FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0148.PDF
MARCH 12, 1925 LIG Those wishing to get in touch with others interested in matters relating to eliding and the construction of gliders are invited to write to the Editor of FLIGHT, who will be pleased to publish such communications on this page, in order to bring together those who would like to co-operate, either in forming gliding clubs or in private collaboration. NATURALLY, one of the topics of the week is the announce-ment that the Air Ministry has evolved a new scheme m connection with subsidising the newly formed light 'planeclubs. Under the new arrangement, it is understood, the Air Ministry is prepared to provide for each club two completelight 'planes, one spare engine, and sundry incidental gear, the cost of the whole not to exceed £2,000. Instead of the£500 per annum at first contemplated as a contribution towards running expenses, the Air Ministry is now preparedto advance to each of the six " approved '" clubs £ 1,000 for the first year, the amount of the grant for subsequent yearsto be reconsidered later. In case of any crash which results in the total loss of a machine, the Air Ministry offers to payone-half of the cost of replacement. ON the face cf it, the Air Ministry's new offer appearsfairly generous. A total grant oi the equivalent value of £"3,000, plus one-half of any replacement cost, would notseem at all a bad offer. Yetthere is apparently considerable dissatisfaction with the offer. The objection is raised, anda perfectly sound one it is, that the clubs will not^at first, at any rate—be able to augment their flying stock by pur-chases of new machines, as nearly all the available funds will be swallowed up in purchasing ground equipment and inpaying rent and insurance. THE argument advanced is that two machine? for a clubwith, perhaps, 200 members anxious to fly will be totally inadequate, and that the inevitable result will be that manymembers will lose interest not only in the club, but in flying altogether, as being beyond their reach. That this wouldbe a serious loss to the nation cannot be denied, especially as the urgent necessity of encouraging our young men totake up flying is admitted on all sides. THUS once more the position seems to have become onedescribable as a deadlock. In view of the limitation of the light 'plane subhead in the Air Estimates to £"22,000, it cannotbe expected that the Air Ministry will be in a position sub- stantially to augment its present offer, and if we are to getgoing this year some other scheme seems to be required. In all fairness to the Air Ministry (and certainly nobody couldaccuse FLIGHT of being in the habit of siding with the A.M.on light 'plane questions), it must, we think, be said that the offer is a fair one, and perhaps as generous as one could hopefor. The difficulty lies in the fundamental nature of the subject. Aeroplanes, of whatever type, cost a lot! oimoney, and unless handled with considerable skill their upkeep is likely to run the owners into fairly large expense.With the view that two machines per club—or, let us say, one machine per 100 members of a club—is inadequate weentirely sympathise. At the civilian flying schools before the War it used, we believe, to be the rule at least to haveone machine for every ten pupils. Even then there were those who were discontented with the long periods between" flips." There is, however, this essential difference, and perhaps it is apt to be overlooked, that, whereas the pre-Warestablishments were flying schools where pupils paid a premium of something like £"100 to be taught to fly, the institutionsnow under consideration are clubs ; and, although they will naturally wish to give their members as much flying aspossible, it is not to be expected that each member should count upon getting a flight once a day, or even once a week.The essential difference between school and club should be realised, and the difference in fees taken into account. Atthe de Havilland Flying School at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, there is, we believe, a system in force by which aa pupil pays by the hour an inclusive fee covering tuition, damages, and third-party risks. An apt pupil may learn tofly there at trifling cost. The light 'plane clubs are on an essentially different basis, in that they will have to dependupon the goodwill of the majority of members to enable the minoritv to learn to flv. As we have said, we do not think it is any use expectinggreater support from the Air Ministry, and the facts might as well be faced. Whether the actual amounts to begranted could be allocated to better advantage is, of course, another question. In order to bring the price of light 'planes,or of any type of aeroplane, for that matter, down, it is above all essential that large batches should be built. It has beensuggested that the Air Ministry should place an order for a considerable number of machines, and should then sellthem to clubs or to R.A.F. officers at cost price. If we assume that the Air Ministry could persuade the Treasury to sanctionsuch a course, a very unlikely supposition, and that by placing with one firm an order for a batch of 50 machines,it is conceivable that the price could be reduced to something like £500 per machine. Without going into the desirabilityof such an arrangement, it would mean that the Air Ministry would get, if the whole of the £22,000 voted were spent onmachines, about 50 light 'planes. Making each light 'plane club a present of four machines would leave the Air Ministrywith approximately one-half of the machines to be disposed of to sources other than light 'plane clubs, or to the clubsto be paid for by such as could afford to buy extra machines. There is every chance that the Air Ministry might be leftwith some 15 machines at least, at the end of the first year, unless some scheme were devised for hiring out these machinesto clubs at a reasonable figure, the Air Ministry to pay the insurance premium. * * * ON the whole we doubt il this scheme would be workable,and it might be better, for the first year or two, if the Air Ministry agreed to some arrangement for hiring out to theclubs at low rentals machines not necessarily light 'planes, but which could be obtained cheaply. There are in existencetypes of aeroplanes which are eminently suitable for school work, and the price of which is not prohibitive. Perhaps ascheme could be evolved whereby such machines could be made available for the light 'plane clubs to augment theirflying stock for the first year or two, the clubs to pay the hire and the Air Ministry to look after the insurance. Thusthe present suggested scheme could more or less stand, while the question of hiring out machines of other types tosuch clubs as were willing and able to pay the hire would be additional, and would only involve the Air Ministry infurther commitments to the extent of the insurance of any machines thus lured. Thus at the start all the light 'planeclubs would be on an even looting, and those willing and able to afford the expense of hiring extra machines wouldforge ahead and would naturally as a consequence train the largest number of pilots. * * • BUT in all these speculations it has rather been taken forgranted that the main object of the light 'plane clubs is to train pilots. This, as we have already pointed out. is notexactly the case, and the clubs should be more concerned with getting as many people as possible interested in flying,not necessarily as pilots but sufficiently keen to wish to go for passenger flights, etc., and so gradually spread thegospel of aviation to wide and ever-widening circles. Our love of the sea did not arise out of an artificially encouragedinterest, but developed and grew gradually. So also must our love of the air in the main grow naturally, and all thatcan, and should, be expected is that this growth be hastened somewhat by some slight encouragement during the early period. * * * ALREADY seven entries have been received for the light'plane and glider meeting to be held at Vauville, near Cher- bourg, this summer. Curiously enough, the first three werefrom Belgium, machines Nos. 1, 2, and 3 being entered by the S.A.B.C.A. firm. No. 4 is entered by M. Georges Ligreau,Nos. 5 and 6 by Pander en Zonen, and No. 7 by Eric Nessler. The Belgian machines are said to have been designed byPoncelet and Jullien respectively, while the Pander, or at any rate one of them, is similar to that exhibited at thelast Paris Aero Show, and described in FLIGHT of February 19,1925. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that recently a Pander monoplane, with " Y "-type Anzani engine, flewfrom Paris to Brussels in 2J hours. * • »THE meeting will take place from July 26 to August 9, and entries at 50 francs for gliders and 100 francs for light'planes are accepted up to May 26, and up to June 29 at double fee. 148
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
