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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0601.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 21, 1929 five or six years that had been more altogether satisfactory than the develop-ment of the light aeroplane clubs. It was a new idea : no other country had started it. It succeeded here, and it was now being copied in many other partsof the world. Rut the deficiency of the present arrangement was that it only providedflying facilities for a certain limited number of districts and a certain limited number of pilots. The 13 subsidised clubs produced about 350 trainedpilots. Any hon. member who wished to increase the air sense of the country would agree that they ought to extend those facilities for pilots. Then Capt.Guest came forward with a proposal not to compete with the light aeroplane dubs in their own districts but to provide flying facilities in other districtswhich did not at present possess them at a much smaller sum than the sum he was now paying to the subsidised light aeroplane clubs. If the scheme wassuccessful, it would provide flying facilities on a much larger scale than the existing light aeroplane clubs could ever hope to offer. From the point of viewof increasing flying opportunities in the country, obviously a scheme of that kind presented many attractions. He, therefore, agreed, subject to theapproval of the House, to make to National FWing Services. Limited, a small annual payment, based entirely on results. First of all, it was based onthe number of pilots provided : £1(1 for each pilot, as compared with the fJ4o or £50 now paid for a pilot in the existing clul>8. Also, it was hoped that itwould provide new landing grounds and aerodromes. It was of immense importance from the point of view of flying and also from the point of view ofair defence. One of their great difficulties in air manoeuvres had been the deficiency in landing grounds and aerodromes. If, by means of this newventure, thev could obtain 100 new landing grounds and aerodromes, it would be of incalculable advantage to the Air Force. The last thing he wished to see was any harm done to the existing light aero-plane clubs. He believed the scheme would do no harm to them at all. It was not going into districts where they were already providing flying services.It raised no question of altering anything in the agreements which he had made with the existing clubs. Those agreements ran for some considerabletime further. They were based on the principle that the clubs required a subsidy for three years, and at the end of that time the clubs would be selfsupporting—he hoped they would. He would like to see the end of all subsidies, but, supposing it was found in actual experience that the clubswere not self-supporting between now and the time the agreements had run out, quite obviously they would have to meet together to reconsider theposition. The Ministry would be prepared to discuss the matter again if things went badly with the clubs during the next 12 or 18 months. Heregretted the necessity for having to pay subsidies in connection with civil aviation, and hoped that they might soon be discontinued. Many of thequestion? on details that had been addressed to him regarding the Indian route must be answered by the Imperial Airways Company, as this would be atcommercial rather than a Government service. Kvery possible arrangement would be made for the comfort of passengers travelling by this service,the inauguration of which would mark a new era in Anglo Indian communica- tions. The resolution was agreed to, THE NAVY ESTIMATES Mr. Bridgeman, F'irst Lord of the Admiralty, introducing the NavyEstimates in the House on March 14, made the following references to aircraft and aviation. He said he had reduced the maintenance charges under almostevery head, but there were three under which they had not been reduced. " One," said Mr. Bridgeman, " is the Fleet Air Arm. There is an additionthere of £220,000, and practically all of that goes to providing an instalment of two more flights to the aircraft carrier Glorwus, which will be commissionedthis year, but will not have a full equipment of aircraft until 1930. The Fleet Air Arm is manned up to the authorised proportion of 70 per cent., that is tosay, 92 naval officers are now employed in it, and 19 have been trained and reverted to periods of general naval service. The actual service has risen from105 aircraft in 1924 to 135 in 1928, and the number at the end of the year 1929 should be 153. This is a very modest force, but great progress has been ma ein these years in zeal and efficiency, and I think we may congratulate all the personnel concerned. There has been a delay in fitting catapults to ships otherthan aircraft carriers owing to the necessity of experiments being fully tried out. Only two, so far, have been installed, but we are hoping to makeprovision for more in the near future." Referring to the possibility of another war, he said : " There is no guaranteethat there would be any neutrals if the world went to war again. Inter- national agreements may secure a good deal, but they cannot give absolutesecurity for our trade. Let. us be logical. If hon. members are prepared to trust our seaborne trade to international action, are they prepared to dothe same with regard to our Air Force- ? If they are prepared to scrap our trade cruisers, are they prepared to scrap our Air'Force ? It has been suggestedthat wo might have international agreements which Would prevent open, undefended towns from being bombed. Kverybody in this country wouldagree that such a suggestion would be excellent if it would work, but it has been said that such an agreement is impossible because the occupants of thetowns might be making munitions, boots and shoes, etc., in order to help to prosecute the war. If hon. members are not prepared to take the risk byreducing the Air Force, why should they be prepared to take the risk in regard to our seaborne trade by reducing the number of our cruisers ? " During the course of the debate which followed, Com. Bellairs said itwas not true that " a cheap little aeroplane " could blow up a battleship costing six to seven millions, or that a bomb dropped within 200 yards of abattleship would sink it. It was not true that an aeroplane was cheap, allow- ing for the aircraft carrier behind. No bomber, he said, with a heavy bombcould take off from an aircraft carrier. He then referred to the aerial bombing experiments of the Americans and suggested that these were not conclusive. Mr. Malone said he did not agree with the hon. member for Maidstone(Com. Bellairs) on the question of aeroplane v. battleship. The torpedo- carrying aeroplane was the most vital weapon of all. Lieut.-Col. Moore-Brabazon (Chatham—Con.) said they would neverbe able to make far-reaching economies until there was somc'niachincry for deciding which Department was best fitted for a particular job. They couldnever expect, for instance, the First Lord of the Admiralty to declare that the air service could best defend our ports. If Mr. Bridgeman did venture onsuch a statement he would very soon be made to walk the plank. Sir Oswald Mosley (Smithwick—Lab.) said the noi,. member for Maidstone(Com. Beilairs) seemed to think it was only possible for aeroplanes to operate (rom an aircraft carrier, but we had statements from high authorities that noship would be safe within a 500 miles radius of a hostile shore during the next war. Com. Bellairs also thought an aeroplane could not come below 8.000 ft.tl subjected to hostile fire. He (Sir Oswald) every day for many months had to reconnaissance under hostile fire at well under 6,000 ft. From the outsetof the last war the air sprang continual surprises on the old-fashioned military mini, and he had every confidence that in the next war the air would springsimilar surprises on the old-fashioned naval mind. IN PARLIAMENT Cost of R.A.F. Petrol SIR S. HOARE, on March 7, in replv to Sir N. Grattau-Doyle, said the extra cost as the result of the recent increase in price, based on average consumption, is estimated at £640 per week. Registered Civil AircraftSIR. S. HOARE, in reply to Mr. Wellock, said the number of civil aircraft registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 453, of which 3fil havebeen granted certificates of airworthiness and may be regarded as in use or available for use ; the remaining 92 are aircraft in various states of con-struction or under examination for certificates of airworthiness. United States Air ExpenditureSIR SAMUEL HOARE. on March 13, in replv to Commander Bellairs, said that questions regarding expenditure on the United States Navy and Armyshould be put to the First Lord and the Secretary for War. As regards air expenditure, there is no separate air budget in the United States, but, includingwhat is in that country officially termed " indirect " expenditure, i.e., expenditure which is not shown under separate air headings but embeddedin the main Naval and Military votes, the figures may be taken, when con- verted into sterling at current rates of exchange, to be approximately asunder : 1928-29, £22,000,000 ; 1929-30, £24,500,000. I should add that there were certain supplementary estimates for airexpenditure in the year 1928-29 which are included in the above total and it is possible, if not probable, that there will be similar supplementaries inthe course of 1929-30 which will augment the provisional figure given above for this latter year. Civil aviation figures are not included. Aircraft International ComparisonMR. WELLOCK asked the Secretary of State for Air the approximate number of commercial, military, and naval aircraft, respectively, possessedby the. United States of America, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Japan, and Great Britain, respectively ? As regards commercial aircraft, I assume that it is the figures for registeredcivil aircraft, in contradistinction to Service aircraft, which the hon. Member requires ; these are according to the latest information available, approxi-mately as follow :— United States, 5,200 ; Germany, 750 ; France, 540 : Italy, 370 : Russia,7ftO ; Spain, 22 : Czechoslovakia, not known ; Japan, 65 ; Great Britain, 453.I should add that the figure for Russia must be regarded as provisional, since I have no official information in respect of that country. As regardsnaval and military aircraft, so far as I am aware it is not the practice of any of the countries mentioned to publish details of the stocks which they holdof such aircraft, but such official information as is available on the subject will be found in the Armaments Year Book published by the League ofNations. Civil Aviation, Sheffield MR. Lons SMITH asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, seeingthat Sheffield, after an appeal by the director of civil aviation for co-operation in regard to aviation, has received a request from the Sheffield Flying Clubfor a flying club subsidy, he will say what answer has been returned ; and what encouragement he is showing to those clubs which, like Sheffield, areendeavouring to encourage the promotion of civil aviation ? Sir S. Hoare : As regards the first part of the question, the reply, addressedby the Air Ministry to an application received from the Sheffield Flying Club for a subsidy similar to that granted to other clubs, was that such a grant< ould not be made, the number of clubs which cotl'.d be granted assistance being strictly limited and any addition to this number being now impossible.As regards the last part, clubs which become affiliated to National Flying Services. Limited, will benefit from the support extended to that company,and I understand that the Sheffield Flying Club is already in touch with the company with a view to taking advantage of the benefits which can besecured in this way. Foreign Air Estimates SIR S. HOARE, in reply to Mr. Wellock, said the total French and ItalianAir Votes for 1929 are 1,821,000,000 francs (exclusive, however, of service pensions) and 700,000,000 lire, respectively. Owing to the classification ofthe Votes in these countries, it is not possible accurately to separate these totals into expenditure on civil, naval and military aviation. The correspond-ing total in the case of the United States is approximately 145,000,000 dollars. The other countries referred to in the question do not maintain separate airservices, and in their case expenditure for air purposes is to a considerable extent borne upon their main Army and Navy Votes and cannot be segre-gated from general military and naval expenditure. , R.AJR. Apprentices and Discharge Purchase SIR S. HOARE, in reply to Mr. Broad, said K.A.I-", apprentices, in commonwith other recruits, have the right to claim their discharge within three months of their enlistment on payment of £20. If they do not claim discharge withinthat period, they can only obtain it on very strong compassionate grounds, and the same rule applies to ex-apprentices who have not completed twoyears' service after leaving the training school. Ex-apprentices who have completed their two years since leaving school may be permitted, if it ispossible without detriment to the service, to purchase their discharge by paying J"100, reducible in certain cases at the discretion of the Air Council.These rules are necessary owing to the heavy expense of training apprentices. Subsidised Air Service, Karachi-Delhi EARI. WINTERION, on March 18, in reply to Mr. Snell, said the Govern-ment of India had called for tenders for the operation of a subsidised air service from Karachi to Delhi, with an eventual extension to Calcutta. Theterms and conditions were very detailed, and a copy of the memoranda issued to tenderers by the Government of India would be sent to Mr. Snell. ^ all those interested in this matter please communicate with lT*is"hoMd"to organise *a"re-~u'rlion dinner for all ranks Charles Short (Ex-341902 Cpl. " P " Sqdr.). 9, Keeley Road,• - • — - • " "or, Will West Crovdon.A Reunion, R.A.F. Depot, Middle EastIT is hoped to organise a re-union di -- who served at R,A,F. Depot, Middle East, Aboukir 247
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