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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0636.PDF
NOVEMBER 2, 1922 needs would still necessitate our carrying on with them. As it is the man-in-the-street upon whom, ultimately, the fate of aviation must depend, such articles, from one in authority, cannot fail to do a great deal of good, and we therefore welcome them whether or not there is precedent for their publication. Those who have expressed the view that Success of mterna] air services in Great Britain Service could not be a success will be given food for thought by the report, under our London Terminal Aerodrome Notes this week, that up to the present the new service to Manchester has met with outstanding success, the bookings in several instances exceeding the available seats. Nor is there any reason to believe that, when the novelty wears off, the use of the air service will fall off. It is not as if the service ended at Croydon. If that were the case we quite agree that there might be scant prospects of lasting success for internal air services. But when it is remembered that at Croydon the internal service links up direct with a network whose branches run to many countries, and a network, moreover, which is bound to spread rapidly until it covers the entire globe, then services in Britain assume quite a different aspect. „ . . , The announcement that the three com-British , "Airways" Panies now operating air services from Croydon intend to amalgamate to the extent of running their advertising and booking business in common will be received with satisfaction. As the three firms are no longer in competition with each other, there would appear to be no reason for a continued separate organisation, and very considerable reductions in certain expenditure should be possible with the new arrangement, thus bringing nearer the day when these air services can pay their way without other -Government assistance than wireless and meteorological services. Certain overhead charges are very much the same whether one runs a service of one machine per day or ten machines per day, and anything which tends to reduce such charges should be welcomed. Some might object that the new arrangement is tending towards such undesirable words as " trust " and " monopoly," but while the Government virtually is conferring" a monopoly on the firms selected to run' these services and is paying IS m Air Ministers of the New Government JUST as we go to press the announcement is made that His Majesty the King has been pleased to approve the appointment of Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt., C.M.G., to the post of Secretary of State for Air, and of His Grace the Duke of Sutherland to the post of Under-Secretary of State for Air. The appointment of Sir Samuel Hoare comes somewhat as a surprise, as nothing in his Parliamentary career has hitherto associated him with aviation. Sir Samuel as a banker and recognised authority on financial matters is paramount, but whether that is an advantage or the reverse in an Air Minister yet remains to be seen. Possibly it may be regarded as a good omen that the new Air Minister is the eldest son of the late Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt., who was M.P. for Norwich, the home of the famous Boulton and Paul all-metal aircraft. The Duke of Sutherland has been associated with aviation for some years, being President of the Air League of the British Empire, and again quite recently he entered a machine in the race for the King's Cup. By tradition also His Grace is connected with flying, his father, the late Duke of Suther- them subsidies, this objection hardly holds good." Later on, when subsidies are a thing of the past, the position may need revising. «••*•• Major Turner's mention in the Daily Glider' Telegraph of October 31 of a new prize Prize °f £1.000 for the greatest distance covered in a glider during next year, brings up the subject of new rules. When the rules for the Daily Mail competition were drafted there were many who firmly believed, and said so, that the minimum duration of 30 minutes would not be attained. Yet this minimum was actually exceeded on the very first day of the competition. It is obvious that little is to be gained by offering prizes for still longer durations. Theoretically, if a man can remain up for three hours there is no reason why he cannot remain up for 30 hours if the wind holds and he is physically capable of standing the strain. The Royal Aero Club will, therefore, be faced with the problem of devising new rules for any new competitions which may take place in the future. In view of our present comparative ignorance of the subject, the task will by no means be an easy one, and the framing of rules may have the most far- reaching effects on the future development of the sport. It is, therefore", imperative that no hasty steps should be taken, and ample time should be devoted to the framing of new rules. The distance competition suggested, with a minimum of some 50 miles, may sound somewhat severe. So, for that matter, did the minimum of 30 minutes' duration, considering that not one of our pilots had had any experience before the opening of the competition. If it could be arranged to retain the rights to fly from and over the ridge from Itford Hill to Firle Beacon permanently, it seems probable that the best plan might be to delay the framing of any rules until pilots have had an opportunity of doing a certain amount of experimental work. If rules are drafted without the knowledge that would be thus accumu lated, there appears to be a danger that such rules might, on the one hand, be so severe as to preclude success, or, on the other hand, be so easy of attain ment that full benefit of the prizes—as regards real progress in the design, construction, and use of gliders—would not be attained, and the money thus largely wasted. H m land, being for a considerable period a member of the Council of the Royal Aero Club. Both men have the advantage of youth, Sir Samuel Hoare being 42 and the Duke of Sutherland only 35. Although not directly connected with aviation under the new Government, Sir William Joynson-Hicks, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department, may be able to lend valuable assistance in matters relating to Imperial air communication, and thus his intimate knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, aviation matters may not be entirely wasted in his new post. Aerial Photography at the Royal Photographic Society SQUADRON LEADER F. C. V. LAWS last week gave a lecture at the Royal Photographic Society on " Progress in Aerial Photography," during which lantern slides of great interest were shown. Major Laws stated that, whereas in 1914 it was difficult to locate dismounted troops on photographs taken from the air at any altitude above 3,000 ft., it was now possible to see even birds when photographed from a distance of a mile and a-half. This he illustrated by showing a picture of pigeons feeding on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral taken from that height. 636 *
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