FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0231.PDF
Flight, March 7, 1914. ^ ft First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 271. (No. 10, Vol. VI.)] MARCH 7, 1914. ["Registered at the G.P.O.T L as a Newspaper. J TWeokly, Price 3d. L Post Free, 3$d. Editorial Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegrams: Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... 15s. od. Abroad 20s. od. CONTENTS. • Editorial Comment: PAGB Mr. Churchill and the Naval Air-Service 23* A Heterogeneous Fleet 232 An Airmen's Benevolent Fund 23 Men of Moment in the World of Flight : The First Lord of the Admiralty 233 The Grahame-White Tractor Biplane (with scale drawings) 234 Some American Flying Boats 238 The New Wright Control 24° Royal Aero Club. Official Notices 241 From the British Flying Grounds ... . 241 Armchair Reflections. By " The Dreamer " 245 British Naval Aeronautics 247 Annual Dinner of the Royal Aero Club 248 Flying at Hendon 249 Eddies. By " Will o' the Wisp " 25° British Notes of the Week 251 Foreign Aircraft News • 25* Models. Edited by V. E. Johnson, M.A 353 The statement of the First Lord of the Mr. Churchill Admiralty, on the introduction of Supple- and the mentary Estimates for the Navy last Air-Service. Monday, is at once satisfactory and a little disappointing in relation to the Naval air- service. He began with the admission that we were very late in starting, and that a year ago we were very far behind France and Germany in aeroplanes, and were practically unprovided with airships. This is in marked contrast to the optimistic view taken by the heads of both services at the time of which he spoke. For far too long, while those who were in the best position to know of the developments taking place abroad, we had to be content with the spectacle of responsible Ministers averring, with hand on heart, that all was well and that we had nothing to fear from our policy of marking time. On many occasions we ourselves pointed out the utter futility of sitting with folded hands while our rivals went ahead. True, development was taking place at the expense of others, both in men and material; and we have been able in the end to come in, as it were, on the tails of their experience. That, however, is not the way in which we have been accustomed to obtain our lead over other countries in invention and industry, and it is correspondingly disappointing that we have had to gain our experience of aircraft at second hand, as it were, assimilating and applying the lessons initially learnt by our rivals. However little it may be soothing to our national amour propre, there is, it may be admitted, something in Mr. Churchill's dictum that it will be found that our caution and tardiness in airship construction will ultimately be fully justified. Materially, that may be so, but then we have been accustomed to take the role of pioneers in these things, and it does not seem in consonance with the national character that we should, like a timid horseman, wait for a lead over every little fence in the field. We fully accept the First Lord's statement that the importance of aviation is fully appreciated by himself and his technical advisers, and we believe absolutely in his sincerity when he says that there will be no looking back. Tremendous strides have been made during the year in the direction of setting our aerial service—or, at any rate, the Naval Wing —on a basis comparable to that of our possible enemies. Perhaps the progress has not been as great as we could have wished, but it must not be lost to sight that, as Mr. Churchill pointed out, the creation of an entirely new branch of armaments is not a thing that can he done in a day. Everything, to use the First Lord's own words, has to be supplied at the beginning—sheds, plant, appliances, and land, as well as the actual instruments of aviation. All the more reason, though, why the work should have been taken in hand earlier—as soon, indeed, as the recognition was first born that aviation was destined to play an important, possibly a vital, part in the warfare of the immediate future. Mr. Churchill did not take the House very far into his confidence with regard to our strength in the air, either actual or as compared with that of others of the Great Powers. All he said was that the Admiralty has arranged for the purchase of certain airships, details of which were given. He then went on to say that this programme (of airship construction), though considerable, is modest in comparison with what is being and has been done abroad, and we cannot pretend that it compares effectively either with French or German achievements and exertions. Having regard, however, to our great and growing superiority in the seaplane, and all connected with its development, he considered that the additional airship provision which the House was asked to sanction was, under the present conditions, sufficient. B 2 •
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
