FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0459.PDF
Flight, July 8, 1926 AIRCRAFTENGINEEFL First Aero Weekly in the World Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER A Jcurr&l c?evcted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 915. (No. 27, Vol. XVIII.) JULY 8, 1926 rWeekly, Prlc« 6d.|_ Post free, 7d. Flight The Aircraft Engineer and Airships Editorial Offices: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C.2. Telegrams : Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828.Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 30s. id. Abroad .. .. 33s. 0d.» These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under abnormal conditions and to increases in postage rates. • Foreign subscriptions must be remitted in British currency. CONTENTS Editorial Comment PAGE The- Royal Air Force Display 397R.A.F. Display ". 9 The Bristol " Badminton " Biplane 411King's Cup Race 414 Personals 419In Parliament 420 Light'Plane Club Doings 420The Royal Air Force 1 R.A.F. intelligence 1Honours 421 EDITORIAL COMMENT. HE Display given by the Royal Air Force at Hendon each summer marches ever on from strength to strength. We write these words advisedly and after having given thought to the matter. We do not pretend to assume that any- human activity (excepting of course the weekly paper known as FLIGHT) is beyond criticism ; and we have not so entirely sunk human frailty in the impeccable editorial " we " as not to imagine that any given specimen The Royal f tn t activity, and in particular theAir Force - r Display R.A.F. Display, would have beenimproved had we been consulted before- hand and had our advice been taken. Such a procedure, of course, would have relieved us of the ungracious duty of being wise after the event and of offering a modicum of criticism. The reflection occurs, however, that in such a case Othello's occupation would be gone. For what purpose does a paper publish editorials if not to criticize ? So perhaps after all, things are for the best in this best of all possible worlds. We do, in fact, intend to offer some criticisms and some suggestions with regard to the Display. We intend, moreover, to be as hypercritical as possible. It would be an insult to the Royal Air Force to take up any other attitude. The standard which they have set is so very high, that a mere stringing together of laudatory adjectives in the superlative degree " perfect splendid, marvellous " and the like would be merely fatuous. Such a tone of criticism is appropriate to a local paper describing the local amateur theatricals. It is because the display has reached such a very high standard of excellence that it has earned the right to hypercriticism. Having thus wielded our thunderbolt before the eyes of astonished man, we must confess that we have found but few targets on which to direct our bomb-sights. First as to organization and adminis- tration. In all seriousness we should like to urge that in future years the Display should not be confined to one day. Enormous as were the crowds at Hendon last Saturd'ay, we feel perfectly convinced that everyone in London, or rather in southern England, who wanted to see the Display was not able to do so. For instance Saturday was also the final day at Henley and Wimble- don, while there were the ordinary Saturday attrac- tions everywhere. The Royal Tournament always lasts for about a fortnight, with two performances a day, and yet Olympia is alw:ays well rilled. The Aldershot Tattoo is held for four nights in a most inaccessible spot, but it is always hard to procure 4s. seats if one waits till one gets to the arena. Other events of the summer season—Epsom, Ascot, Henley, Wimbledon, Cowes, Test matches, etc.—are none of them con- fined to a single day, yet all draw well day after day. The period of the Tattoo at Wembley last year had to be extended several times. The R.A.F. Display is not less popular than any of them, and we feel no doubt whatever that Hendon would fill up well at least on a second day. The trouble and expense of preparing for one day's performance is very great. The additional cost of a second day would be trifling, especially now that Hendon is a Government aero- drome. We strongly urge upon the Air Ministry that next year it should try the experiment of hold- ing the Display on two days. Now that parachutes have become part of the C 2
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
