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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0692.PDF
[/OGHT AUGUST 3, 1912. The Assuming the weather conditions to be favourable, the early part of next week Trials. w^ see tne actual commencement of the War Office Trials which have been so eagerly looked forward to by the world of aviation. Whatever we may have had in mind in criticism of the Trials and the conditions under which they are to be conducted has been said long since, so that nothing remains but to generalise until such time as the results of the tests themselves are available for the intelligent student of flight to read their lessons for his own benefit and for that, we hope, of the future of British aviation. To begin with, the Trials have attracted a larger and much more representative entry than at one time many believed they would do. At that we are genuinely pleased, because it would from many points of view have been a very great pity if the Trials had carried with them even the merest suspicion of the feeling that the conditions had been so formulated as to make them impossible for the moderately cautious constructor to enter. As we have so often pointed out in these pages, it is absolutely essential for the future of the movement and particularly that public opinion should be worked up to the necessary pitch for insisting that our aerial defences should be put on a basis at least comparable to that of our possible rivals. Now, we can quite conceive that if for any reason constructors had refrained from entering their machines, the man in the street would have put the worst interpretation upon their abstinence. It may be difficult for those who are on the inside of things to realise that even now that more or less nebulous person—we say nebulous, because we have never yet heard a convincing definition of exactly who and what constitutes " the man in the street"—does not altogether believe in the practical possibilities of flight. It still remains to him something of a terra incognita—something very wonderful, but, being beyond his ken, something unpractical. Therefore, the effect of anything even approaching a fiasco must have produced a very adverse effect, for the public would have been very likely to have ascribed it to the fact that while the aeroplane is undoubtedly a machine on which certain circus tricks can be accomplished, when it is asked to do the serious work which its advocates claim it as being able to do it says in effect: " No, thank you." However, there is not the slightest fear of that, and we look forward to some extremely practical and interesting performances during the course of the Trials. Coming from the general to the particular, we are more than pleased at the very satisfactory entry of British-built machines. That there are so many entered and, what is better, so many actually present to take part in the very drastic tests laid down by fhe War Office authori ties, is somewhat more than gratifying. Especially is this so when we recollect that in no country in Europe has less official encouragement been given in the earlier days to the pioneers of a young and striving industry. What has been done to bring Britain into line with other countries has been achieved by purely private enterprise, unbacked by the State subventions, which have been lavishly forthcoming in the case of more than one other country, and in the face of public and official apathy. The more credit, therefore, is due to that band of pioneers who have stuck to the work and by their efforts have placed Great Britain, if not in the lead of the nations, yet at least well up in the front rank. We should be rather less than patriotic did we not express the hope that they will demonstrate during the ensuing days of the Trials that in addition to being willing workers they are no less skilled in their conceptions of what is needed in the design and con struction of the practical military aeroplane. And of the foreign participants in the Trials we need only say that if it should be that we have not learnt our lesson so well as we think and that they beat us on our own ground—well, we shall be pleased to learn from them whatever lessons are to be had for the observing. The Since we penned our comments last week *".e upon the Million Shillings Fund of the Shillings Aerial League we have had placed at our Fund. disposal further and full information of the methods by which the scheme is being put into operation and we must record our con viction that they seem to be well conceived and as well organised. We have already outlined the broad idea of the League's executive, whereby it is proposed to make use of the voluntary aid of the civic authorities in forming local committees to carry on the propaganda and bring in the shillings to the coffers of the League -—or rather, to those of the Public Trustee who has accepted the responsibility of holding and administering the moneys received. For the use of the local committees the league has issued a telling appeal to the public, parts of which are well worth quoting. The preamble of this appeal sets forth that " It is admitted that the British Empire, hitherto amply protected by its maritime supremacy, will in the future be largely dependent upon a strong aerial fleet for a continuance of this supremacy. . . . Great Britain secured her maritime ascendancy owing to her insular position, which was responsible for the development in this country of the greatest ship-building industry in the world ; but these islands are not so suitably situated for the development of aerial navigation as countries where the winds are more steady and where natural landing places abound. Britain is therefore greatly handicapped in the develop ment of a strong aeronautical manufacturing industry, and as the latter is absolutely essential, if she is to secure the same pre-eminence in the air as she has on the sea, it must be fostered in every possible way. It has, therefore, become urgently necessary to arouse public interest in aviation, and to offer prizes and awards of all kinds to manufacturers, inventors and others, with a view to fostering aerial navigation throughout Great Britain ." All of which is clear, concise and to the point. It is early yet to speak of success, but we learn that the League's initial appeal has met with a very gratifying response from all over the country. Very many replies have been received from those to whom it was addressed, promising all the help possible in achieving the main objects of the scheme, and it may now be said to be fairly launched. After all, ,£50,000 is not a very stupendous sum to ask for, considering the object, and we do not think so badly of our countrymen's patriotism as to doubt the success of the Fund.
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