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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0221.PDF
Flight, February 28. 1918. ENGINEER? , First Aero Weekly in the World. ;^ t ~\:;; 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 CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 479. (No. 9, Vol. X.) FEBRUARY 28, 1918. [-Weekly, Price 3d.L PoBt Fr«e, 4d. and The Aircraft Engineer. Editorial Office: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. «. Telegrams: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... i$s. id. Abroad 20s. od. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: •- PAGE The Air Force Estimates .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 217 The Air Force in the Field .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 217 The Question of Reprisals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 218 The Medical Aspects of Flying .. .. .. .. .. .. 220 The Gentle Art of Propaganda 220 Honours .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ., ,, ..221 The Albatros Fighting Biplane (with scale drawings) .. .. .. .. 222 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices 228 The Roll of Honour 228 Answers to Correspondents .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 229 International Aircraft Standards .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 230 Airisms from the Four Winds .. u . 231 Personals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 233 The Air Force Debate .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 235 Aviation in Parliament .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 240 The British Air Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 242 Air Raids on Germany .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 243 Sidewinds .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 243 Legal Intelligence .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 244 Company Matters .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 244 Index and Title Page for Vol. IX. The 8-page Index for Vol. IX of " FLIGHT" (January to December, 1917) is now ready, and can be obtained from the Publishers, 36, Great Queen Street, Kingsway, W.C. 1. Price 8d. per copy, post free. EDITORIAL COMMENT. " Newspapers are an essential part of our war organisation."— Sir Auckland Geddes, Minister of National Service.) AST week will mark an epoch in the annals of the air, for the reason that for the first time in history the House of Commons debated a separate Estimate for the newly created Air Force, which thus assumes equality with the Navy and Army. From the purely sentimental point of view it is to be regretted that very little could, necessarily, be divulged as to the amount of money to be voted, or as to the strength of the new Third .. Tpe Service and its prospects of future Estimates. development. Still, at the same time, the debate was of the greatest interest and much information was given to the House, all tending in the direction of proving that the new move is being demonstrated, almost day by day, to have been a wise and statesmanlike one. Major Baird in par- ticular is to be congratulated on having presented the case for the Air Force exceedingly well and convincingly. That he was able to fully satisfy the House was easily shown by the almost total absence of criticism, either of the Air Council or of the methods which are current in affecting the transfer of the R.N.A.S. and the R.F.C. to the control of the Hotel Cecil. He was able to tell the House that the Ministry is working in the greatest harmony with the Admiralty and the Army Council. As he pointed out, the process of transfer is—and must be—a gradual one, but it is proceeding smoothly and, so far, there has been no vestige of dislocation in any part of the front. We have never taken the view that there was likely to be any such dislocation, so that it is the more satisfactory to learn that matters are in fact proceeding so well. Major Baird, having given this assurance, then proceeded to give the House an outline of the organisa- tion of the Air Ministry, showing the number of separ- ate departments that have to be brought into working order, and the duties assigned to each. He further gave some illuminating figures relating to the work of certain of these departments. For instance, he quoted the work of the Inventions Committee as a case in point. This Committee had, he said, in the last month examined no fewer than 1,100 inventions. Doubtless, the greater number of these were of no practical value at all, but it is as interesting as it is reassuring to know that the fountain of invention has not dried up and that the inventor who submits the work of his brain to the Air Ministry is assured of a hearing and of the investigation of his claims. The Air Force in the Field. Major Baird seems to have been in his happiest mood when speaking of the work of our airmen at the front. Not many months ago the Prime Minister spoke of aircraft as " the light cavalry of the air "—not, to our way of thinking, a par- ticularly apposite term, nor one likely to make a telling appeal to the minds of the people. Major Baird, however, coined a phrase which will live, because of its moving appeal to the imagination when he spoke of the " boy in the aeroplane." In the course of an eloquent tribute to the work of the air- men he said :— " The airmen were the eyes of the infantry, the gunners, and the staff. The accuracy and destructiveness of our artillery fire did not depend solely upon brave and skilful
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