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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0726.PDF
1/LlGHTl JULY 19, 1917. ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE U.K. OFFICIAL NOTICES TO MEMBERS.Club House. The following prices have been fixed for the present by the Committee :— Bedroom (including Bath) .. 5s. each per night. Breakfast .. .. .. .. 2s. 6d. ..'. - House Luncheon .. .. 2s. 6d. House Dinner .. .. .. 3s. 6d. *• Billiard Room. The Billiard Room is now open for the use of the Members. THE FLYING SERVICES FUND administered by THE ROYAL AERO CLUB. THE Flying Services Fund has been instituted by the Royal Aero dab for the benefit of officers and men of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps who are incapacitated on active service, and for the widows and dependants of those who are killed. The fund is intended for the benefit of all ranks, but especially for petty officers, non-commissioned officers and men. Forms of application for assistance can be obtained from the Royal Aero Club, 3, Clifford Street, New Bond Street, London, W. 1. Subscriptions. £ s. d. Total subscriptions received to July 10th, 1917 11,842 8 9 Collection made at Church at the Royal Naval Air Station, Calshott .. .. .. 119 Staff and Workers of Gwynnes, Ltd. (Forty- second contribution) .. .. .. 997 G. H. Mansfield, Managing Director of the Aircraft Supplies Co., Ltd., 17, John Street, Theobald's Road, W.C.; Proceeds of the sale of copies of " Standard A.G.S. Parts for Aircraft," by Bernard Isaac (Fourth contribution, making a total of £17 5s. 6d.) '40 6 Air Mechanic .. .. .. .. .. 050 Total, July 17th, 1917 11,857 5 7 B. STEVENSON, Assistant Secretary. 3, Clifford Street, New Bond Street, W. 1. THE STUPENDOUS EXPANSION OF AVIATION. IN the course of an interview on July 1 ith. Dr. Addison, M.P., the Minister of Munitions, gave an outline of the development of the aircraft industry, emphasising its vital importance by the statement that it was one of the biggest tasks that the Ministry had to face. Since January last, when the Ministry became responsible to the Flying Services in matters of supply, the programme had been steadily and largely increased. It was still expanding, and no limit could be set to it till we had a sufficiency of aeroplanes and sea- planes both for attack and for defence. " The single fact," said Dr. Addison, "that no fewer than 1,000 factories are engaged on some process or other connected with the con- struction and equipment of the flying machine proves the magnitude of the work we have in hand. As for output, it is increasing by leaps and bounds. If for the purposes of ;. comparison you put the number of aeroplanes produced in May, 1916, at 100, then in May of this year the number rose to rather more than 300. Even this rate of increase is being accelerated. The output in December will be twice what it was in April, and the December total will be far surpassed in succeeding months. The number of aeroplane engines turned out monthly has been more than doubled this year already, and this total will be doubled again before the close of the year. " A growing number of workers are employed in the aero- plane factories, the increase in the last five months being 25 per cent, on the previous total. Along with this, the replacement of skilled workers by women has gone on, the dilution percentage having risen from 19 to 37 per cent. To meet the demand for labour, special schools have been started all over the country, where a training of about two months qualifies a pupil to carry out some simple process in aeroplane manufacture. About a hundred qualified workers are supplied each week under this system. Yet the demand is not satisfied. More and more women are wanted, both in London and in the provinces ; and women of good education and good physique can render the nation no better service at the present time than by undergoing the training which is offered in these schools. The Ministry M.P. War Committee and the Air Raid Question. THE Unionist Committee last week passed the following resolution :— " The Committee expresses its satisfaction that the dis- cretion of the military commanders to use aircraft in what- ever way may conduce to the successful prosecution of the war is not limited by any refusal of the Government to sanction retaliation for air raids, and urges the Government to allay public uneasiness by publishing information to the fullest possible extent of the action taken by British and French aircraft against areas behind the German lines." At their meeting on July nth at the House of Commons, Sir Ivor Phillips presiding, the Liberal War Committee passed the following resolutions :— " 1. That since the German Government are clearly determined to treat London as a military objective for aerial attack, it is the duty of His Majesty's Government to recog- nise the situation, and to take the necessary steps for the effective defence of the capital. " 2. That this Committee considers that a further debate on the air position should be held in public on an early day." of Munitions has had special difficulties to overcome to reach the present degree of output and efficiency. The technical development of the aeroplane had presented peculiar problems. New types are continually being evolved. It has never been possible to say, ' This is the final form the •aeroplane will assume,' and lay constructional plans accord- ingly. "Those responsible for the manufacture of our flying machines have always had to allow for a new invention coming along and revolutionising all their projects. Speed, climbing power, armament, have continually increased and improved since the outbreak of the war. An engine that can develop up to 350 h.p., for example, and a single-seater scout able to travel at 150 m.p.h., are built on very different lines to their prototypes of August, 1914. Where there is no finality there is a limit to standardisation, except in small details, and the problem of supervising the manufacture of our aeroplanes is correspondingly complicated. " The variety of materials used in aeroplane construction, again, has been a great source of anxiety to the Ministry. Linen, timber, chemicals for tightening the fabric of wings, alloy steel, light alloys, thin tubes, are among the essential requirements of the industry. Even if these were wanted in normal quantities there would be difficulty in getting enough in view of other necessities. But the needs of the aeroplane programme are enormous, almost passing belief. For our present programme of construction more spruce is wanted than the present annual output of the United States, more mahogany than Honduras can supply—and Honduras is accustomed to supply the requirements of the world. Besides this, all the linen of the type required made in Ireland, the home of linen industry, and the whole of the alloyed steel that England can produce can be used. As for flax, to meet the needs of the Air Service, the Government has actually to provide the seed from which to grow the plant essential for its purposes. Still, despite the magnitude of the demands, all the needs of aeroplane manufacture will be met. The programme before the Ministry of Munitions is that of a maximum production." Sir Vansittart Bowater and Air Raid Protection. AT a meeting of the City Court of Aldermen last week, when the question of providing adequate defence against air raids was the main question, Sir Vansittart Bowater said that it was well known that early in 1914 there was not a single anti-aircraft gun in the City, and he, as Lord Mayor, approached the Admiralty, with the result that one gun was erected, with promises of more. These were duly put up, but to his surprise and the surprise of others they were removed by Lord French's orders last year. He (the speaker) went to Col. Sir Charles Wakefield, the then Lord Mayor, and asked him to make some representations on the matter. Sir Charles sent the letter to Lord French, who stated that the outer defences of London were quite efficient. " The citizens will want to know," continued Sir Vansittart, " why those guns were removed, and if they had been here what would have been the effect during the recent air raid. It was well known that the German aircraft had got through the outer defences of London, and that we had not got a gun in the City to bring them down. It was a matter that that Court should take up very seriously, and insist on the Govern- ment doing something further for the protection of the City." 726
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