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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1604.PDF
As an object lesson it dwarfs into insignificance even the flight across the Atlantic, although the latter was, in some respects, the more spectacular. It opens up new vistas of travel and brings us to the opening of a new era in which the peoples of the world will be drawn closer together by the new transport. In the days of the old navigators the world was unex plored and unknown, and their voyages were regarded by their contemporaries very much as the popular world regards the achievements of such pioneers as Capt. Ross-Smith. They could not foresee that these wonderful voyages were but the forerunners of similar journeys which would be commonplace in the years to come, or that these voyages which seemed —and were—heroic would one day be undertaken by millions as a part of the routine of life. The naviga tion of the seas then was in its infancy. To-day aviation is in the same stage of first youth and, as marine travel has developed since the days of Columbus and Vasco da Gama, so will aerial travel develop in the years to come. The one essential will be that, while it required centuries and the discovery of the steam engine to bring about revolution in travel by sea, the development of air transport is simply a matter of applying the knowledge and the material we already have at our disposal. • • • From the successful accomplishment of A^Rmites the flight t0 Australia to the report of Lord Weir's Committee on Civil Aviation is an easy step. This Report, issued as a Parlia mentary Paper, was published in FLIGHT last week, and its recommendations make interesting reading. Briefly, the Committee propose :— (i) That the air route from Egypt to India should be developed. (2) That the development should be by private enterprise backed by State assistance, and that the State assistance should take the form of providing meteorological and wire less services and of air ports, including the provision of the sheds required for running purposes. (3) That the service proposals for these air ports should be carried through as soon as possible. (4) That the necessity for additional expenditure on the development of these ports for purely civil purposes in order to meet the increase in frequency of the services should not be overlooked, though only experience can show what such expenditure may be. (5) That the G.P.O. in consultation with the Air Ministry, should draw up a form of tender for an air mail contract between Egypt and India to be put up for competition. (6) That a certain quantity of the aircraft engines and material which have been declared surplus by the Royal Air Force could be placed at the disposal of the Civil Aviation Department for distribution free in this country and the colonies. (7) That the prohibitory bans on civil aviation in Egypt and India should be removed. These proposals are made on the assumption that the Government intends to maintain flying supremacy by supporting the Service side at a level which will ensure the safety of our position. It is not prac ticable, in the view of the Committee, to recommend any large appropriation of public funds by way of investment in an entirely novel business. They' are, however, of opinion that, taking a long view, any investment such as they suggest will at least bring the necessary experience to help to establish flying ultimately on a paying basis. The Committee seems to be exceedingly cautious in the elaboration of its recommendations. For instance, it lays down that the problems involved in each section of an Imperial route vary greatly and thereby render the formulation of a general it Government policy exceptionally difficult at present. Admitting all this, it would still seem that the basic consideration is whether or not it is considered essential to maintain aerial supremacy, commercial and military, or not. It has been generally agreed that the answer to this fundamental question is in the affirmative. That being so, surely the right policy is to take the bolder course and willingly go into the matter with the intent to create and maintain these routes even if the policy should involve a heavy initial loss. It need not be disguised that such a loss would be almost—even certainly—inevitable, as must be the case with all pioneer enterprises. But if we take the long view, it seems almost equally certain that, ultimately, these routes will pay handsomely and the true policy, therefore, is to undertake the commitment straight away, and before the possi bility becomes elusive. The Committee themselves admit that private enterprise cannot inaugurate and maintain these routes unaided and that a measure of State support is essential. We would further emphasise the fact that time is also an essential factor. Private enterprise cannot fail to become weary of the long wait and it is very much to be feared that, unless the Government can very shortly make up its mind as to its real policy, when at long last it has reached a decision we shall have retrograded to a position something approaching that which existed before the War. The vacillation and indecision of the Encourage Government in the matter of the Private Imperial air routes and aviation in general is the less understandable when we read that no less a sum than £12,000,000 has been saved on the current year's Estimates. We are all in favour of economy, but there is economy which is twin-brother to extrav agance and we urge that economy, so-called, in the matter of encouraging the development of civil aviation is of that brand. Even the most hide-bound bureaucrat of them all realises and admits that, unless we are as powerful in the air as we are at sea, we are in grave danger of attack at the " chosen moment " of any aggressive Power who may envy our possessions. On Saturday last the new scheme for the re-organisation of the R.A.F. on a peace basis was published. From it we find that the total estab lishment of service squadrons for the United Kingdom is to be four, excluding five squadrons for the Navy and one flight per division for the Army. There is to be one airship station only, and the establishment of lighter-than-air craft is to be reduced to one rigid and two non-rigid airships. In addition, it is proposed to provide eight squadrons for India, three for Mesopotamia and seven for Egypt. Now, this is all very well as a nucleus and we shall not presume to say that the proposed new organisation is not sufficient for our present needs. But it is most certainly not more than a moiety of what we shall require in personnel and machines should we be again involved in a great European war. The answer to that will be, no doubt, that there will not be another great war. That is merely absurd. There were many, and among them people of high authority, who told us the same thing about the late war—that it could never happen because no Great Power would dare to make war on account of its colossal cost. Or that, if.it did happen, we could never become
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