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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0930.PDF
h iCJHt •Hsrs JULY 17, 1919 successful consummation of their object. They have credited Britain with yet another record in aerial travel which will stand for^all time, and will mark the first really successful attempt to demonstrate that the airship is, so far as human vision can foresee, the real aerial vehicle for sustained flight. They have shown us that the modern rigid airship is capable of keeping the air for at least 100 hours, and of being navigated with the precision and certainty of a steamship. Last, but by no means least, they have confirmed in the eyes of the whole world the commanding lead this country has achieved in aerial navigation. All honour to them. • • • Whatever may be thought of the Speeding parsimonious attitude of the Treasury Commercial towards commercial aviation—and it Side cannot be argued that the grant of a mere half-million of money is generosity —it cannot be denied that the Air Ministry is doing its level best to encourage development and further the interests of the British industry in foreign coun tries. There was the recent flight to Spain of several machines of diverse types, which has done a great deal to interest the Spaniards in aerial navigation, and particularly in the reliability of the British machine. Then came the Atlantic voyage of R 34, which, as we have said elsewhere, has accomplished an enormous amount of good which must have a very favourable reflex on the industry. Now the Air Ministry has again risen to the occasion by sending two flying boats of the F 5 type for a nine-days' trip to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The route to be followed is from Felixtowe to Dundee, Christian- sand, Christiania, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Goteborg and Esbjerg, and so back to Felixstowe direct. The total distance to be covered is about 2,380 miles. It is a very wise move to have sent these craft across to visit the Scandinavian ports. There should be business to be done in these countries, which, by reason of their extended coast-fine, offer peculiar facilities for services conducted by flying boats. Even where routes lie overland, there are large areas of water—as for instance between Goteborg, over the chain of lakes in North Denmark to Esbjerg— which render Scandinavia eminently the territory for the exploitation of this type of aircraft. Apart from these points, which are important enough to have justified the enterprise, it is just as well that we should be early in the field. The Germans, who are going to be dangerous competitors in the commercial field, have "been trying to get a footing in the Scandinavian countries. Indeed, it is understood that they have already succeeded in obtaining a certain number of orders for aircraft from Sweden. We are, fortunately, a long way ahead of Germany in the design and con struction of aircraft of every kind, and particularly so in that of the seaplane and the flying boat. It is now for the industry to follow up the missionary work of the the Air Ministry, and see that the development of aerial services in Scandinavia falls to us, and not to our late enemies. The Air Ministry has announced that, j Ppaflht Pencun§ a definite agreement in accord ance with the Air Convention, and in order to enable French and British aircraft firms to send machines to London and Paris, should they so desire during the Peace celebrations, arrangements have been made with the French Government for the opening of civil communication by air between the two capitals from July 13 to 20, inclusive. British machines visiting Paris will land at Le Bourget only, and French machines visiting London at Hbunslow, except in emergency. All machines will fcross the French coast between Calais and Boulogne, and the English coast between Folkestone and Dungeness. All machines must be provided with and carry cer tificates of airworthiness issued by their respective Governments, while passports must be carried by all civilian passengers. The concessions thus made for the current week are graceful in their conception, but we are not inclined to think they are being taken advantage of to any great extent. The notice, for one thing, has been too short to permit of arrangements being made, while the idea of the casual British civilian deciding to fly to Paris in peace week, and succeeding in securing a passport in time to take the journey is humorous, when we remember the vagaries and delays of the Passport Office. Perhaps, however, the authorities of this de partment made up their mind to celebrate peace week by abandoning for a season the policy of delay and circumlocution which, as a rule, is attendant upon the issue of passports, even when these are required for urgent purposes of business. Coal and No more disquieting announcement has been made since the end of the War Industry than that conveying the intimation that, as from Wednesday—since temporarily postponed until Monday next—the price of coal is to be advanced by no less than six shillings per ton. Whether it is viewed from the point of view of the domestic consumer, or of industries—in which aviation now plays a conspicuous part—which depend for the ability to compete in the markets of the world on a plentiful supply of cheap fuel, the outlook is black and discouraging in the extreme. And the worst of it is that the increase is, in the main, the result of the prevailing policy of organised Labour to get all it can for as little as it can give. If it were the result of what might be called temporary and accidental causes it would be bad enough at the moment, but there would still be hope for the future. As it is, we can only say that if this policy of grab and disregard of the interests of the community is persisted in, then good-bye to all hope of re-establishing industry, and to every chance of placing this country once more on a sound and solvent commercial basis. So far as the aircraft industry is concerned, this wicked addition to the cost of coal must result in greatly increased costs of working. For example, it will add at least £1 per ton to the cost of steel, which is even now at a figure which is disquietingly high. Indeed, not to labour the point unduly, it may be said that, even if no other results were to follow, the net consequence would be that the prices of all materials must rise by at least from 10 to 12 per cent. But it is certain that other results must follow hard on the heels of this increase which has been necessitated by the overbearing demands of the miners. All these things follow in a vicious circle. There is not an industry or a commodity in general use which will not be affected. Prices will rise, and it will inevitably result in demands for more and more wages to meet the extra cost of living, until a point is reached at which it will be utterly impossible 932
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