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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0256.PDF
-".'I the activity in other countries, of which we hear a great deal, is simply paper work and represents more what those concerned would like to be doing than what has actually been accomplished. But after all is said and done, it is probably a fact that the Continental nations, with wider vision than ourselves, actually have a better appreciation of what air power means to the future existence of a great state than is possessed by our own politicians. At the risk of being accused of labouring an obvious point, we must once again insist that the only hope we have of arousing them to a sense of their duty towards aviation, both civil and military, is in the creation of the necessary volume of public opinion. No British Government ever does anything " off its own bat." All progress is made as a result of the pressure of public opinion, and until that pressure is used we fear nothing that matters will be done. Lord Northcliffe and Mr. Holt Thomas have done good service to the cause in " Aerial Transport," which should be read and pondered by all who have the slightest interest in the future of either side of the aviation movement. • • •Not long prior to the Armistice, Lord nd Weir appointed a Committee, under the Research chairmanship of Sir Richard Glaze- brook, to consider what steps should be taken to organise education and research in aero- nautics after the War. Later, the Government arrived at certain conclusions as to the provision to be made in this direction, and in Novernber last the Committee was asked to consider these decisions and to submit recommendations for giving them practical effect. A Report has now been rendered to the Air Minister and issued as a White Paper. The full text of the Report was printed in the last issue of FLIGHT. It will be seen that the Committee, lays stress on the necessity for research, and empha- sises that something more than the Government proposals is necessary. It points out that : "At the present moment the industry is passing through a crisis; Government support is necessary if it is to emerge satisfactorily. The time is critical and the development of civil aviation is beset by numerous difficulties and calls for the fullest consideration. It is urgently necessary that the policy adopted should command the support of all who desire to maintain the superiority in the air gained during the past eventful years, and that ample funds should be provided for carrying it into effect." The Committee then goes on to point out that a •~ •'• ; ' • •- •• .-. .v ' , •• MARCH 4, 1920 research organisation may elucidate problems, pro- vide information and specific facts, but before these can bear fruit of industrial value they must be inter- preted and applied by a suitable technical staff, closely associated with a works' organisation. At the end of the War most of the works had collected a team of technical experts of marked ability. Many of these teams have been disbanded and the process of disintegration is still in progress. The Com- mittee " sees no possibility of achieving the desired result except by such Government action as will secure the retention of adequate technical staffs." Pre- cisely what we and many others have been trying to impress upon the Government for months past. We trust most sincerely that the words of the Com- mittee will fall upon ears less deaf than the protests of those outside the charmed circle of officialdom. In so far as concerns the subjects of the enquiry, the Committee has come to two main conclusions. In the matter of education the recommendation is that post-graduate courses of advanced study should be established at the Imperial College, where there is already established the Zaharoff professorship, which supplies the nucleus of the organisation necessary for higher training. It is also proposed that there should be an Aeronautical Research Committee for the purpose of providing facilities for the advance- ment of the practical and experimental side of the science. It should be left to the governing body of the Imperial College and the Aeronautical Research Committee to determine a method of co-operation. Finally, it is estimated that the cost of the proposed department wduld be approximately £10,000 a year. Other expenditure involved in the Committee's pro- posals is already provided for in the votes of the Air Ministry and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The sum involved, viz., £10,000 a year, does not seem to err on the side of extravagance, but the Committee had all the facts and data before it, and doubtless its members are perfectly satisfied that the work can be done for that sum. It may be pointed out, however, that unless what we regard as the most important view of the Committee—that relating to assistance for the industry and for civil aviation- is taken to heart by the Government, an expenditure of £10,000 per annum will be wasted, for the very sufficient reason that there will not be the necessary " suitable technical staffs, closely associated with a works organisation," to interpret the facts elucidated by the Research Department. The Gordon-Bennett Challenges THREE American aeroplanes have been entered by the Aero Club of America for the contest for the Gordon-Bennett Aviation Cup. which is to be held in the Beauce Province in France in the autumn. Belgium also has made an entry. Speed Records in France AT Villacoublay on February 28, Casale on his 300 h.p. Spad-Herbemont beat Sadi-Lecointe's speed record of 275 -862 kiloms. per hour. Casale's average speed was 283-464 kiloms. per ..hour, but in one of his trials he covered two kiloms. in 2 5^ sees., a speed of 288 kiloms. per hour. A Dirigible Over Paris SOME excitement was caused ;n Paris a few days a»o by the appearance of a large dirigible which some thought must be a Zeppelin surrendered by the Germans. As a matter of fact, it was the A.T. 18, a new French naval dirigible, making its first five hours' flight. With 22 passengers on board it cruised above the Marne, Rheims, Chateau-Thierry, and landed at St. Cyr at 3 p.m. _ ... ,•-.»-•• The Timbuctoo Flight A MESSAGE received at the French Ministry of the Colonies on February 25 from Maj. Vuillemin reported that on the evening of the day (February 18) he left Tamah- rasset, he landed at Menaka, about 400 kiloms. (250 miles) west of Timbuctoo, whither he was continuing his flight. No word had been heard of the second aeroplane, which is making the same flight, piloted by Lieut. Bernard, with Gen. Lapperine on board. Fast Flying in Italy LIEUT BRACK-PAPA, is credited with having flown recently at Mirafiori, with four passengers, at a speed of 260 830 kiloms an hour (I6I£ m.p.h.). The flight which was made on February 26, was controlled by the Aero Club of Italy. An A.R.F. biplane, fitted with a Fiat 12-cylindered 750 h.p. engine, was used, and it is claimed that it has already covered 166 miles an hour with the pilot only on board. The Rome-Tokyo Flight THE two S.V.A. aeroplanes which left Rome for Tokyo on February 16 have now become separated. The one piloted by Lieut. Ferrarin reached Baghdad on February 22 and left on the following day for Bunder Abbas and Karachi, while the other, with Lieut, Masiero in charge, only com- pleted the stage from Aleppo to Baghdad on February 25. 256
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