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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0238.PDF
APRIL 27, 1922 the problem) were obtained by taking away from that now concluded between Germany and Bolshevist , the Army and Navy squadrons which were badly Russia, as a means " to destroy the consequences of needed by these services for co-operative work. , our defeat and realise in the near future the idea In concluding his articles, Gen. Groves gets home . of revenge." It does not require" a great deal of with the very telling point that, as the Air Force is imagination to visualise what might happen, and in now admitted to be our first line of defence, it is the meantime we are carrying on with a pitiful futile to model it on military lines, with a small Regular and a, not very large, Territorial Force. Rather should we found our Air policy on the service which was, until comparatively recently, our first " home defence " against air attack of three squad rons ! One begins to realise that France, by keeping a strong Air Force and constantly adding to it, is playing for safety. She does not complain that she line of defence—the Navy, which was ever prepared cannot afford it. She sees in it a form of insurance against aerial aggression, and pays the premium. An aerial defence, to be of any value, must be ready at a moment's notice. In the next war no time will be lost by the enemy. The first act of hostility will be an air attack, launched on a stu pendous scale and directed against a number of points. The only defence is one which is always ready, not one which has to call up reserves, train personnel, etc. Are we ready to take our place under such a contingency ? The answer is an emphatic NO. for any eventuality, and not relying on a small Regular Force and a Territorial Force in reserve. The logic of this argument should be sufficiently obvious. And to maintain an aerial Striking Force capable of coping with any demand can only be done by close co-operation with, and the establish ment of, a strong Civil Aviation. On any other basis this task would assume impracticable pro portions, both financially and practically. By foster ing Civil Aviation, on the other hand, such a Striking Force could be maintained at a relatively small expense to the taxpayer, as to a certain extent Civil Aviation could be made self-supporting, quite apart from the advantages which the possession of the most rapid means of communications would confer on the Empire. • • • The New It is a well-known fact that negotiations Russo- have been proceeding for some con- German Air siderable time between the Soviet Route Government and German aircraft and financial circles, with a view to establishing German- operated air services between Berlin and Moscow. These negotiations have now been completed, and the German Aero Union combine have secured the rights to run this service. Not only so, but, possibly as a result of, or at any rate in close connection with, the recent Russo-German agreement of Genoa, these concessions are to be extended, and the combine has been granted exclusive rights to operate postal and passenger services between all the principal cities of Russia. The flying stock for these services will be built in factories erected on Russian soil, but financed and run by, it may safely be presumed, German capital, and a large percentage of German personnel. At the best, this may—indeed, will—mean the extension of German air power and civil aviation right across Russia to the shores of the Pacific. At the worst—and not at all an unlikely supposition- it may mean the establishment of a huge civil aviation industry, nominally Russian but in reality dominated by Germany, which would form a potential " striking force," much of the character The Atlantic Flight The magnificent performance of the two gallant Portuguese officers, Capt. Cabral and Capt. Coutinho, in flying from Lisbon to St. Paul's Rocks, deserves to rank high among the historical flights of the years after the war. With a minimum of organisation, and in spite of extremely unfavourable weather conditions, they have managed the most hazardous portion of their journey, and have succeeded in covering the longest non-stop distance entailed in the trip. That they should have come to grief after getting thus far is an unkindly blow of fate, but it appears probable that a fresh machine will be des patched, and that they may thus be able to complete their journey by air in the manner contemplated. The fact of having been able to locate St. Paul's Rocks, which are visible at no great distance, and which are of quite minute extent, is a feat of navi gation of which Capt. Coutinho may well be proud, and for which he deserves the very highest credit. To British aviation the flight is of the greatest importance, in having shown once more the superiority of British aircraft and British engines for work of this nature. Our only regret is that the crew of the machine were not also British. Most of the world's long-distance flights have been made by British crews in British machines, engined by British power plants, and it would have been desirable that in this instance also the daring adventures should have been of ^ur race. However, both officers are of a nation which has been for centuries our ally, and with which we still have the very closest relations, as that for which Gen. Groves pleads so strongly and we can therefore view without jealousy their in his articles. And how are we to prevent it ? So long as the machines are built in Russia and other countries, it would appear that we are powerless to stop construction on any scale which Germany may choose, and for which she is capable of paying. For that matter, what guarantee have .we that she will not establish factories in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Holland, as well as in Russia, ostensibly for the purpose of operating commercial air services to these countries, but forming a force which, in time of need, could quickly be massed on any frontier and used against any enemy. In this con nection it is significant to recall the words of Gen. splendid achievement. Our heartiest congratulations to them, to the Fairey Aviation Company, the builders of the machine, and to Rolls-Royce, Ltd., whose engine carried them to St. Paul's Rocks. H 0 H Transatlantic Airmen Honoured THE two Portuguese airmen, Capt. Cabral and Capt. Coutinho, have arrived at the Brazilian island of Fernando do Noronha, where they had a brilliant reception. President Pessoa has sent a cordial message of congratu lation to them, offering any assistance which the Brazilian Government can render. The two airmen have been awarded the Portuguese military Order of the Torre e Espada. The cruiser " Carvalho de Arajou T v.AcmAr^t >*'/ j„ ,, j j i_ "c ^uajuu will leave Lisbon shortly with a new seaplane Luaerjaort who, in 1930, advocated a treaty such as for the compbtion of the flight to Rio de Janeiro. 338
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