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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0574.PDF
AUGUST 25, 1921 IMPERIAL AIR COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT IN the official report on the recent Conference of Prime Ministers, etc., an appendix gives the technical report of the Sub-Committee on Imperial Air Communications. The members of this Committee were Captain F. E. Guest, Secretary of State for Air (Chairman) ; Lord Gorell, Under- secretary of State for Air ; A^r-Marshal Sir H. M. Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff ; Major-General Sir F. H. Sykes, Controller-General of Civil Aviation ; Sir G. L. Barstow, representing H.M. Treasury ; Sir James Stevenson, represent- ing the Colonial Office; Mr. J. H. Lovell, representing the India Office ; Sir Ross Smith, representing Australia and New Zealand ; Colonel H. Mentz, representing South Africa ; and Mr. L. V. Meadowcroft, Secretary. The following is the text of the report:— 1. In accordance with the decision of the special Conference of Prime Ministers, we have met as a Committee with the following terms of reference :—To report—(i) On the cost of erecting masts, providing bases and fuel supplies, upkeep of, commissioning, and operating the existing fleet of airships for the purpose of Imperial Air Communications with special reference to the routes between England, India, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand ; and (ii) On services by means of aeroplanes. 2. The Committee have held four meetings at the Air Ministry, and have had under consideration the detailed estimates submitted by the Controller-General of Civil Aviation as well as estimates comprised in certain schemes promoted by private individuals. 3. The Committee feel it essential to state in the first place that although the existing fleet of four airships, when put in commission, will enable a scheme of Imperial Com- munications to be begun, it is insufficient to enable a complete scheme to be developed. Of the existing fleet, only " L. 71 " is of dimensions which enable her to make flights to Egypt carrying a commercial load without the necessity for refuelling, and in consequence the performance of this airship alone can be regarded as suitable for regularity of service on long distance flights. The development of a complete scheme will necessarily entail in due course a constructional pro- gramme of airships specifically designed for the distances and the commercial needs of the service. Moreover, in having regard to the requirements of a regular service by means of the existing fleet, regard must be paid to the possibility of accident putting one or more of the airships out of com- mission for at least a number of weeks. The Committee feel that they would not'be fulfilling their responsibility if in reporting upon their first term of reference they failed to draw the attention of the Imperial Conference to these material facts before entering upon the possibilities and cost of utilisation of the existing fleet. 4. The Committee think it desirable at the outset to ex- plain the hypotheses upon which the estimates contained in this Report have been compiled. If it be decided that further efforts should be made to develop Imperial Air Communications, the alternatives are to proceed either (a) by Government action, or b) by leaving the development of Air Communications to private enterprise (with or without a Government subsidy). 5. In the Estimates submitted in the first part of this Report the Committee have assumed the adoption—for the present at any rate—of a scheme of development by direct Government action. If this course be adopted, the Committee anticipate that the commercial character of the service will render inapplicable the usual rules of public finance as applied to voted services, and that it may be desirable to set up a statutory board (after the model of the Pacific Cable Board) with powers to conclude contracts, fix rates for passages, etc., without external control, save as to the total capital to be provided by the Home and Dominion Governments. 6. If the second course—namely, private enterprise—be adopted, it would naturally be for whatever company or syndicate undertakes the service to develop it according to the programme best suited to the company's interests. In the second part of this Report the Committee have analysed certain of the schemes submitted, so that their schemes of capital cost may be compared with that under the hypothesis of Government action. The Committee take the opportunity of observing that in their view the best hope of the successful development of Imperial Air Communications lies in private enterprise con- ducting the service for profit, like the Mercantile Marine, on business lines. Development by Government Action 7. The development of a complete scheme of air communi- cation between England, India, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, will necessarily be a matter of some considerable • time, and in consequence the Committee considered it desir- able, in framing estimates, to deal with the establishment of an airship service in stages. 8. Six Months' Period.—The Committee first of all addressed their attention to an examination of the arrangements that would be necessary, and the cost that would be incurred if a decision were taken to-delay closing down of the present airship service for a period of six months in order to enable a permanent scheme to be formulated. The cost of such decision was estimated at £188,000. A further sum of £44,000 is estimated as necessary to put " L. 71 " into commission for commercial purposes. 9." The Committee have come definitely to the conclusion that, in view of the above figures, and of the impossibility of obtaining in so short a period as six months satisfactory data for arriving at a decision as to the future of the service, they are not justified in asking the Imperial Conference to consider any inaugural scheme based upon a period of less than one year. Emphasis was laid on the impossibility of arriving at accurate estimates for, and carrying out satisfactorily, any operational experiments with an airship service if its imme- diate future remained a matter of uncertainty ; and it was also established that the greater part of, if not the whole of, the first six months would necessarily be taken up with work of a preparatory character. 10. After detailed consideration, the Committee have therefore decided to submit to the Imperial Conference two alternative estimates, the one covering a period of one year, the other two years, neither of these periods being regarded as complete in itself. Having regard to the first term of reference and the limited cargo-carrying capacity of airships, these estimates should be for the provision of a limited and possibly irregular service for passengers and mails only to the eastern boundaries of the Empire, utilising the existing fleet to its utmost capacity. The Committee feel it desirable to draw attention to the fact that should the Imperial Conference decide in favour of the initial period of one year, a second decision as to the future would need to be taken many monfchs in advance of the termination of that period in order to allow of arrange- ments being entered into, especially in respect of the erection - of a shed in Egypt, so as to obviate delay and consequent additional expenditure, if at the end of one year operational experiments for carrying on the service beyond Egypt were to be undertaken. n. One Year Period of Inauguration— Assuming the one year period of inauguration to begin on September I, 1921, it should be possible by March, 1922, to have made such progress in ground organisation and experience as to be able to start a monthly service to Egypt. Towards the close of this period it should also be possible to undertake demonstration flights from Egypt in the direction of India and South Africa, without, however, landing, unless by then masts have been erected in those countries. It is estimated that to carry out this programme the cost involved, which would cover the necessary research and training flights at home, would amount to ^540,000. A detailed statement in regard to the expenditure involved is attached to this Report ; were it decided not to commission " L. 71," it is estimated that a saving of some £80,000 could be effected. At the same time, to attempt a regularity of service to Egypt and demonstration flights beyond with two . airships, " R. 37 " and " R. 36," one of which has not yet ' been completed and the other of which has not yet been fully tried out, is held to be unwise. "L.71," owing to her greater size, is the only one of the three whose capacity allows an adequate margin of safety for a return flight from Australia to Ceylon or South Africa under adverse conditions. " R.37 " and " R.36 " could carry a commercial load to Australia if the necessary number of additional intermediate mooring mast stations were erected ; these would, however, necessarily greatly increase the capital cost. In the above operational programme the " R.33," owing to its smaller range and carrying capacity, has been considered as a reserve for training at home. 12. Two-Year Period of Inauguration.—In the event of the adoption of a two-year period a monthly service to Egypt would begin in March, 1922, as in the one-year period. This monthly service would be extended to India in September of that year, while demonstration flights towards South Africa would be carried out during the last two or three months of the period. For this programme it is essential that " L.71 " should be commissioned. '••_"/•. The cost involved would be £i,339,°oot This sum provides for the erection in Egypt of a complete 574
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