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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1506.PDF
nection with long-distance flights are'fully realised. By the curtailment of the Government airship programme a certain number of airships, in various stages of construction, became available for civil enterprise. A public meeting was held to explain the position, and those interested were invited to consider the formation of a company with a view to taking over these surplus airships and to investigate the commercial value of this type of aircraft. The formation of this company is now under consideration. (j) Staff.—The staff of the Department of Civil Aviation on October 31 consisted of a total of 143, of which 52 are administrative officials and 91 clerical subordinates, at a total salary of £50,000 per annum. These figures include the Air Ministry Meteorological staff, but not the personnel of the Meteorological Office recently transferred to the Air Ministry. It should be borne in mind that the staff of the Communica tion, Accidents and Meteorological branches are engaged on technical work for both the civil and service sides. The selection of a staff to deal with the many questions involved has not been an easy .task owing to the fact that the Department must in the nature of things be a civil one, and that those officers possessing the requisite administrative and technical experience can usually be found only among those who have served in or with the Royal Air Force. It has been impossible until conditions are more certain to offer fixity of tenure in the Department of Civil Aviation, and the terms of appointment have been necessarily brought into unfavourable comparison with the improved rates of pay recently conceded to the Royal Air Force. The result has been that recruitment has been difficult and slow. Steps are being taken to remedy this. III. General Considerations and Conclusions This brief summary of the work carried out during the last six months, and the organisation of the Department of Civil Aviation, has been written as a record of work done. If it appears that a useful purpose will be served it is proposed to issue a further synopsis at the end of another period of six months. No attempt has been made to suggest the potentialities of civil aviation. The speed at which it will develop cannot be gauged even approximately, but the possi bilities are undoubtedly great, and there seems no doubt that when once the postulates of reliability, safety, comfort and economy have been met, as they will be, civil aviation must play an increasingly important part in the development of civilisation. It is in any case, perhaps, not too much to say that when civil aviation has developed it will be the main reserve of strength from which the R.A.F. will draw in times of stress. The R.A.F. of the future should be capable of rapid expansion and of the organised assimilation of large numbers of personnel and material at short notice. As the mercantile marine rein forced the Navy during the War, so should civil aviation be regarded as the potential reserve of the R.A.F. in future crises. This source of supply can only be regarded as satis factory if civil aviation is in itself a healthy and well-developed body. The building up of such a body on a true basis is largely dependent upon the growth of a steady demand for quicker communication. Irregular and spasmodic demands keep the cost of such communications at a high figure, and do not, therefore, assist development. The carriage of mails promises to be one of the most impor tant and regular demands which can serve to develop civil aviation and to place aerial transport concerns on a firm foot ing. The future of aerial mail services hes on those routes where a material saving of time can be effected, so that a definite commercial advantage may be obtained. In England, railway communications and distances are such that letters posted at the end of the business day can be delivered early next morning at almost every large town by the regular train services. The Postmaster-General is doubtful, therefore, whether the demand for express mails during the day time between the more distant towns in the United Kingdom is likely to be sufficiently extensive to meet the considerable expense of running such a service for mails only. But if commercial services were established for passengers and goods, the opportunity would be taken to utilise them for express letters. The line of development of aerial mails would seem to lie more on the Continental and Imperial routes, where the long distances give more scope for the element of speed. <$> • To Replace the " Bodensee " UNDETERRED by the mishap to the " Bodensee," the owners of that vessel have placed an order for the construction of a new passenger airship of similar type, which will be placed in service as soon as possible. NOVEMBER 20, 1919 For example, in normal times the ordinary time of transit by railway is 36 hours to Turin, 48 hours to Rome, 23 hours to Berlin, 58 hours to Christiania, and 24 hours to Berne. Over such distances the potential saving by aerial transport is considerable. If such acceleration could be obtained, and regularity of service kept up, sufficient correspondence might be attracted to enable the extra fee to be fixed at a relatively small figure. When regular services to extra-European countries become practicable, the gain in time will be still more marked. The more such services can be brought into being, the larger is the area over which the overhead charges are spread, and the lower becomes the cost of each additional service, which automatically produces an increased demand for such services on routes where high cost has hitherto negatived the desire for speed. It has been the object of the Department to ensure the safety both of the flying and non-flying public, without impos ing irksome restrictions on the various firms concerned. In numerous problems on which technical advice has been required the Department of Civil Aviation has received the assistance of the directorates of research and aeronautical inspection of the Department of the Director-General of Supply and Research, which is a separate Department in the Air Ministry from that of civil aviation. Hitherto all machines employed by civil aerial transport firms have been converted war machines, and although numerous new types are on the stocks, it may be said that no true commercial machine has yet appeared. Divergencies in type and construction between service and civil aircraft will, however, rapidly appear. Partly owing to the difficulty of determining the future composition of the R.A.F., and the consequent uncertainty of what aerodromes will be required by the Service, it has not yet been possible to settle the aerodromes to be retained by the civil side, and to complete negotiations with the municipalities and others concerned. An Advisory Com mittee has been discussing this and kindred problems, together with the question of imperial air routes, and their report is expected shortly. The work of the Department must necessarily be of a pioneer character. The results of its labours—if, indeed, the founda tions of the new scheme of things have been well laid—can only become visible in their entirety in years to come. Had the spade work not been done, however, it is doubtful whether this country would have been able to inaugurate and maintain the first international air services. It may be questioned whether civil aviation in England is to be regarded as one of those industries which is unable to stand on its own feet, and is yet so essential to the national welfare that it must be kept alive at all costs. If this question is answered in the affirmative, there appear to be three methods of assisting it :— (1) By means of direct Government subsidies—it is in this way that France has decided to act, and 18,000,000 francs have already been earmarked for this purpose. (2) By recognising that at the beginning the British aircraft industry cannot stand on its own feet, and that to ensure its existence, although foreign to usual British practice, some form oi direct Government assistance, probably in the shape of a grant to approved aerial transport companies for mileage and weight carried, is a necessity. (3) By following the principle usually accepted in this country, that if an industry is to survive it must stand as nearly as possible by itself, and that a policy of " doles " is unsound. In this case the assistance given would take the indirect form of the provision of certain " key " aerodromes and shed accommodation at home and on the Empire routes, and the collation and issue of information, including meteoro logical data, and the provision of communications. The problem is how best to tide over the difficult transition period through which we are passing. Adhesion to the British principle of independent private enterprise will un doubtedly be right eventually, but if a limited industry is to be maintained—as it must be to meet the requirements of the Royal Air Force—It is for consideration whether it will not be necessary to adopt a combination of (2) and (3) above. (Signed) F. H. SYKES, Controller-General of Civil Aviation. November 1, 1919, Air Ministry. <$> ^ A Climbing Record FROM Rome comes a claim for a new record. It is stated that on November 13 an aeroplane, piloted by a [warrant officer, at the Montecelio aerodrome, near the Italian capital, climbed 1,000 metres in 47 sees, and 5,000 metres in 11 mvns. 1508
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