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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 0227.PDF
JANUARY 27, 1938. FLIGHT. There are many routes which, by running diagonally to the main railway lines, would offer greatly unproved com- munications and so would create new movement. By its speed, air travel should encourage journeys that time would not allow by any other means. It has speed only to sell. Therefore, it should concentrate on express services, not the " hopping " services being run to-day. Glasgow to London should be non-stop at 200 m.p.h., not via Belfast and Liverpool, The "hopping" services should be subsidiary to the "express'' non-stop services. There are a number of routes where only air travel could enable a provincial resident to go to London for the day ; by existing methods of transport a day, or even part of a day, in the capital necessitates the night as well. Again, Bristol is 120 miles from London. The Bristol business man can spend the morning in his home office, travel to London by train at midday, be in his London office by 2.30 p.m., do an afternoon's work there, and still be at his home in Bristol for dinner. Air transport could provide the same convenience between towns 200, 300 or 4110 miles apart (c) Internal airlines must connect the great ocean ports oi England. id) Internal airlines must connect the airports of entry ol overseas routes to England. (e) The main termini and junction airports of England must be connected by feeder-line services to other im- portant centres in their locality. (f) A limited number of "main express air routes" within the United Kingdom should be established imme- diately. These will create the backbone of the skeleton from which other lines will develop as the public demand and confidence increases. [Mr. Ashley Hall's suggested "backbone" is shown in the map on page 86 —ED.] (g) All air routes, whether main routes, subsidiary routes or ferry services, should be licensed—the Air Ministry, however, reserving the right to designate which, in their opinion, are routes that serve a useful public service. Unly such " useful " routes need be licensed. Licensed mutes should be subject to strict traffic control. The Ministry should lay down a standard of efficiency p" equipment required for each approved route, and a icenr~ to operate on this route being granted only to a company that can satisfy the Ministry accordingly. The standard can be raised from time to time as progress in equipment, etc., is made. This will assure the travelling public of " the best " and will avoid the odious suggestion of monopolies. (h) It might however, be worth considering the estab- lishment of one "United Kingdom Airways" to operate what may be the " backbone " routes. The reason for this will be seen under the section dealing with subsidies. "United Kingdom Airways" should be a company primarily interested in the progress and development of air transport, and not unduly influenced by its interests in any other method of transport. If the only way to make air transport within the United Kingdom useful is for it to operate on the lines suggested above, at very high speeds, with reduced pay-loads on account of the necessity of carrying a multiple crew, con- veniences for passengers, full navigational equipment, etc., it must be obvious that the overhead expenses of operation will be very high and uneconomical, particularly during this period of building-up goodwill and public con-. fidence. Subsidy Suggested Consequently, it is unlikely that private enterprise will undertake it unless it has some assurance against financial loss. And the only assurance it can have is a guarantee of financial assistance by the State—in other words, that there should be a State subsidy for internal airlines. I do not see how they can operate efficiently without one. I believe it better for the future interests of aviation that, unless the airlines can operate efficiently and with regularity and punctuality, they should not operate at all. The form I suggest that the subsidy could take is, first of all. a flat rate sum per annum for an agreed number of years to a big company that undertakes the operation of the " main " air routes which will create the backbone ; this would be "United Kingdom Airways" already re- ferred to. Over and above that there would be a " piece- work " payment on approved route mileage to each and every company in respect of the services it operated on approved "licensed" air routes. The Air Ministry would, of course, only licence (and so subsidise) those routes which they felt to be in the public
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