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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0001.PDF
Flight, January 2, 1919 First Aero Weekly in the World Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER A Journal devoted to the Interest*, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 523. (No. 1, Vol. XI.) JANUARY 2, 1919 rWeekly, Price 6d. L Poet Free, 7d. FligHt and The Aircraft Engineer Editorial Office: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. a. Telegrams: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone: Garrard iS*8. Annual Subscription Rates, Pott Free: United Kingdom its td. Abroad.. .. 33X. od. These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under war conditions. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: PAGE Lord Weir on the Future.. * No State Monopoly! .. .. .. 2 International Regulation of Flying .. .. 2 Domestic Legislation .. -• 2 One Method of Correcting a Mistake .. 4 The Liberty Engine 6 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices n Performance of Aeroplanes : 13 Lord Weir on the Future of Flying 16 Airisms from the Four Winds .. .. 8 Medical Notes .. .. .. . .. .. 20 Personals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..21 The Report of the Civil Aerial Transport Committee .. 22 The Royal Air Force .. . .. .. »7 Side Winds 3 Company Matters 0 EDITORIAL COMMENT |N a long speech delivered at Manchester before the holidays, Lord Weir made many interesting and withal reassur ing statements with regard to the future of commercial aviation. We regret exceedingly that owing to the incidence of the Christmas holidays, and the consequent necessity of going to press early with last week's issue of " FLIGHT," it was impossible for us to reproduce or to comment on the speech. However, it was so °on the "^P01"^111 tnat we feel it is very much Future a case of better late than never, though we feel that an apology is due to our readers for our seeming lack of enterprise. Describing himself as an enthusiastic optimist, he nevertheless warned his audience, and through them the whole of the country, that at this highly critical period of the his tory of the new transport nothing but harm can come from not facing the facts, while the future might be gravely prejudiced by impatience for showy results. The success of the operational side of aerial transport, he pointed out, will depend upon measures which cannot be carried out in five minutes. These measures must be : The development of navigational instruc tion by really sound and severe training ; the crea tion of an energetic meteorological service, specially designed to help air transport ; the adoption of im proved systems of wireless telegraphy and telephony, and the adoption of a first-class system of day and night marking of landing places and aerodromes. If these measures are taken, then he was quite clear that in five years' time there will be no more diffi culty in navigating an aeroplane over a long course in foggy or otherwise bad weather than there is now in navigating a ship. If these measures are not taken, if hard and continuous experimental study is not put into the problems yet unsolved, then trouble, delay and discouragement will certainly ensue. It is just as well that these remarks of the Air Minister should be taken well to heart. " FLIGHT " has invariably pointed out that great as the pos sibilities of the future undoubtedly are, we must have patience—even infinite patience—if we are to reap the full fruits of the enterprise of the past and that which must be put into the future if we are to reach the full limit of progress which sane, sound policy can scarcely help achieving. We are glad, even thankful, that Lord Weir in the midst of his optimism has thought well to utter the very warning we our selves have uttered more than once. On the other hand, we have those within the move ment who profess to see no particular future for com mercial aviation within the British Isles, at any rate. At the other extreme, there are those who appear to think that all that remains now is that the restrictions on flying should be at once removed in order that we should be able to go straight ahead. As is always the case when such matters of high import are the subject of discussion, the truth lies midway betwec n the two extremes of opinion. Undoubtedly, there is an enormous future before the movement, but we shall have to " gang warily" if that future is to be consummated to the full. Lord Weir is most cer tainly right when he says that nothing but grave prejudice to the future can result from impatience for showy results. As to the measures suggested to be adopted in advance of real development, it is unquestionable that the Minister is on thoroughly sound ground in his recommendations. Aerial navi gation, in spite of all the War has taught us, is still an infant science, and we are still to some extent seeking for the sound methods which must be evolved before we can expect to make the navigation of the
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