FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1935
1935 - 1313.PDF
MAV 30. 1935- FLIGHT. IN PARLIAMENT ON EMPIRE AIR DAY : Air Comdre. Chamier, Secretary- General of the Air League of the British Empire, about to make a tour of the aerodromes, accompanied by Mrs. Chamier. Their pilot, also seen in the photograph, was Mr. Seth Smith. A report of the day's events appears on pages 580-584. to be provided over and above those already required under the existing expansion scheme. Of these, over half will be operational, and the remainder will be for training establishments and maintenance units. Pending completion of new permanent aerodromes, the fullest use will be made of existing Service aerodromes and also of civil aerodromes. Aerodromes will be so sited as to accord with a definite strategic plan. Fighter stations are to be located in the most convenient positions in relation to the areas to be defended, while bomber stations will be so placed as to facilitate the work of their aircraft while causing the minimum interference with the defensive organisation of fighter aircraft, guns and lights. Since its formation the Aerodrome Board has inspected 318 sites, covering thirty-one counties. In addition to the sites already selected for the previous expansion scheme, thirteen have been provisionally marked down for the further expansion now proposed. Five new flying training schools, in addition to the five already existing, will be required. It is expected that they will come into operation between October and March. A decision has already been taken in connection with the existing expansion scheme substantially to increase the present number of four civil flying training schools. Two additional schools will open in June, and a further two later in the year. Action has already been initiated further to increase the number. Incidentally, the Air Ministry is understood to have Riven careful consideration to the suggestions that have been made in various quarters to the effect that the newly constructed Service aerodromes should have under ground hangars. It is felt that, apart from the heavy cost, the results of such a scheme would not be commen surate with the effort involved. Generally speaking, dis persion is regarded as a better means of protection than overhead cover. There are, of course, definite advantages m providing underground facilities for the storage of.fuel and explosives, and this system will be adopted where Possible. TN the House of Lords the Government's new air defence •*• policy was explaintd by the Secretary of State for Air on May 22, following a speech by Lord Lloyd, who called atten tion to the situation in regard to Imperial defence. Lord Lloyd said his motion was intended to voice in some measure the grave and growing anxiety of the country in regard to the inadequacy of our naval, military and air defences. There had been a growing sense of insecurity in the country. Whereas in 1029 we were definitely in a position to maintain our interests against any armed attack, we were to-day drifting into a position of dangerous inferiority. He would be surprised if the Secretary of State for Air were to assert that we were still in a position of equality with the strongest air power within range. The Germans, to say nothing of the French, were definitely ahead of us, and the country was entitled to know how so grave a position had been allowed to come about. Over and over again during the past few years the Government had been warned but had refused to listen. The real danger was from night-bombing of our large towns and industrial cities on a big scale. The Marquess of Londonderry, Secretary of State for Air, hoped he would be forgiven if he directed himself more par ticularly to the question of defence against air attack. It was not that the people of these islands and of the British Empire had ceased to regard the Royal Navy with the sig nificance and support which it had held since the days of the Armada, but that there had grown up altogether new problems of defence. He was not prepared to deny that the geographical position of this country was in many ways par ticularly disadvantageous as regards vulnerability to air attack. On the subject of the range and bomb-carrying capacity of our aircraft he said performance ran in an inverse direction in that the heaviest machines had the largest carrying capacity and the lowest performance as compared with the lighter types. The study of means of defence against gas bombing, thermit and fire bombing was not being neglected. A new branch had been set up at the Home Office to deal with passive defence and to continue and intensify the study which had been carried on for some years past under the Committee of Imperial Defence. Research had continued steadily throughout the last few years into such matters as sound locators, searchlights and predictors for aircraft gunnery. Lord Llovd appeared to have forgotten that the Government had lately appointed a special sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence to enquire into the question of defence against aerial bombing. A 1923 Resolution Lord Londonderry then recalled that in 1923 it was laid down by the Government of the day that our air power " in addi tion to meeting the essential requirements of the Navy, Army, Indian and Overseas commitments, must include a Home Defence Force of sufficient strength adequately to protect us against air attack by the strongest air force within striking distance of this country." At the same time it was announced that a Home Defence Force should be provided, consisting in the first instance of fifty-two squadrons. Successive post ponements of the fulfilment of that scheme were partlv financial but mainly political. They might have rested on over- optimistic expectations from what was going to t>e achieved at the Disarmament Conference. When Germany left the League of Nations in 1933, and in view of the continued growth if ail armaments in many other countries, we were compelled to abandon our policy of unilateral disarmament. Last July, in the face of further deterioration in the inter national situation, a new programme was announced. We were, for example confronted with an admitted increase of German air estimates from 78 million marks to 210 million marks in 1934. Our programme of air defence, as announced simultaneously by himself and the Lord President, provided for the expansion of our home defence air forces from 52 to 7S squadrons, and for other additions to the R.A.F. which would bring its first line strength all over the world up t'> 128 squadrons. He would remind ^heir Lordships that at that time they only secured assent to his proposals on the assurance that they would be prepared not only to increase but also to decrease our preparations should the international situation warrant it Lord Londonderry said he would also . remind their Lord ships that in February last, representatives of France visited this country and entered into consultations with a view to the re-examination of the situation. The result was the London Agreement, which contained an invitation to Germany to enter, with Italy and Belgium, into frank and free con sultations with the French and ourselves. A Pact for Air
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
