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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0349.PDF
MAY 19, 1927 SOME COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF AIR SURVEY BEFORE a large gathering, which included the Colonial Governors, now in conference in London, Maj. Hemming, of the Aircraft Operating Co., gave a lecture on " Air Survey " before the Institution of Aeronautical Engineers, at the Royal Society of Arts on May 12. Sir William Clark was in the chair. Maj. Hemming said that one of the few benefits derived from the war was the development of aerial photo- graphy to a stage where it could be of great value for explora- tion and mapping work, but this side of civil aviation was left to private enterprise as the authorities only concen- trated their efforts on air transport. Canada was the first to realise the importance of the aeroplane and the air camera, and they developed air surveying and forest fire fighting, leaving air transport to other countries. Their policy was soon justified, and thousands of square miles had been mapped from the air. Private air survey companies had sprung up and their Air Survey Department was undoubtedly the finest in the world, whilst they had saved millions of dollars from the forest fire menace. The country bore the expense of the pioneering work, and when the industry could be self-supporting private companies were formed to whom they gave contracts. Thus commercial aviation was assisted but without the subsidies. Although Canada had taught us much, we in England had to pay for that educa- tion as the official support in Canada, coupled with develop- ments in America, resulted in new and improved aerial cameras and air survey aeroplanes on that side of the Atlantic. The aircraft trade (with one exception) and the instrument trade in this country failed to grasp Canada's requirements, with the result that today the American camera was used as a standard type by the Royal Canadian Air Force and by most of the Canadian companies, and that camera had undoubtedly given excellent service. True, the " Eagle " camera had been produced in this country now, and they thought it a great improvement on the American camera, but the Americans had got in first. Messrs. Vickers, how- ever, showed fine enterprise and had produced seaplanes for air survey work built to the specifications of the Canadian authorities, otherwise he believed that apart from British aeroplanes of the war period most other aircraft used on the survey work in Canada were American. While air survey progressed in Canada our Government gave their attention to air transport. Shortly after the war a British company sent an air survey expedition under the command of Maj. Cochran Patrick to the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela and to British Guiana, where useful work was done. Much private money was lost, through no fault of the company, and valu- able experience gained. While no financial assistance was given by the Air Ministry, various members of the Ministry went out of their way to help this first British air survey expedition abroad, and in particular Wing-Commander Laws. At this time Prof. Melvill Jones and the late Maj. Griffiths were carrying out valuable practical research work in air surveying at Cambridge with the aid of the R.A.F. It was as a result of both these activities that the Irrawaddy contract was secured, which was a complete success, and was followed by several others. Today both the British companies engaged in this work had plenty of work to do. Also, thanks to the Air Survey Committee, the airman and the ground surveyor were closely co-operating. The civil section of the Air Ministry, too, had been of great assistance, their chief, Sir Sefton Brancker, having spread the gospel of air survey abroad. Much was owed to the sympathetic attitude of the Press and to the essential part played by the British Avia- tion Insurance Group. The introduction of the film camera specially designed for the work had reduced costs and its suitability was fully demonstrated on the Ordnance Survey Revision contract tarried out with the F.8 type lent by the Air Ministry. The commercial edition had since then become available, known as the " Eagle " type, and was at present being used by them on the Northern Rhodesian air survey. It had many improvements on the old type as it automatically photo- graphed certain valuable data on each negative, thus saving imich laborious and difficult work. He was convinced that the requirements of air surveying had to be reduced to a simple operation. It should not be necessary for the pilot to steer by optical sights, although these were at present valuable for partially overcoming the bad view which was inherent in the tractor aeroplane when used for the work. It was hoped shortly to build a special machine which would, he thought, materially reduce costs and increase output. Some important problems had to be solved, and one of the biggest was the separating of the practical and theoretical methods of mapping from air photographs. Methods had been investigated. A successful experiment by Lieut. Hotine for the Air Survey Committee had shown that contour maps on a large scale could be made from vertical overlapping air photographs with the aid of the stereoscope, and a certain number of spot heights established on the ground. Air surveying was self-supporting to-day, a status which it had achieved without the aid of a subsidy. Its greatest claim as a commercial service was its ability to accomplish work in most unmapped parts of the globe far more quickly and cheaply than by the ground method. Contracts were regularly being undertaken in this country with every satis- faction. Definite tenders could now be given for a contract, and it could be executed on a contract basis. Maj. Hemming then read extracts of reports on different completed contracts, which proved the great success of the air survey ; and then spoke of quotations, remarking that the size of the area had an important bearing on the cost, as the bigger the area the smaller the cost per square mile. He concluded a very interesting lecture by referring optimistically to the future, and showed illustrations with excellent lantern slides of an expedition at work on their Northern Rhodesian contract. The Discussion. Opening the discussion, the chairman said that he could not speak withmuch experience either of the aeroplane or the camera, but he saw most clearly from the interesting lecture an example of the application of aviation whichwas a success without official financial assistance. Lord Thomson said that he was glad to take the opportunity as the firstof the audience to thank Maj. Hemming for his lecture. It was a most noteworthy fact that air survy was a branch of civil aviation self-supporting.He did not think he had listened to a paper that had proved its case so well, and the lantern slides definitely clinched it for him. He would conclude togive way to experts. Sir Graeme-Thomson, Governor of Nigeria, said that he had no expertknowledge of flying, but he could see that air survey would be of utmost importance to tin Colonies. Sir Sefton Brancker said he congratulated the Institution of AeronauticalEngineers on the nature of the lecture when the Governors of the Colonies were here. He had tried to sell air survey as hard as he could, but he hadbeen at a great disadvantage without knowledge of costs. He said that mud had been thrown at the Air Ministry, but he pointed out that air surveyhad boomed without the subsidy, and he would compare this with the position of civil transport, which had the subsidy. Air Transport was a necessitybut it did not pay yet, and until it did the taxpayer would have to bear the burden. It was a healthy sign if progress was made without the subsidy.\\\- owed much to the pioneers in air survey like Hemming, Kemp and Cochrar. Patriek. and those who had helped in a financial way like Mr. Alan Butler.We had to express our congratulations to Canada for leading the way. Refer- ring to the fact that America had stepped in before us in Canada, he saidthat was because in America they ran l>efore they could walk, but they got good results, whilst we tried for perfection first. Nevertheless, we usuallygot there in the end. He felt that a boom was coming in air survey, and he advised the Colonii s to get in quickly before the companies were too busy.It was necessary to have big jobs though to warrant sending expeditions to these far spaces. He was sorry he was unable to visit the work of the AircraftOperating Company in Rhodesia when he was there. He wanted to and would have done so if only there had been an aeroplane to take him, for he couldhave done the journey in a day. It only convinced him all the more of the need for air transport in those great areas. Sir Gordon Guggisburg, Governor of the Gold Coast, said that he had hadfourteen years surveying on the Gold Coast and he was convinced there was an enormous future for the air survey. There was the question of cost,which all depended on the size and amount of work to be done. On the Niger Delta they tried a ground survey from 1910 to 1914, but it was not successful,and the only way it could have been done was by air. He thought that air survey was a necessary preliminary to the laying down of railways androads. Maj. D. A. Hutchison said that it was essential that Governments shouldsee that a map was necessary before any developments took place in a country. He did not think that air survey would take the place entirely ofground work, for therr won' certain limitations. For instance, it needed a ground surveyor to get the names of the places which were not recorded byair survey. He felt there was a need for the co-operation of both. Col. Ryder said he spoke from a different angle of vision as he had been aground surveyor for 36 years. Ho believed in the future of the air work but did not think it would replace the other. Ground survey would alwaysbe necessary, and it would hold its own always in some countries. He pointed to the advantage of the air work when fever-infested areas had to be covered. Col. Crosthwait also congratulated Maj. Hemming, and the evening closedwith a vote of thanks to the lecturer and the chairman, Sir William Clark. The Inst. Ae.E. Aviation Ball E. Soanes Lendrurn. The object of this fund is to encourage THE Institution of Aeronautical Engineers has arranged civil aviation in this country. On May 23 the Institution isa " Aviation Ball on June 30 at the May Fair Hotel. All also holding a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts on " Heatt: .'"ff accruir>g are to be given to the " National Fund for «--"--- ^ ^— r J;KI« c^io -• K,. \ir- « A TVT*;,, u I romotion of Aeronautics," the Trustees of which are °' ' • the Rt. Hon. F. E. Guest, Lord Ossulston and Mr. Resisting and Non-Corrodible Steels" by Mr. S. A. Main. The chair will be taken by Colonel N. Belaiew. Admission is free and without ticket. 317
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