FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0845.PDF
NOVEMBER 18, 1926 BRITISH AVIATION' Royal Aero Club Monthly House Dinner L THE winter season at the Royal Aero Club opened with a house dinner on Wednesday, November 10. Brig.-General the Right Hon. Lord Thomson, C.B.E., D.S.O., was in the chair. The subject for discussion, after " The King " had been drunk, was the comprehensive one of " British Aviation." Lord Thomson called upon Mr. Handley Page to open the discussion. Mr. Handley Page, who was in his wittiest mood, com- menced by welcoming the chairman to the first monthly dinner which he has attended. He said that he proposed to treat the subject from the point of view of British air policy, although two gentlemen on his right (who represented insurance interests) might not take kindly to the word " policy." He alluded to the work of the Imperial Conference, and said that lately we had heard a lot about " forging chains of steel across the Empire," etc., which lie thought many members would describe as " bunkum." He wished to compare air power with sea power. Our raw materials, etc., came to us across the sea in ships, and therefore we had built up the navy to defend our mercantile marine. As a result of this dual effort, we had established a shipbuilding industry which was a pattern for the world. Our mercantile marine was self-supporting. Now civil aviation was not self-support- ing : it needed subsidies from the Government. We had no aerodromes across the Empire which could be compared to such marine ports as Malta, Colombo, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. If we had such a chain of aerodromes we could then do something with civil aviation. We must have an air policy of the Empire. In the past, all wars were a matter of man-power. Now man was a directive agency for machines. We must aim at building up an aircraft industry which other nations would be obliged to copy and use, as they copied and used our ship- building industry. They must be induced to buy their aircraft from us and have their pilots trained by us. Then they would, of necessity, become our allies. They could not contemplate hostilities against the source of their supplies. He instanced the policies of France and Germany. France had a dual air policy, co-ordinating her civil and her military air policies. She spent money on extending her civil air lines to Africa and elsewhere, and made other nations look to her for the supply of aircraft. At the same time, she had various nations, such as Poland, entirely dependent on her for military aircraft. This co-ordination of efforts had proved very beneficial. Germany had been prohibited from making a military air effort ; so she had concentrated on civil aircraft, and she, using only the one form of effort, was endeavouring to rival France. We British ought to co-relate our military and civil aviation air aims. The Air Ministry could help by re-equipping their squadrons with the latest types of aircraft, and selling the partly-used machines to other nations which could not afford to buy the latest types. In that way the ' could obtain the constant turnover which was so necessary to the trade. He looked to see the pilots of the buyer nations sent to this country to be trained free of charge. They must engage in battle with the Treasury, which was the enemy of all progress. But we had a national need for economy, and our income-tax was very high. Therefore we must not be extravagant. We were spending £120,000,000 on defence, of which only /15,000,000 went to the air. That was wrong, and we ought to find more for the air by cutting down the votes for the other fighting services. We must spend more money on research. He did not mean on abstract matters such as ^/x or y/y but on, say, experiments in mass production for war. How could we do that except by producing ? We should order 50 machines in one year, instead of one, and so concentrate into one year the progress which now took 50 years. Our air progress resembled a car on a steep hill with no brakes. It must go forward, or it would slide back. He did not believe we should have any sudden revolution brought about by autogyros, or even by slotted wings (laughter). Progress must be steady and continuous. We must wake the country up. " British aviation is not dead, but sleepeth." He strongly approved of the light aeroplane clubs, and praised Commander Perrin's work for the London club. He had heard that the Air Ministry' proposed to stop the subsidy to these clubs. That would be criminal. The country needed also to win. all air records. We must, drive into the heads of the brainless people at the top of the tree what thebrainier people lower down saw to be necessary. Mr. Handley Page concluded by saying, " Seek ye first theright air policy, and all the rest shall be added unto'you." Sir Sefton Brancker said that he had made so many notes(on the tablecloth) that now he could not read them. But he reminded everyone that our mercantile marine had beenbuilt up on a system of subsidies. Henry VIII and Elizabeth had subsidised their shipping because they considered it agood investment to do so. As regards the light aeroplane clubs, he said he would let members into a secret, and gavean explanation which seemd to satisfy Mr. Handler Page. In the past years we had adopted a penny-wise policy, andnow it would cost us a lot to compete with French and German civil aviation. As for co-ordination of civil and militaryeffort, we had, as a matter of fact, done something in that direction. He instanced various civil aeroplanes which hadbeen developed out of experimental service types and vice versa. He agreed that we ought to be a supply nation, aswe were in marine matters. The Japanese had learned naval matters from us and had defeated the Russians as aresult. We must be ready for the day when the whole world would want air transport and must be able to expand so as tobe able to supply all nations. The supply country would automatically produce its own reserves. Mr. John Lord said that he believed the Air Ministryscheme for raising reserve and auxiliary air forces was a failure. The only thing to do was to make it possible for theordinary man to fly ; but aeroplanes still cost too much. If the Air Ministry could offer £'50,000 for a helicopter, theyought to be able to devote that amount to an order for 100 aeroplanes, provided they were sold at /500 each. If theoffer were made, he believed that the machines could be produced at that price. Mr. C. G. Grey said that the aircraft industry asked forsubsidies instead of producing cheap stuff. What was needed was an engine costing /150. He instanced theMorris-Cowley car, and prophesied that one day a Morris would arise in the aircraft business and make a great success. Mr. G. C. Colebrook said that he thought the only usefulremark made so far was the suggestion of Mr. Lord. If the 100 aeroplanes were produced at /500 each, he did not thinkthat the Air Ministry would have to buy many of them. We must give up all hopes of supplying the world with aircraft,because they were comparatively cheap to produce, and only the poorest nations would consent to buy from abroad. Hethought that the necessity of maintaining a navy to guard the ocean routes had been overlooked in the discussion. Capt. F. L. Barnard said that we ought to concentrate onthe civil side of flying because it was cheaper. Each aeroplane which flew to the Continent carried 20 potential advertise-ments. But we must make flying safe by developing direc- tional wireless and leader cables. Then we could fly toschedule on 365 days in the year, instead of only about 300. As for safety, he strongly approved of multi-engined machines.He thought the Armstrong-Whitworth " Argosy " far ahead of any foreign machine ; adding that he had not yet flownthe " Hercules." He remarked that passengers were im- pressed by the size of large aeroplanes and believed them tobe safe. He also spoke of the " inherent prestige " of British machines, which were universally thought to be the safest.(Sir Sefton Brancker : " Government restrictions ! ") Major Mayo compared British aviation to a child beingbrought up by elderly parents. Civil flying was only seven years' old. It flew before it could walk, and it talked beforeit could fly. It was still a noisy child, but its growth was stunted. Its parents would not spend enough money on itseducation. They had devoted a million pounds to this object, and could not see that this sum was only enough toprovide a course of religious instruction. The subsidy to the light aeroplane clubs was contemptible in amount, but hadbeen very valuable in producing good work. To reduce it would be a calamity. Mr. H. G. Simmonds spoke from the insurance point ofview. What they wanted was safety. He had made his first flight at Croydon the other day, and it had left him with noimpressions at all. That was good ; that was how it should be with flying. Aircraft insurance had not been all beer andskittles for the companies, but he thought they were now 753
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
