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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0702.PDF
JULY 8, 1920 view of the industry, since-' it has shown to those engaged in the latter that the public is by no means apathetic towards aviation, but that on the contrary there is a great and growing belief in its future and in its possibilities. Once more the success ot the programme and the entire absence of accident must have shown to every one of the 40,000 who were looking on that the aeroplane has tong ceased to be a toy or a scientific curiosity and has now taken its place beside the motor-car and other methods of transport. It showed that whatever another vehicle can do the aeroplane can do as well or better and at a far greater speed. After all, the future of civil aviation depends upon the amount of faith the public has in it as a means of safe, reliable transport, and the more sensational the object-lesson the better and quicker it will be assimilated. There were enough of thrills on Saturday to make for sensation and the better to drive home the lesson of reliability and safety. Not only did the Air Ministry do well in organising the Pageant, having regard to the primary object in view, but it has done much for the cause of civil aviation, and for that of the aerial defence of the Empire. -' -., _ •?•-.; - •., ^ -.::,;..;. ..- • • • • A Parliamentary Paper, issued last week, contains an interesting survey of p Tjie the progress of civil aviation during the rogress ^ months ending on March 31 last. Civil Flying In a general way the Report, which is compiled by the Department of the Controller-General of Civil Aviation, shows that while this country has maintained its lead in the air, especially in regard to organisation, most other countries have realised that there is a future for aviation and are adopting methods, as for example the granting of subsidies, the creation of air depart- ments, and the organisation of experimental services, and using their best endeavours to adapt aviation to commercial uses. General Sykes takes the opportunity in this connection of again pointing out the import- ance to the Empire of air communications, and presses the point that during the experimental period some measure of State assistance is essential. In many respects, he says, the British Empire is in a unique position. Imperial solidarity can be strengthened by a system of intercommunication by air, and protection is as essential to national security from the air as from the sea. Strong air forces can be guaranteed in time of emergency by a strong reserve of competent airmen and reliable machines such as the expansion of commercial aviation will ensure. In this expansion the long distances and the undeveloped character of many parts of the Empire are favourable factors. In the last half-yearly Report issued by the Department of Civil Aviation three methods of Government assistance were suggested. These in their order were Direct Government subsidies; assistance in the form of grants to approved com- panies according to mileage and weight carried, and the provision of key aerodromes and shed accom- modation at home and on the Imperial Air routes. Up to the present time the Department of Civil Aviation has only been in a position to act in accordance with the spirit of the last of these recom- mendations, and has been compelled to confine its activity to the work of improving ground organisation. In addition to this the Department has been engaged on the planning of air routes, the equipment of aerodromes, the provision of Customs facilities for ;t- international flying, the improvement of wireless ;:':• and other means of communication, and the intro- "::. duction into Parliament of a Bill to meet the require- ::^ ments of the International Air Convention. In addition, the Department is responsible for the r" meteorological service of the country in all its- ;: branches. By these methods private enterprise has been assisted in organising air services to the ->:;. Continent which, even in the winter months under - review, were conducted with considerable regularity. : More All this sounds quite formidable, until we coine to discover that the total Assistance amount expended by .the. Department Needed during the past financial year was no more than £119,081. Of this, £24,366 was absorbed in the payment of the staff at head- quarters, and £57,043 by the preparation of the Cape-Cairo air route. This leaves £27,572 for the encouragement and assistance of civil aviation ! .Truly this is real economy ! If only the rest of the Government Departments would take example by the Department of Civil Aviation we should see an end of inflated Estimates and should before long be able to look forward with some certainty to a reduction of the present crushing burden of taxation. It is, however, economy at the wrong end. We are almost tired of pointing out that want of preparation nearly lost us the war and that as a consequence of " economy " on" the part of successive Governments we were forced into a war for which we had made no provision and which cost us a million lives and £8,000,000,000 in money. If we had had a million trained men in July, 1914, and a Government which would have told Germany plainly that we should use them there would have been no war at all, or if the arch-Hun had insisted on fighting it would have all been over in a year at most. In consequence of being as we were the War lasted for 4^ years, and cost us at least four times as much in blood and treasure as it would have done if we had not been so " economical" in previous years. Even in spite of the patent lesson to be learnt from our experience in the late War, the Government seems willing to squander money lavishly for any and every purpose save that of being prepared against another dies tree. Every authority is agreed that the next act of aggression will come from the air. Practically everybody who counts, except perhaps the Chief of the Air Staff, agrees that the best method of . preparing against the aerial blow is by the encourage- ment of civil aviation and the consequent provision of numbers of skilled pilots and mechanics and a correspondingly large number of efficient machines, capable of being converted at short notice to the purposes of war. Yet in twelve months all the money this country is able to spend on civil flying is a mere £27,000. It is a policy of penny wise and pound . foolish. ::£.'».: .,,;,... ^ > .±Z~:~..: -•'•...'.'• • " • • •'•...-• - Other countries appear to see the future Others w^n clearer vision. Germany in par- ; More ticular seems to be determined to leave Far-seeing no stone unturned to develop commer- cial flying as soon as Treaty restrictions allow her to begin in earnest. France and Italy are paying a great deal of attention to the subject. 702
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