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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0176.PDF
. • •> fycfiT] THE DUTY OF SIGNS are not lacking that an admirable start has already been made this year in the cause that we all have at heart. The Exhibition at Olympia has just opened under the happiest of auguries, in view not only of Royal Patronage, but hardly less satisfactorily also in view of the substantial all-British commercial support that is now in evidence to a remarkable degree. Similarly, too, an added dignity was bound to pervade the general atmosphere at the Show, in view of the proud position to which the national Club has been enabled to aspire, by virtue of the graciousness of the Sovereign; while last to be mentioned, but far from least in importance from a coldly industrial standpoint, the outlook has been rendered doubly favourable by the pronouncement which was made by Mr. Haldane in the House of Commons on Monday. Briefly reiterating the upshot of the above-mentioned potent aids to progress, the rapidly growing industry of flight now has the sympathetic support of the highest personage in the land ; its importance to the military and naval authorities of the country has at length been publicly acknowledged with no uncertain voice by one of the most prominent Cabinet Ministers of the time j and then, too, as against the mere handful of British firms and experimenters who were in evidence at Olympia a twelvemonth ago, the country can count upon numbers of prominent firms of recognised standing, besides having cognisance of dozens of British attempts by pioneers possessing originality as well as all other attributes to enterprise. But, admirable in every way as it is to know that such official progress is in store, as, for instance, the formation of a regular Aeronautic Corps by the War Office, and that numerous manufacturing concerns are busily at work, yet it is just as well that readers of this journal should recognise the direction in which they themselves can render extremely valuable service. All the officially conducted experiments in the world, and all the manufacturing preparations that it is possible to provide in the factories throughout the land, are powerless alone to place the practical side of flight on the basis that it must achieve ere the new industry can really claim prosperity. It is those who are to benefit by the existence of machines rendering possible human flight that must teach themselves to acquire the ne*w knowledge and the new instincts which can alone fit them to utilise the aeroplane and the dirigible when these are ready to their hand; and there is no greater mistake than to suppose that mere reading about the exploits of pioneers and of the more enterprising of a small section of the community, will fit the progressive public for the new sport and the new form of locomotion that is shortly to be at their disposal. Frankly, one of the most serious questions of the day for the leading spirits throughout the entire country to ponder over (and to act upon when any solution has been found), is how best to make it the fashion for the classes and the masses to take up aviation with the same avidity that they take up relatively senseless " rages " such as those connected with personal costume or with pastimes of the roller skating kind. In all the more important centres, clubs are, it is true, rapidly springing up either for facilitating co-operation between prospective owners of full-sized aeroplanes or between those who are almost equally wisely turning their attention to the construction and flying of models. It is little more than a platitude to say that competition is the MARCH 12, 1910. THE PROVINCES. one and only certain way by which permanent interest and participation can be assured along any such lines as those. Just as a month or two ago we suggested Flight-Golf as a new game that would tend to this end by popularising the art of flying working models, so now we feel the time is ripe for bringing forward a parallel proposal relating to full - sized flying machines. Briefly outlined, the idea is that as many of the principal towns as possible in the United Kingdom should be urged to subscribe for, and thereby to own, an aeroplane of their own that might be built and tested in as public a manner as possible locally, and then be entered in the name of the town in suitable events at the big aviation meetings that are for some little time to come inevitable fixtures. There are very few towns indeed that do not possess the necessary en thusiasm and talent for enabling everything con nected with such a task to be performed locally, and in every case the aero club of the district could be reckoned upon to take the matter up—first of all as regards settling the designs, then as regards obtaining the necessary materials, often for the practical manual work of construct ing, and then as custodians and manipulators. Hono rary services such as these would not only be their own reward to the principal actors, owing to the personal experience gained in the pursuit of an altogether delightful hobby, but even more important still they would have such an educative influence throughout the vicinity that the way for the aeronautic industry in the near future would effectively be paved without loss of time. It might, perhaps, be objected that the local clubs themselves ought to find the necessary funds from the pockets of their own members to carry out any such propaganda as that which we are suggesting. Partly there would be an instinctive disinclination on the part of the local leaders of the aeronautic movement to ask for funds from their own friends and fellow townsfolk. We are inclined, however, to emphasise the overwhelming import ance from the point of view that we have in mind of per mitting the general public to put their hands in their pockets and to obtain a proprietary right in the various machines under construction, and consequently we realise that the initiative in this matter ought perhaps to be taken up and given a start by some national body that could make an impersonal appeal for the funds and thereby act as an independent go-between. Apparently this task would, in view of the mutual agreement now in force between the Royal Aero Club, the Aeronautical Society, and the Aerial League, fall upon the last-mentioned body, and we therefore venture to draw their direct attention to this matter as well as that of all the provincial clubs that are already in existence. Partly it will be observed that our object is to create a strong amateur element in this country and thereby neutralise to a great extent the professionalism that may well, if we are not careful, jeopardise the success of aviation meetings long before that type of event shall cease to be of value. Chiefly, however, we regard the idea as being a means of interesting as large a circle of the British public as possible in the shortest possible time, thereby winning for the cause the goodwill of everyone, instead of running a risk of having progress jeopardised a few years hence by any anti-flight section of the general public, comparable with the anti-motoring section that has had to be contended with by the automobile. 172
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