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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0871.PDF
NOVEMBER 25, 1926 THE ROYAL London Gazette, November 19, 1926. General Duties Branch The follg. are granted permanent commissions in the ranks stated (Nov 1 )— FLIGHT LT.—F. H. Shales. FLYING OFFICER.—H. N. ThorntonPi'ot Officer J. H. Barringer is promoted to rank of Flying Officer (Oct 14) The follg. Flying Officers are transferred to the Reserve :—CLASS A —W GNicholls (Nov. 18) ; CLASS C—N. H. F. Unwin (Nov. 13). Flying Officer S. T. Littleton resigns his permanent commission (Nov. 17). % 2 g- res'gn their short service commissions (Nov. 17) :—Pilot OfficerJ. T. C. Skellon, Pilot Officer on probation L. S. S. Tnnks. The short service commn. of Pilot Officer on probation A. E. Scott Moore is terminated oncessation of duty (Nov. 17) ; G. H. Morris, Lt., R.M., Flying Officer, K.A.F., relinquishes his temp, commn. on return to duty with Royal Marines (Nov10) : Flying Officer R. L. Yates (Lt., Royal Scots Fus.) relinquishes his temp, commn. on return to Army duty (Oct. 26). Stores BranchFlying Officer on probation O. G. Ridley, M.C. (Mai., R.A.R.O ) is con- firmed in rank (Oct. 6). Accountant BranchFlying Officer B. E. Hume Wright is transferred to Reserve, Class C (Nov. 15). AIR, FORCE Medical BranchFlying Officer W. A. Beck, M.B., D.P.H., is transferred to the Reserve, Class D.2 (Nov. 19). M emoratuhimR. W. Stevens is granted a temp, comiun. as a Flight Lt. (Legal Officer) (Nov. II). Reserve of Air Force OfficersThe following Pilot Officers are promoted to rank of Flying Officer :— R. N. Bullock (June 17) ; A. R. J. Savage (Sept. 24) ; John Gallacher (Oct. 3).Pilot Officer on probation F. R. Matthews is confirmed in rank (Nov. 9). The following Flying Officers are transferred from Class A to Class C :—H. MacMillan (Nov. 12) ; A. D. Drysdale (Nov. 13). Flying Officer F. R. Steggall, D.C.M., relinquishes his commission on completion of service(Oct. 24). AUXILIARY AIR FORCE General Duties Branch The following to be Pilot Officer :—No. 600 CITY or LONDON (BOMUINC;) SQUADRON.— G. de H. Vaizey (Nov. 16). ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE Appointments.—The following appointments in the Royal Air Force arenotified :— General Duties Branch Squadron Leader K. C. Buss, to H.Q., Irak, 12.11.26. flying Officers : W. E. Purdin, to No. 1 Flying Training School, Nether-avon ; 22.11.26. F. L. Collison, to No. 39 Sqdnl, Spittlegate ; 17.11.26. Medical BranchFlight I ieutenants : C. P. Barber, to Basrah Combined Hospital, Iraq ; 18.10.26. T. V. O'Brien, M.B., to Station Commandant, Hinaidi ; 16.10.26.G. P. O'Connell, M.B., to H.Q., India ; 17.10.26. Flying Officers : G. J. Griffiths, to Basrah Combined Hospital, Iraq,14.10.26. D. B. Smith, M.B., and F. B. C. L. B. Crawford,'M.B., to R.A.F., British Hospital, Iraq; 16.10.26. J. McM. Wilder and R. I. K. Chattcy, to Station Commandant, Hinaidi; 16.10.20. B. L. Edwards, M.li. and F. A. Aslett, to Station Commandant, Basrah ; 14.10.26. NAVAL APPOINTMENTS The following appointments have been made by the Admiralty :—l.ieuts. (Flying Officers, R.A.I-'.).—A. Brock and G. R. F. T. Cooper, to Furious, and for full Hying duties in 420 (light (Sept. 18 and Oct. 18 respec-tively). PromotionCommander (retd.) F. L. M. Boothby, C.B.E., to rank of Capl. (rid.) (seny. Nov. 13). IN PARLIAMENT Civil Aviation Subsidies SIR H. BRITTAIN, on November 15, asked the Secretary of State for Airthe annual amounts of subsidy for civil flying granted by Great Britain, France and Germany respectively ; and whether every effort is being madeby 1 is Majesty's Government to give at least similar'support to the develop- ment of our civil air service as is the case in the other two countries referredto? Sir Samuel Hoare : As regards the first part of the question, the total sumallocated to the development of civil aviation in Air Votes for the current year is £462,000. In addition, / 362,0(10 is being expended on airship develop-ment, Which is, to a large extent, for civil aviation purposes. It is difficult to give exactly comparable figures in respect of France and Germany, but thefollowing are approximate : France, 78,175,000 francs ; Germany, 24,661,500 Reichmarks. Actual subsidy payments to civil air transport companies are as follow :Great Britain, £167,000; France, 59,500,000 francs; Germany, 8,371,500 Reichmarks. As regards the second part of the question, the policy of His Majesty'sGovernment is to spare no effort to place the operation of civil air transport on a commercial footing as early as possible. Captain P. Macdonald : Is it not a fact that the large subsidy paid bythe German Government for civil aviation enables Germany to control and operate 75 per cent, of the civil air lines in Europe '!Sir S. Hoare : I do not think that arises out of the question. I should like to have notice of the question. I do not know whether the percentagegiven is accurate or not. Karachi Airship BaseMR. SCVRR asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what progress has been made with the work on the airship base at Karachi ; and when it isexpected that the Work on this airship base will be finished ? The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Sir Philip Sassoon) : I have beenasked to reply. In answer to the first part of the question, considerable progress has been made with the work. The site has been cleared, the founda-tions of the shed have been laid and part of the steel work erected, and many of the ancillary works services have been completed. As regards the secondpart of the question, all the work now in hand should be completed in the latter part of 1927. Bagdad Aeroplane AccidentCOLONEL DAY, on November 19, asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is yet in a position to state the result of the inquiry into the disaster to thebiplane troop-carrier at Bagdad on July 26 last, which resulted in the death of seven airmen ?SIR S. HOARE : Inquiry has shown that the cause of the accident was the breaking of the starboard engine crankshaft just after the aeroplane hadtaken off and was at a height of 100 ft. above the aerodrome. The reason why the pilot did not throttle back the port engine, which would have enabled the An Imperial Airways Change WILL readers please note that from November 27 the London office of the Imperial Airways, Ltd., will be removed from Wolseley House, Piccadilly, to Airways House, Charles Street, Lower Regent Street, S.W.I (Telephone, Regent 7861 — 7865). The Piccadilly office will be closed after this date, and, beginning on Wednesday, December 1, the departure station for passengers will be Airways House, and not Hotel aeroplane to glide straight on, was apparently that lie hoped to be able toreach some open ground on the right and to avoid obstructions immediately in his front. Royal Air Force Accidents COLONEL GRETTON. on November 22. asked the Secretary of State for Airhow many fatal accidents there have been in the Air Force this year and how many lives have been lost ; what were the corresponding losses last year ;the numbers of machines destroyed by accidents this year and last year ; can he attribute the crashes of flying machines and loss of life in the AirService to any general cause ; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of accidents ?Sir S. Hoare : The figures requested in the first three parts of the question for the period January 1 to November 18, 1926, and for the correspondingperiod in 1925, are as follows :— 1926. 1925. Fatal accidents 49 UKDeaths 78 5(1 Aircraft reported by November 18 as written of!charge as a result of crashes .. .. .. 2.'ti> 212 Of the deaths in 1926, 15 have occurred in three accidents, two of whichmay be regarded as of an exceptional character. I should add that the amount of flying in 1926 to date is materially in excess of that for the correspondingperiod of 1925. The figures relate to Royal Air Force personnel only, and do not include aircraft written off charge as a result of enemy action. As regardsthe fourth part, in spite of continuous and careful scrutiny of every individual accident, no general cause can be assigned. Many accidents arc the result•f a combination of causes. A mechanical failure, containing no element of danger itself, but necessitating a forced landing, may be followed by a crashdue to bad ground, or an error of judgment. A slight error of judgment in the air, especially near the ground, may have fatal results, whereas a similarerror of judgment on the ground, as when driving a motor-car, probably results only in minor material damage. As regards the last part, the stepswhich are being taken are continuous. All sides of this question are carefully watched, e.g., the number of accidents, the stations at which they occur, thetime of the year, the nature of the country, the type of machine, the medical and flying history of the pilot, methods of training, etc., etc. Every seriousaccident is investigated by an independent inspector reporting to the Secretary of State, as well as by a local court of inquiry. Endeavours are also beingmade to evolve more controllable machines, and mechanical devices designed to increase the safety of flying. Parachutes have been generally introducedand have saved several lives this year. It must also be remembered that aircraft are constantly and necessarily improving in performance, and everyaddition to speed and power tends to make the result of an accident more serious. My right hon. and gallant friend may rest assured that this questionis engaging my constant personal attention, and that every possible precaution is and will continue to be taken with a view to safeguarding tin- lives of ourflying personnel by all means in our power. 13 H Victoria, as hitherto. On the inwards journey, the carsconveying passengers from Croydon Aerodrome to Airways House will, when required, also call at Hotel Victoria. Air Bombs in Brazil A REVOLUTION broke out last week in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, and the town of Santa Maria was bombed by revolutionary aeroplanes, a large hotel and a bank being destroyed. 771
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