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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0980.PDF
THE AIRSHIP OLD COMRADES' ASSOCIATION UNDER the above title an association has now been formed, in connection with and under the auspices of the Airship Officers' Club, whose address for the present is at 4, Dean Stanley Street, Westminster, where the Honorary Secretary will be pleased to receive any communications from those interested. The idea of the committee of the Airship Officers' Club in bringing this association into being, is to help ALL ranks, including officers and N.C.Os., both men and women. With this point in view, the primary objects of the associa tion will be the formation ot a Mutual Benefit Society and Headquarters for obtaining, without charge, employment both relating to airship construction and flying, as well as any other form of employment, and to that end a register will be kept up-to-date. To join up, only a nominal annual subscription of 2s. 6d. is payable. A feature of the associa tion will be the organising by the Committee of " Old Com rades " dinners, meetings and other entertainments, thereby helping to keep the past and present airship men in touch with each other. In every way the very excellent objects of this " offspring " of the Airship Officers' Club have so commended themselves to the Editor of " FLIGHT," that arrangements have been concluded for official notices of the association as to meetings and'other matters concerning the members to be published regularly in the pages of " FLIGHT." A point to be noted is, that the association is for the benefit of its members only and is to be kept entirely outside all political parties. Service questions is another subject which is also taboo. Altogether the conception of the association should be a valuable airship asset in keeping the threads together of what promises in the near future to be a vast undertaking and industry, whatever the difficulties which at the moment may appear to militate against progress. In fact the more clouds on the horizon of the airship future, the more the need for an association of this character. Brig-Gen.. E. M. Maitland is the President of the club, the Committee for the first year comprising Lieut.-Col. F. Boothby, Maj. Roberts, Capt. J. H. Hagon, Capt. Montague, Capt. Bellew, Maj. A. Congreve. Capt. G. E. Stringer, and Maj. G. F. Herron, the Hon. Secretary. This committee will also act for the association. For the guidance of those directly concerned the following are the official objects of, and regulations for guiding the carrying on of the new body :— (1) The Airship Old Comrades' Association is intended for the benefit of officers, warrant officers, N.C.Os., men and women who have served in the Airship Service. This will include Government civilian staff, male and female, who have been employed at airship station and establishment. Officers, men and women, now serving may become hon. members, and as such be able to enjoy the social benefits only. (2). Objects.—The primary object of the association will be to form a mutual benefit society and to provide head quarters for obtaining employment in any way connected E S AVIATION IN Airship Construction, Parrow-in-Furness MR. T. WILSON, in the House of Commons on July 14, asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can indicate the policy of his Department in connection with the buSding of airships ; whether he is aware that, owing to the change over from war to peace conditions, numbers of workpeople are unemployed in Barrow-in-Furness ; and whether he can hold out any hope of expediting the construction of airships at Barrow-in-Furness, and thus facilitate the employment of the workpeople now unemployed, and who have in the past been employed on airship construction ? Dr. Macnamara : I have been asked to answer this question. As regards the first part, I am not quite sure what information it is that my hon. friend desires. As regards the second and third parts of the question, so far as we are concerned, Messrs. Vickers' airship shed is not large enough for the con struction of rigid airships of the sizes now required by the Navy, and it is t herefore impossible, under present conditions, to order further rigid airships for construction at Barrow-in-Furness. Anti-Fire Devices MR. RAPER, on July 17, asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether his attention has been called to the destruction by fire of a British postal aeroplane in the South of France; and whether he is satisfied that all anti-fire devices are used on such machines ? Maj.-Genl. Seely: From the preliminary reports received by the Air Ministry it would appear that the aeroplane in question caught fire after " crashing." The provision of " self-sealing " petrol tanks is a great safe guard against fire in aocidents of this kind, but the progress with this type of tank has been so recent that it has only been possible to fit them in the very latest design of aeroplane. All future designs will provide for " self- sealing " petrol tanks. Amsterdam Exhibition CAPT. W. BENN asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry what steps the Controller of Civil Aviation is taking to assist commercial firms to show machines at the forthcoming exhibition at Amsterdam ? Maj.-Genl. Seely : Assistance is being given to private firms by the release of machines and engines, where they have passed the experimental stage, and with airship construction or flying. It will also endeavour to assist members of the association to obtain any other form of employment, but will in no way be responsible should it fail to do so. The association will not make any charge, but it is hoped that anyone for whom work is found will make a donation to assist the association if he or she is able. (3) Subscription.-—The subscription shall be 2s. 6d., payable on joining and thereafter annually on July 1, payable to the Hon. Secretary, 4, Dean Stanley Street, S.W. 1. Any altera tion in the annual subscription shall only take effect after confirmation at the annual general meeting. (4) Listof Members— Abook containing the names, addresses and trades of all members will be kept up-to-date and cir culated annually free to all members and to hon. members on payment of 25. 6d. Register.—In addition an unemployment register will be kept, stating the trade qualifications of the members on the list from which employers of labour will be regularly cir cularised and kept informed. (5) Committee.—The committee shall consist of eight mem bers. For the first year the committee of the Airship Officers'' Club will act. Thereafter the committee will be elected by ballot of the members (not hon. members) of the association. Any member willing to serve and who is proposed and seconded by two members shall be eligible to be balloted for. Ballot forms will be included in the book issued to members together with the list of members proposed for election. The form shall be returned to the Hon. Secretary within 14 days and the results published in one month. The new committee shall take over on July 1. < - . (6) Powers of the Committee.—The management and control of the property, funds and affairs of the association shall be vested in the committee. (7) Foreign.—Members going abroad should advise the Secretary and may be asked to represent the interests of the association in various parts of the world. They should in any case inform the Secretary of any suitable vacancies they may know of and keep the association in touch with the local labour condition. The association is already represented in the Malay States, Ceylon. (8) Social.—The committee will also organise " old com rades " dinners, meetings, or any other entertainments at the request of the members, that the committee may think desirable (probably one for each station annually) which members and hon. members may attend on paying expenses. The Editor of " FLIGHT " has kindly placed his journal at the disposal of the association for the notice of meetings, etc., and all official notices will be published in it. The committee are responsible that theiassociation keeps clear of all political parties and is used sofely for the benefit of its members. It shall not interfere in Service questions in any way. s s PARLIAMENT can be spared from the Royal Air Force. Negotiations have been in progress with the Dutch Government for the opening of civil communication by air between England and Holland during the period of the exhibition. Aerial Mails IN his speech introducing the Post Office estimates in the House on July 17 the Postmaster-General said : The question of air mails is one which, naturally, has occupied our attention very much during the War. This has been placed entirely, and quite rightly, under the care of the Air Force. It does not do to have half a dozen people interfering with one thing. The results which have been achieved—I believe mainly privately—in flying the Atlantic have been very remarkable. The first attempt by Hawker, unfor tunately, was not a complete success, but he managed to deliver a small number of letters which he was bringing, and they were quite safely delivered in London. I received a letter from the Postmaster-General of Newfound land, to which I replied in suitable terms. The next attempt, by Capt. Alcock, was completely successful. He flew in 16 hours from Newfoundland to Ireland, and managed to deliver his mails in a very satisfactory condition and in a short time. What I consider to be one of the most remarkable achievements was that just accomplished by the R 34—the lighter-than-air ship—which went from here to America in an incredibly short time, made a round, and came back to this country again. I sent a letter to the Post master-General of Canada by the R 34, and a few hours after she arrived back in this country his reply was delivered to me at the General Post Office in London. Of course, these things do not make the question of air mails a practical proposition, but it has been shown that there are great possibilities. In the course of time, if the progress made is as rapid «as has been made in the flying branch of the Army, before many years the long-distance post, at any rate, will be carried by either lighter or heavier-than-air machines. Capt. W. Benn : What about internal mails by air in these islands ? Mr. Illingworth : At present the great difficulty is the state of the atmo sphere. I am told there is great difficulty in navigating in a hazy atmosphere and also in landing. I am informed that when that is overcome it will be a practical proposition for the longer distances. I do not know what means are taken to fly and land in thick weather, but I gather that it will not be beyond the resources of the people of this country to do that.
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