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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0428.PDF
i&iSS APRIL 3, 1919 referred are fastened permanently on the necks of long-suffering British industry. After a considerable amount of pressure Tree^uWe ^a<^ ^een exerc*sed upon the Treasury, Parsimony ^a*e m tne War it was decided to equip service aeroplanes with parachutes. The Germans had had them in use for a considerable time, arid it was known that the lives of their pilots and observers had been saved by their agency when their machines were shot down. We believe that no more than 500 parachutes were arranged for by our own authorities before the cessation of hostilities, and of these only a few were fitted to machines in France. According to the Air Ministry, the device adopted has proved itself thoroughly efficient but now, it is stated, by the exercise of incredible parsi mony on the part of the Treasury, which refuses to grant the money, the purchase and issue of para chutes is to be stopped. The Government is spending millions like water on all sorts of wild-cat schemes, yet it apparently grudges a few paltry thousands to make the risks of our military pilots smaller, and to give them a chance of life in case of a mishap in the air. It is simply unthinkable that this can be allowed. Economy is drastically necessary, but there are very many directions in which expenditure can be reduced before we trifle with the lives of our pilots. It can be taken as reasonably certain that when commercial aerial services are started in earnest a fatherly Government will insist that every privately-owned passenger carrying machine shall be provided with a proper equipment of life-saving apparatus, of which the parachute will undoubtedly be a part. Surely the <•> <$> Government cannot logically insist upon safeguards in the case of civilian aviators and passengers which it parsimoniously denies to its own fighting pilots and observers. It seems all so utterly incredible that we prefer at the moment to think there has been some misunderstanding and that the Treasury is not as black as it -is painted. Why is it that, four months after the ^itb" cessation of hostilities, the ordinary Dora! civilian is still forbidden to purchase or to have in his possession anything even remotely connected with wireless telegraphy ? During the continuance of the War the ban was undoubtedly necessary, but now that it is all over there seems to be neither rhyme nor reason for its continuance. It is a matter of common knowledge that wireless telegraphy has practically been the creation of the amateur and that without his research and discoveries there would, in fact, have been no such thing as wireless. It may be argued in reply that the tremendous advances achieved during the WTar were accomplished by the Services, but in this connection it must be pointed out that the latter had the advantage of the assistance of numbers of men who, before the War, were enthusiastic amateur investigators. At the present moment there seems to be no hope of any relaxation of the existing pro hibition for many months to come—not until the signature of the final peace treaty automatically leads to the demise of D.O.R.A.—unless the Govern ment can be forced to move by stress of public opinion. We are glad to know that the Wireless Press has initiated the necessary campaign for the creation of that opinion and wish it every success in the task. Honours for R.N.A.S. IT was announced in a supplement to the London Gazette on March 24 that the following awards have been approved for services, "in the Royal Naval Air Service between July 1 and December 31, 1917 :— Meritorious Service Medal. C.P.O. 3rd CI. E. H. MCCARTHY. O.N. F. 10584 ; C.P.O., 3rd CI., R. P. GARDNER, O.N. F. 3731 ; P.O. P. J. BRAZIER, O.N. F.18403 ; C.P.O., 3rd CI., G. LETHBRIDGE, O.N. F.18416 ; C.P.O., 3rd CI., J. McC. ORR, O.N. F.18444; P.O. D. H. J. GIBSON, O.N. F.10607. " Secretary of State for Air " FOR some time there has been confusion as to the exact title of the Air Minister, but it is now stated that the King has been pleased to approve the alteration of the title " Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force " to that of " Secretary of State for Air." New London-Paris Record A NEW air " record " between London and Paris has just been established. One of the Airco (De H.) machines of the official communication squadron used by the Peace Confer ence Delegates on March 28 did the flight from London to Paris, a distance of 250 miles, in 1 hour 20 minutes. The Atlantic Fleet THE arrangements made for the composition of the Atlantic Fleet, in full commission—provisional, until, the settlement of peace—include the use of live seaplane carriers Furious, Vindictive, Argus, Pegasus and Nirvana. No mention is made of seaplane carriers with the other fleets and squadrons The Aeronautical Commission THE fourth meeting of the Aeronautical Commission was held on Monday, March 31, in order to receive and consider the reports of the sub-committees on military, legal, and com mercial and technical subjects respectively. At this meeting. <S> <•> in addition to the representatives of France, Great Britain, the United States, Italy, and Japan, representatives of Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Roumania, Greece, Serbia, and Cuba were also present. The work of the sub-committees was not complete, but the Commission approved of the interim reports submitted. The Commission agreed to put forward to the Supreme Council proposals to be finally submitted at their next meeting by the joint military and legal sub-committee. In other directions good progress was made, and substantial agreement arrived at on important points in connection with the future of commercial aviation. "War in the Air Exhibition " OPENED on Wednesday this week by General Seely, the photographs in colour got together by the R.A.F. at the Grafton Galleries, Grafton Street, is probably one of the most remarkable collections of pictorial record ofv.eyents during the War connected with the marvellous air work of the Air Force that has ever been seen. Taken as a whole, nothing more realistic can be imagined than the many "stunts" depicted on the walls. In fact, so realistic are those coloured photographs, we can well imagine that they will enable many an over-nervous would-be passenger to describe most minutely what things look like during his or her flight (of imagination) on some-point to point jaunt. The exhibition opening was too late for us to deal with it in detail this week, but we hope to treat this unique show adequately in our next issue. Aeroplane Work in Egypt DELAYED messages from Cairo show that aeroplanes have been playing an important part in dealing with the disturbances in Egypt. Several cases have been reported in which aeroplanes have succeeded in dispersing mobs of rioters. Apart from this work the aeroplanes have been of consider able service in patrolling the districts of the Wady Natroun district and along the railway to the north and south of Cairo. 428
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