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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0031.PDF
Flight, January 9, 1919 Lfyp? 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 CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 524. (No. 2, Vol. XI.) JANUARY 9, 1919 rWeekly, Price 6d. L Port Free, 7d. FligM and The Aircraft Engineer Edittriai Office: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. «. Telegrams : Truditur. Westcent, London. Telephone ; Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Poit Free : United Kingdom .. tts. %d. Abroad 33s. od. These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary tender war conditions, CONTENTS. Editorial Comment : Rumours and the R.A.F. The Work of the Independent Air Force The National Factories .. Our War " Milestones " "'Milestones' The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices The Roll of Honour Honours .. The R. A. F. in Palestine The Work of the I.A. V Airisms from the Four Winds Personals The Royal Air Force Side Winds Company Matters 31 36 46 4'i HE tongue of rumour has been very busy of late regarding the future of the Air Ministry and the R.A.F. Just before Christmas the Daily Ex press started the ball rolling with a mischievous canard to the effect that the R.A.F. was to pass under the control of the War Office. So far as it is possible to gather, this report had its genesis in the fact that certain buildings hitherto occupied by War Office departments were being ^aaA°thz taken over ^v the Air Ministry, pre- R.A.F. paratory to the early evacuation of the Hotel Cecil and, the wish very possibly being father to the thought, the rest was quite easy ! Now the Evening Standard, follows up with certain categorical statements, rather milder in tenor but nevertheless leading in the same direction as the other. The Air Ministry, it says, is certain to undergo considerable changes under the new Government. The report put about that the Min istry would be abolished altogether, and that the control of the different Air Services would be re covered by the Admiralty and War Office, though officially denied, had, we are assured by the Standard, a '' certain foundation," Both of these depart ments, it continues, are anxious to recover control of the air service peculiar to itself. The naval authorities also argue that the naval and aerial offensive and defensive strategy must be thought out and controlled by one authority, for in any future war the Navy and the Air Service will act in even greater co-operation than in the past war. Therefore, it is argued, the Naval Air Service should be under the Admiralty. The suggestion follows that we may see the Navy and Army gain control of its particular air service, leaving the Air Ministry to look after the development of the commercial aeroplane, so far as it can be utilised in co-operation with State communications and transport. At the same time the Admiralty and the War Office would be represented on the Air Ministry or Air Board, if the latter reverted to its less ambitious title. ' Thus the necessary links would be main tained in the future development of the aeroplane for military and commercial purposes." It seems to us that the Standard is endeavouring to intelligently anticipate the course of events before they occur, and is failing at the first fence. It does not, apparently, occur to the writer who has set forth all this enlightening information that both the Admiralty and the War Office do in fact control the air services peculiar to themselves and have never ceased to so control them. The function of the Air Ministry is and has been to provide the number of squadrons, machines, pilots and other personnel demanded by the Navy and the Army, which, once detailed, have passed completely under the naval and military command to be employed as directed by the latter. The sole concern of the Air Ministry from the time such units have passed under such command is with administration and supply. The system has been found to work ad mirably and it is hardly likely that, having passed the exacting test of a great war and proved itself to be far and away better from every point of view than the older one of two separate services, it will be scrapped now. There is no argument in reason or in logic for making such a change as that indicated as possible by our contemporary. On the contrary, there is every argument for leaving extremely well alone. We are fully aware that some of the statements made in this connection are more or less inspired. Nor is it possible to ignore the fact that there are reactionary elements at the Admiralty and the F 2
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