readers can obtain each issue direct from the Publishing' Office, by forwarding remittance as above. NOTICE.—Advertisement instructions should reach theoffice, 44, St. Martin's Lane, W.C., by first post, Thursday. The latest time for receiving1 small alterations for Advertise-ments is 12 noon, Thursday. No alterations can be made after that hour. A GOOD deal of public misapprehension has existed in advance as to the nature, and therefore as to the im- portance of the Conference that has been held by the International Aeronautic Federation in London this week ; and, on the other hand, a certain amount of confusion has arisen in the minds of a good many people between this Conference of Aero Clubs and a Congress which the French Government intend to call during the year to enable questions affecting International law to be discussed authoritatively by the nations of the world. Clearly, of course, the mutually self-recognising bodies which officially represent the aeronautic movement in the various countries have no jurisdiction whatever in matters affecting the fresh legislation that will ere long be required for national as well as international use. But, for all that, the Conference of the past few days has been an event that will leave its mark for many a year to come upon the history of applied aeronautics; and will for all time constitute one of the early monuments denoting that the era of flight had actually begun with this year of grace 1909. Initially, the main object of the Congress, at the time it was called, was to adjudicate upon the relative claims of Switzerland and the United Kingdom in respect to the winning of the Gordon-Bennett Balloon Race in October last—an episode concerning which we do not feel called upon to comment in this column. But, as a matter of fact, that portion of the actual agenda paper; which formed the basis for the deliberations of the Conference, will probably be deemed of least importance by the majority of people who are interested in the new sport that looks so promising for the near future. Everything of a retro- spective kind at least sinks into complete insignificance •when compared with the matters of future programme and policy which were subsequently mapped out; and, unless we are very much mistaken indeed, the nett upshot of this London meeting will•-te-.to have advanced to an extent that has hitherto been impossible the cause of Flight, as an organised movement tending to commercial materialisation. First and foremost, the Federation has established itself on an almost unassailable basis as the consolidated body which will control the social and sportive side of aeronautic progress in all its branches. As such, it now forms an international bond of union and ro-operation between the national Club of each individual country and those of every other, thus conferring that power and prestige on a single recognised institution in each country which is so necessary for the organised and efficient representation of common interests in each land, while simultaneously ensuring unity of action in all matters which extend outside the immediate sphere of any one nation. There is, for one thing, no longer any doubt as to w7hether the existing Aero Clubs intend to act as real societies of encouragement for aeroplane and air-ship developments as well as for the advancement of knowledge and recreation by balloons; while of even more practical moment is it that a very substantial prize fund is in course of formation, that rules and regulations for governing future contests have been prepared in readiness for the competitions that are contemplated, and that already a special committee of inquiry has been constituted for sketching out some propaganda that will enable the aeronautic world to hold its own when questions of legislation are brought to the fore. From many points of view, it is well that this first serious Conference should have been held in England, rather than abroad ; for, apart from the obvious advantages which it is bound to have for this country in awaking interest at home, the Federation as a whole has had its hands materially strengthened by the solid assistance afforded to it by the Royal Automobile Club. One of the points which came up for consideration was that of the relations that are to exist between the comparatively newly-formed aero clubs and the powerful automobile clubs which have of course been in existence for quite a number of years; and one of the most significant resolutions which was adopted by the Conference was that of passing a vote of confidence in the French Aero Club as the aeronautic representative of France. Needless' to say, the recent avaricious action of the Automobile Club de France, in endeavouring to arrogate to itself the functions of the French Aero Club, was at the root of this question being raised; and equally evident is it, we are glad to see, that the Federation intends to throw its full weight upon the side of the smaller body. That the position between the Aero Club of the United Kingdom and the R.A.C. is in marked contrast to that which pertains in France is something for which we in this country have to congratulate ourselves : and if it means, as there is good ground for hoping it will, that official representation of British aeronautic interests is to be saved from internal strife and dissensions in the days that are to come, rapid progress is assured for the dawning industry. But that, after all, is little more than incidental to the subject which we have in hand this week ; and must therefore be left at that until a future occasion. The real point to which attention has to be drawn is that a most successful Con- ference, bidding fair to bear the best of good fruit, has been held by the Federation Internationale Aeronautique, and that those deliberations took place in England. In what has been said above, we have indicated the nature of the deliberations and of the decisions that were arrived at; but, for all that, we would draw special attention to the details of the proceedings that appear elsewhere in this issue.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
