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Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0418.PDF
•inm JULY 19, 1923 IN PARLIAMENT R.A.F. War Stations *MR. STURROCK on July 2 asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in connection with the projected expansion of the Royal Air Force, it isintended to make use of stations developed during the War and subsequently closed down ? Sir S. Hoare : The location of the new home defence squadrons is at presentbeing- carefully considered,' and wherever it is more economical to do so, those War stations, which are still suited to the requirement of the Air Force, willbe reopened. I am not, however, at present in a position to give particulars. Fighting Services Expenditure CAPT. W. BENN on July 5 asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasurywhat was the total Vote for the Army and Navy, respectively, for.the year 1913-14 ; and what is the total Vote proposed for the Army, $avy,.,and AirForce, respectively, for the financial year 1923-24. ' '" " Sir W. Joynson-Hicks : The net figures are as follow :-*-• '.?"•. '•1913-14 : Army, £28,220,000 ; Navy (including Supplementary-Estimate), £48,809,300 ; total, £77,029,300.1923-24: Army, £52,000,000 ; Navy, £58,000,000 ; Air Force, £12,011,000 ; total, £122,011,000.To the latter figure should be added £7,529,800 provided on the Middle Eastern Vote for troops and Air Force personnel in Iraq and Palestine.Capt. W. Beim asked the Prime Minister whether it is intended that the additional charges involved in the proposed expansion of the Air Force shallbe met by corresponding reductions in the money voted for the other services ? The Prime Minister: It is the intention of His Majesty's Government tohave regard to the expenditure on national defence as a whole, and it will - continue to be their earnest endeavour to effect every possible reduction of thatexpenditure. Aerial Armaments SIR G. COLLINS asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can givefor Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany the following particulars : The number of squadrons in the Air Force and the average number of machinesper squadron, distinguishing, if possible, the types of squadron ; the number of civilian machines certified as airworthy ; the amount of money voted forthe air service in each of last three financial years for which the information is available ; and the total personnel of the air service, distinguishing betweenflying officers and other ranks and the remainder of the personnel ? Sir S. Hoare : Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany is prohibited frompossessing an Air Force, and as regards Italy, that the whole Air Force of that country is in a process of re-organisation, i am therefore obliged to confinemy answer, except so far as concerns civil aviation, to Great Britain and France. In reply to the first and fourth parts of the question, the figures forthis country are as follows : Number of squadrons, 36*; number of machines per squadron, 10 to 12 ; the total number of officers in the Royal Air Force is2,990, of whom by far the greater number may be classed as flying personnel; the number of airmen, 26,835. As regards France, I would refer to the answerwhich I gave on February 28 last and March 28 last. In reply to the second part of the question, the number of British registered aeroplanes possessingcertificates of airworthiness is 100. No similar information is available as regards France, Italy or Germany. As regards the third part of the question,so far as Great Britain is concerned, I would refer the hon. and gallant member to the Air Estimates. As regards France, it is impossible to give the totalfigures voted on account of Air Services, as a great part of these are included in other Votes, from which it is impossible to extricate them. Aircraft and Fatal AccidentsMR. TILLETT on July 11 asked the Secretary of State for Air what proportion of airmen are burnt to death in aerodane accident? as againstviolent death by defective engines, steering, or frame construction ; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure an automatic detachment of petrol tanksand protection from fire in any case of enfoiced landing ? Lieut,-Colonel Sir S. Hoare : The information asked for in the first part ofthe question is not readily available in complete detail. I can, however, give to the hon. member the following figures relating to fatal accidents toaircraft in the British Islands occurring between 1st July, 1920, and 30th June, 1923. The total number of fatal accidents was 57. The number of accidentsin which deat1? was found to be due to burning was two. The number of accidents in which fire occurred on impact was 13. As regards the latter partof the question, the Air Ministry, in conjunction with the Aeronautical Research Committee, have for some time past been giving very close attentionto the investigation of various methods of preventing lire on impart. It is not at present possible to say in what direction the final solution of thisextremely difficult problem may be found, but steady progress is being made, and the question of the use of detachable tanks and their location in aircrafthas already been the subject of careful experiment. I shall be very glad to receive any information or suggestions which the hon. member may haveto make on this subject, and should he so desire, I shall be pleased to arrange an interview for him with the Department concerned at the Air Ministry. Viscount Curzon ' Does the right hon. gentleman think it is possible todo anything" to encourage the use of heavy oil engines in aeroplanes, as opposed to petrol engines ?Sir S. Hoare : I do not think that that arises here. If the noble Lord will put down a question, I will answer it. R.A.F. ExhibitionsMR. BECKER on July 12 asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the success of the air pageant at Hendon, he will consider the advis-ability of giving similar exhibitions on a modified scale in big industrial centres, especially in those areas from which he expects to recruit men for the TerritorialAir Force? Lieut.-Col. Sir Samuel Hoare : There have been various difficulties in theway of giving exhibitions such as suggested, but the question of sending a flight of machines round the industrial centres which are thought to be themost suitable is being considered. Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy : Will the right hon. Gentleman al?o arrangefor some dummy attacks to be made on the big industrial centres, just to bring home to the people what they are to get in the next war ?Sir S. Hoare . I must ask for notice of that question. Mr. Becker : Is it intended to have a similar exhibition in Glasgow, so thatthe people of Scotland can see the effects of aerial Warfare ? Air Transport MR. FREDERICK MARTIN asked whether, in view of the popular interestaroused by the Royal Air Force pageant, he will consider the advisability of affording to the public, and to the Members of this House, an opportunity ofvisiting the Croydon Aerodrome with a view to demonstrating the safety and efficiency of air transport and its value to commercial, as well as to military,services ? Sir S. Hoare : Hon. Members or others who are interested in the question othe safety and efficiency of air transport will be welcome at any time at Croydon, and if any Membeis of the House wish to visit the aerodrome, Ishall be happy to arrange for their being shown around it. As regards a demonstration, I hesitate to ask the commercial Companies who use theCroydon Aerodrome as their headquarters to undertake the expense of a special demonstration, but I suggest that the ordinary routine services of the airtransport companies will themselves be the best possible evidence of their regularity and reliability. Mr. F. Martin asked the Secretary of State for Air what regular passengerand mail air services are now available in this country ? Sir S. Hoare : Three British air services, carrying passengers arid mails,are in daily operation between London and Paris ; London, Brussels and Cologne; London and Amsterdam. An extension from Amsterdam toBremen, Hamburg and Berlin is operated on two days a week by a British, and on the remaining days by a German company, but this extension does notcarry mails. The only internal British service is the daily one between London and Manchester, and this also does not carry mails. Sir F. Hall: Is there any decision yet as to the extension of the flyingground at Croydon ? Sir S. Hoare : Only to this extent, that I have included a sum in theEstimates for this extension. Aircraft AccidentsMR. F. MARTIN asked for the number of passengers carried to and from Croydon Aerodrome during the past twelve months ; and the number ofaccidents, if any, which have befallen aircraft frequenting Croydon Aero- drome.Sir S. Hoare : The number of passengers arriving at and departing from the London Terminal Aerodrome, Croydon, on regular air routes during thetwelve months ended June 30, 1923, was 12,216 in British machines and 3,411 in foreign machines, or a total of 15,627. As regards accidents, by which Iassume that the hon. Member means accidents involving death or personal injuries and not merely the trivial mishaps that sometimes happen on landing,etc., the answer is that no accidents of the kind have occurred to the British machines concerned during the twelve months ended June 30 last. As regardsaccidents to foreign aircraft, complete records are only available for accidents in this country; during the last twelve, months one sucn accident occurredresulting in injury to the pilot. Mr". McEntee asked whether, in view of the great increase in the number ofaccidents to aircraft, an inquiry can be instituted into the cause of such increase of accidents, and statistics piiblishe-1 showing the number of accidentsoccurring before the introduction of the system of payment by results in aircraft manufacture ; and the number of accidents occurring since the intro-duction of this system ? Viscount Curzon : Before the right hon. Gentleman answers that question,may I ask whether it is correct to state, in the terms of the question, that there has been an increase in the number of accidents to aircraft ?Sir S. Hoare : I will deal with that point. There has been no great increase in the number of accidents to British aircraft during the last three years, andthe number of fatal accidents per flying hour for both service flying and civil flying on regular air routes has in fact decreased, despite the steady increasein the amount of flying carried out. I do not consider, therefore, that any special inquiry is necessary. With regard to the second part of the question,the information asked for is not readil5' available, and I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to Mr. Hayday on July 4. Mr. McEntee : What is meant by " no great increase " ? After all, it isthe figures which we want to know, whether there has been a great increase or not.Sir S. Hoare : In view of the increased amount of flying there has been an actual decrease. I employed the expression which the hon. Member himselfuses in bis own question. Sir F. Hall : Is it not the fact that the insurance companies are consideringthe question of a reduction in the premiums in consequence of the comparative immunity of aircraft from accidents ? Sir S. Hoare : I think that is so, and I hope my hon. and gallant Friend willuse his influence to see that that reduction is carried out. Capt. Brass : Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the great danger to thepublic and the pilots of low Hying outside the aerodrome in relay races, as was practised at the recent aerial pageant at Hendon ; and whether he cansee his way to have regulations made wheieby machines will be equipped with sealed aneroids fitted with maximum hands, so as to force pilots to attain arelatively high altitude—at least an altitude sufficiently high for them to get back in safety into the aerodrome in the event of an engine failure? Sir S. Hoare : I am quite prepared to consider the suggestion of the hon.and gallant Gentleman. Perhaps he will send me further particulars on the subject. French Air Estimates ,MR. LAWSON asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can state the increased amount voted for the Air Service by the French Government sincethe Prime Minister's recent statement in the House to the effect that the Government had decided to strengthen our Air Service ; and whether he canstate the extent to which the increased amount voted by the French Govern- ment will strengthen their Air Forces V Sir S. Hoare : Certain alterations, amounting in all to an addition of 65$million francs, were made to the Air Section of the French Budget during the passage of the Estimates. There is no indication that this increased provisionhad any connection with the announcement of the British Government's Air policy made in this House on June 26. It is not possible at this stage toestimate the precise effect that this addition will have en the French Air establishments, but I understand that the greater part, about 50 million fraucs,is voted for the purchase of aeronautical material for the fighting services. Capt. W. Benn : Did that figure include the provision for 50 additional naval squadrons ?Sir S. Hoare : I must ask for notice of that question. The French Estimate is very complicated, and without careful analysis it is very difficult to answerthe hon. and gallant Member's question. Aerial ArmamentsMR. LAWSON asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can state the most recent estimate of the Air Force strength of Italy, Belgium, Germany, andAmerica 7 Sir S. Hoare : As regards Italy, Germany, and the United States of America,I would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave on May 3 and July 5 last to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green (Mr. Harris) and the hon. ?ndgallant Member for Greenock (Sir G. Collins) respectively. As regards Belgium, the answer is : Number of personnel, 155 officers, of whom 72 arepilots or observers ; and 2,213 other ranks, of whom 67 are pilots or observers ; number of machines, exclusive of reserve, training, and headquarters machines,153. 418
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