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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0746.PDF
JULY 15, 1920 easily appreciated story of the progress of aviation has dreams of revenge for her defeat in the world .• » . •. • .-.• 1 . .1 1 •• "VTT lit 1 ' 1 ' 1 1 i • . ii 1 _ _ 1 _ J? j_T__—_from its earliest times down to the present day. Nothing more calculated to engross the interest of the public, expert and lay, could have been devised, and we most sincerely and heartily congratulate the Air Ministry, and Gen. Sykes in particular, on the series of happy thoughts which prompted this manner of demonstrating a moving story. The more so are the thanks of all concerned due to them, since we understand that the whole thing has been done with the absolute minimum of expenditure of money. In fact, so insignificant has been the sum expended that it is marvellous that it could have been done within the limits of the funds allotted. It is refreshing to be able to record this in times when the money of the taxpayer has apparently ceased to have value in the eyes of Government Departments. Naturally, we do not feel at liberty to state the exact amount which the Air Ministry exhibit has actually cost, but we will venture to say that had it been ten times as much we should have adjudged it well spent in view of the enormous interest it possesses. That the Show will prove a success from the " gate " point of view we sincerely hope. At the moment of writing the attendance of the public has not been quite up to the hopes of the promoters, but there is plenty of time between now and the closing date for the attendances to receive a sub- stantial impetus. The opening days of any exhibition are never remarkable for big attendances of the sight-seeing public, and the Aero Show is thus no exception to the rule. There is no doubt the public does take an enormous and increasing interest in aviation, and as soon as it really awakes to the fact that the Show is in being we look to a substantial accretion of interest and record attendances. Cer- tainly it is an exhibition which no one should on any account miss seeing, and from all points of view except the " gate " there can be no question of its unqualified success. While we Are in nowise inclined to minimise the magnitude of the future threat from the air -which may come from Germany, we cannot help deploring the state of panic into which some allow themselves to be led by the silly reports which now and again become current as to the vast preparations which that country is alleged to be making, emphasis to which was given at the inauguration of the Aero Show. In the House of Commons recently Mr. Churchill was asked if it were true that Germany is preparing GermanAircraft War, and that it is to the air they look for the con- summation of their aims. Therefore, it will be well that the Allied Governments should keep a very watchful eye on the development of aviation in the country of our late enemy and should suppress with a ruthless hand the construction of more machines than can be legitimately employed in commercial expansion. The question is one of considerable difficulty, because of the almost im- possible nature of the task of denning precisely what number of aircraft may be necessary for the purposes of commerce, and particularly because of the difficulty of. deciding between types. Nothing is so easily capable of being converted from the pur- poses of peace to those of war than the aeroplane and the airship. The big Handley-Page machine which is used for conveying passengers and mails from London to Paris today can, with the minimum of trouble and work, be equally well used for bombing Berlin next week. So difficult is the problem that we are driven to the conclusion that it is in the expansion of our own commercial services and the consequent building up of a powerful aerial reserve that the counter to any sinister intentions the Germans may harbour is to be found, rather than in any far-reaching attempt to cripple German aviation. „ ... .:•••„.;:, ,;.=.., TheReport onCivil Aviation Answering Gen. Seely recently, Mr. Churchiil said that the Report of Lord Weir's Committee on Civil Avia- tion was still under consideration by the Government. No final decision had yet been reached, but it was hoped that it would be possible to make some announcement before the end of the present month. It is to be hoped that the decision will be taken speedily, and that when it is announced it will be found that the Government has been able to see eye to eye with the Committee. It may be true, as Mr. Churchill stated, that a considerable amount of progress has been made in civil aviation, but there would have been a great deal more if the Govern- ment had given its decision earlier and thus allowed the industry and others concerned to know exactly where they stand in relation to the promised en- couragement by the State. For our own part we are not so anxious to know what the Government attitude is to be, because of the effect it will produce on. civil aviation purely as such. That is a serious question, admittedly, but it a fleet of 47,000 aeroplanes. If his interlocutor had is so bound up with questions affecting Imperialstopped to think he would never have asked so ridiculous a question. By the terms of the Peace Treaty, Germany has not as yet been allowed to construct any kind of military aircraft. Obviously, then, it is scarcely possible that she .should be building; or be about to build, such an enormous number of aeroplanes. Nor can she set her aircraft industry going properly for many months to come. As. to the figure, Mr. Churchill pointed out that air defence that we deplore the loss of every day that elapses while the Government is making up its mind. It is now about fifteen months, more or less, since the Advisory Committee made its first recommenda- tions, yet nothing in particular has been done, and we seem as far as ever from a final decision as to future policy. As we have repeatedly urged, and as the Committee agrees, it is by the encouragement of civil flying and the expansion of the industry to 47,000 is approximately the number of machines meet the needs of defence that we can build up a which were built in Germany, under intensive con- great reserve of trained pilots and machines ready ditions of production, during the five years of war. •"- £i '—'- 1 — ^-- * ,_,,.., , In view of this fact it is highly improbable that she could build anything like the number under peace conditions for many years to come. On the other hand we are quite convinced that there is a strong militarist party in Germany which to fit into our organisation for war should it be forced upon uSi It is the cheaper and the better way of building up a great Air Force, ready to take its part in Imperial defence almost at a moment's notice. To create and maintain a correspondingly large margin of power by means of an expansion oj; 746
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