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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1316.PDF
FLIGHT, DECEMBER 29, 1932 compulsorily have to be tested by the same Government pilots who have the task of testing the latest multi-engined night bomber. Martlesham is fundamentally a military station, and it is inevitable that its pilots should become steeped in the military atmosphere, and should come to think in terms of high-performance military aircraft. Martlesham would not be Martlesham were it otherwise. No one doubts for one single moment either the ability or the scrupulous fairness of the Martlesham pilots. No one has ever heard a word whispered against them. But to legislate for them to have to test any little cheap low- power single-seater or two-seater that comes along is rather as if a bicycle firm was compelled by Government regula tions to have each of their " push bikes " officially tested by Sir Malcolm Campbell. Sir Malcolm has something else to do, and so have the Martlesham pilots. And the bicycle firm could not afford such tests. Neither can the civil aircraft industry. Frequently it will happen that a new low-powered civil machine is ready to go to Martlesham for tests. The weather may be such that several days must pass before the machine can be flown to Martlesham. When it does arrive there, the weather may turn bad again, or pressure of work may prevent tests from being made for another few days. But let us say that the machine has been tested and passed by Martlesham, and has been flown back to the maker's works by the maker's pilot. Can he begin to give delivery to clamouring clients? He cannot. Ten days to a fortnight will elapse before the official report of Martlesham goes through the Air Ministry and the actual Certificate of Airworthiness is finally obtained. All this applies, of course, to a new type of aircraft only. But it has happened before now that a maker has decided to install another engine than the one originally used. The engine most likely has its Certificate of Airworthiness, but the machine must go to Martlesham again for tests with the new engine. And so once more precious time is lost. The cumulative effects of all these restrictions, regula tions and official interference is delay and axpense. Machines cost much more than they need do. They are no whit better or safer than if they had been designed and built with nothing but the maker's reputation to back them up, and very often they are worse because they are compromises between what the constructor would like to do and what he feels is most likely to find official approval. The Remedy And what is the answer? We realise that it would probably be a matter of difficulty to get a unanimous decision. But in broad outline it might be found in freeing private aircraft entirely from all Government con trol and interference. Machines might be classified accord ing to weight, all private aircraft under a certain weight to be released from Government control. There are doubtless those who will argue that this would leave unscrupulous constructors free to foist unsafe air craft on to the public. Our answer to that is that this could very easily be taken care of. Compulsory insurance would be one very good safeguard, as no insurance com pany has ever been accused of reckless optimism. Back ing that up we should have the constructor's regard for his reputation. No firm which had more than about three machines of one type break in the air would be likely to sell another of that type until a very convincing demon stration had been given to show that the weakness had been cured. It may be argued that the insurance company would be as difficult to deal with as is the present Air Ministry system. Frankly, we do not believe it. An insurance company has a very direct financial interest in seeing as many safe machines as possible in the air. The Air Ministry has no such financial interest. And a firm which is accustomed to doing business on business lines is likely to be quicker in its decisions than a Government depart ment concerned solely with seeing that the list of regula tions is added to periodically, and that the regulations are obeyed. SAYING HELLO ! TO THE PEAKS : N ew low-wing, all-metal, twin-engined Boeing bomber caught against the impressive background of Mount Rainier, 14,408 ft. above sea level. Seven of these planes, hailed as the fastest of their type in the world, are being built for the U.S. Army Air Corps by the Boeing Airplane Company of Seattle. 1232
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