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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 0658.PDF
236 FLIGHT. MARCH 10, 1938. a substantial increase in the number of fatal accidents. Deeply as this loss of life is to be deplored, a careful analysis of the records shows that the increased casualties are due to the greater size of the Air Force, and not to any other, and avoidable, cause. On the personnel side, the expansion programme necessi- tated the entry, between April, 1935, and March, 1938, of approximately 4,500 pilots and 40,000 airmen and boys, or an annual average of more than 1,500 pilots and 13,000 airmen. These entries may be compared with typical annual pre-expansion entries of about 300 pilots and 1,600 airmen. Hawker Hurricane The majority of new pilots have been entered under the short-service scheme, which is designed to provide the large number of officers required in the junior ranks, and also a reserve of pilots in emergency. But the permanent cadre has also been extended, by enlarging the entry to the Cadet Col- lege at Cranwell to its full capacity, and by increasing the number of officers taken in from the Universities to permanent commissions. It has also been possible to increase largely the number of airmen selected from the ranks for training as pilots, and to give a larger number of commissions to airmen of outstanding merit. It is a great tribute to the youth of the country that an adequate flow of candidates of good char- acter and physique has been available for flying posts, and that the large entries necessary to date have been attained with no serious falling off in the standard. The Dominions have made an invaluable contribution to Air Force requirements in pilots, and some 430 Dominion candidates have joined the Royal Air Force as pilots during the last two years. Selection and medical boards have now been established in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia, and a central board has been established at Nairobi for considering applications throughout British territory in East and Central Africa. It is hoped that in future years still larger numbers of candidates from the Dominions and Colonies will join the Force. A further development which may be mentioned is the introduction, in co-operation with the War Office, of a scheme of air training for the Junior Division of the Officers Train- ing Corps. Apprentices A vital feature of the programme has been the recruitment of a sufficient number of aircraft apprentices, chosen from boys of good education from the secondary and technical schools, for training as fitters, wireless operator mechanics, etc. Here, again, it has been possible substantially to meet the greatly increased requirements, and a total of approxi- mately 6,300 apprentices has been entered for training since April, 1935. To meet requirements in the slightly less skilled trades of wireless operator, armourer and photographer, boys are taken into these trades for a course of training of from a year to 16 months. Some 2,100 boys have been entered in this way since 1935, and the balance of requirements in these trades has been met by the entry of 4,250 men. To be fully effective, any increase in the first-line strength must be accompanied by a corresponding increase in reserves. With a view to solving the problem of personnel reserves, a problem rendered more difficult by the present necessity for retaining short-service personnel beyond the normal active-list period, a new force—the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve —was created. Since April, 1937, over 1,000 pilots have been entered into this reserve, against the original forecast of 800 for the year, while medical and equipment branches have also been created. During 1938, a section will be formed to pro- vide crews for aircraft, i.e., observers, wireless operators and air gunners. Training is carried out both at aerodrome centres and at town headquarters, and 21 aerodrome centres are now in operation, while 12 further centres will be opened during the coming year. Prior to the first expansion programme there were 52 Air Force stations located on aerodromes in the United Kingdom. Apart from major extensions at a large number of these stations, expansion requirements have necessitated the acquisi- tion of 59 new aerodromes and, of these, 30 are already in occupation by Air Force units. The selection of new sites for Air Force stations is neces- sarily governed primarily by operational considerations, but it is not generally realised that many other important require- ments must also be satisfied. The means by which the essential needs of defence can be met without avoidable interference with other interests of national importance have been very carefully considered. Before construction work was started at new stations, a planned building programme to meet the full requirements of the expansion scheme was drawn up. A considerable degree of standardisation was introduced, both in the lay-out of stations and in the design of buildings, and this, by reducing drawing office work and by simplifying requirements, has enabled rapid progress to be made in construction, and has resulted in considerable economy. Civil Aviation Lord Swinton deals, in his Memorandum on the Air Estimates, fairly extensively with the subject of civil aviation. He recalls that the first stage of the Empire Air Mail Scheme was inaugurated on June 29, 1937, connecting the United Kingdom with South Africa, Up to the end of January more than 190 tons of mail were carried from this country to destina- tions in Africa. The second stage, involving services between this country, India and Singapore, commenced on February 23 last. The full scheme, including through-services to Australia, will be in operation later in the year. It is hoped to continue the air service from Khartoum to Accra during 1938, and to extend it farther west. After negotiations with the Siamese Government for regular1 services via Bangkok, the air service to Hong Kong has its western terminus at Bangkok, and it is hoped to carry mails without surcharge to Hong Kong before the end of the year. Lord Swinton also refers in his Memorandum to the regular flying-boat service between Bermuda and New York, and to the night mail service operated by British Airways to Han- over and Berlin in conjunction with German, Danish and Swedish companies, and mentions the survey party which mace a preliminary visit of investigation to West Africa in connec- tion with the proposed air routes to West Africa and South America undertaken by British Airways. The transatlantic flights last summer, and the survey flight of the Tasman Sea by Centaurus are also dealt with, but will be fresh in the memory of Flight readers. The expenditure of approximately £300,000 on essential ground equipment will complete the main features of the organisation of the Empire routes. Of the failure of the Langstone Harbour Empire terminus scheme the Secretary of State for Air states that it has been decided not to proceed with the barrage scheme, but to give consideration to the requirements essential for a marine base only. Fairey Battle Lord Swinton also recalls that the Air Ministry has placed an order for two De Havilland Albatross machines to assist development for transatlantic services, and that it has stood, by its subsidy policy, behind the Empire flying boats. "In a similar way," the Memorandum continues, "they are fostering the production of the new long-range flying boats which are being built for the regular North Atlantic service." This part of the Memorandum contains the following interest- ing statements : — "The development programme for 1938 includes proposals for facilitating the development of civil transport aircraft types of medium size; following discussions between the Air Ministry and operating companies Proposals are also being worked out for the production of prototype aircraft for long-range flying, including flying at high altitudes, with the object of
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