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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0328.PDF
more definite in the shape of an assurance for their being able to carry on their work, which was of great value to the country at the presei.t time, but Mr. Tennant was not to be drawn. " It depends upon the value of the work being done. If it can be proved that they are doing good work, then I can give the hon. gentleman the assurance for which he asks," was his method of hedging this time. The seeking of further information by • i'.h.' wa.«, by reason of House procedure, smothered with "Interruptions," and so there was nothing doing. Now, although the interpolation was based Upon the working out of the Military Service Act, the real object, we venture to think, was more to bring into prominence the apparent tendency of the authorities to completely squeeze out the private flying schools, having, as they deem, obtained sufficient knowledge themselves to " carry on " without the civilians' help. Whilst there is more than one opinion as to the correct ness of this view, it docs seem a case of something beyond hardship that what is contemplated will practically amount to the confiscation of thegoodwill of these schools. In the early days of the aviation movement and until the opening of the war, the main supply of pilots for this country was chiefly dependent upon the enterprise of the few private pilots who set to work to foster the art of flying, by initiating hundreds of pupils into its intricacies. Had it not been for this good early work, which at the time was regarded as mere fooling by some who now are endeavouring to bring about the schools' extinction, the British Air Service would have been in a pretty bad way at the initial stages of hostilities. Since the war opened, the authorities have been glad enough to absorb all the piloting talent that could be turned out by the civilian teachers, and a very large number of right good examples of efficiency is available in evidence of their valuable services in this direction. Influence d by the growing requirements of the Air Services, those responsible for the schools at Hendon and else where rose to the occasion and installed as good a " plant" as they could evolve for the purpose of tuition, one proprietor going even as far as to get out designs for and manufacture an engine especially suited for the work of the 'drome. By degrees the equip. ment in cases was as much as quadrupled to enable pace to be kept with the nation's call for pilots and still more pilots. Then comes the sudden damping down of the drawing from this very valuable source of energy until it begins to look as if there has been a set purpose to put the whole lot of civilian flying schools out of business. No one can deny that there is work and room for every efficient pilot that can be made available. Prom their past work—and the work being done now is better than ever it was—it must be patent to all that these schools' " output " is of a highly valuable character to the country. It seems, therefore, a scanda lous state of things that all this expert material should be ruthlessly scrapped when there are such organisations to draw upon for feeding the almost inexhaustible de mands of the flying services. This is a side of the air question which, in the event of the Under-Secretary for War inclining to let this source of supply collapse, should have the very earliest attention of the Air Committee or whatever other body it is decided upon shall take hold of the air element. The schools are in perfect working order and capable of contributing largely to the supply of service pilots. Therefore it should be recognised that men of this calibre should be amongst the earliest of "starred" employ ments, and encouraged to redoubled efforts rather than being cast aside by an ungrateful Government, now they are considered to have fulfilled their mission sufficiently to enable officialdom to rub along without their help. The first aeroplanes in the campaign In Mesopotamia where they hare been used for carrying supplies to General Townsbend's forces besieged in Kut. 328
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