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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 0854.PDF
FLIGHT. MARCH 24, 1938, Q B Ideas Touching, in Not Too Serious Terms, on Some of The Vexatious Traffic Control Regulations Which are Arranged For Our Safety By GEORGE F. YUILL. ENTHUSIASTIC amateurs launched aviation into theskies about thirty years ago with dreams of futurecare-free travel in the illimitable spaces of the air, little thinking that in their day they would live to see this apparent vastness overcrowded with traffic and laced with red tape. However, as they sit by the fire brooding over the inner meaning of the International Convention for Aerial Navigation, with danger areas, corridors, prohibitions and permissions, they may derive consolation from the fact that, to the younger generation which succeeds them, the sky is just as big as it used to be, and, in a world full of vexatious regulations, a few more here or there will not burden a lad of spirit. In fact, the air has the great merit, in the eyes of the independent citizen, that it is relatively free from the irk- some and humiliating interference with personal freedom which he so much resents on the " open " road. The uni- formed arm of the law is delightfully absent, and individual freedom can be exercised in a proper and manly way. Obviously, he can go as fast as he pleases, and turn when he likes without putting his arm out, or carrying out any other of the many tiresome observances of the Highway Code. That there are quite a variety of regulations in this busi- ness of flying he is aware, but, unlike his forerunner weighed down by the I.C.A.N. at the fireside, he flies buoyantly in the knowledge that he has passed the neces- sary exam, for his "A" licence under the friendly inquisition of an approved examiner, and that it was all (with the ex- ception of the difficulty of sorting out "aerodynes" and "aerostats," or the queer habits of the almost extinct airship species) really quite straightforward. If you see an aeroplane ahead of you, you keep to the right whether on the ground or in the air; you don't stunt over aero- dromes or towns, and you don't shoot up crowds of people where a policeman is liable to note your registration marks- all quite common-sense and undoubtedly reasonable stuff. Then there was that bit at the end of the book about Certificates and Licences and legal things which they did not,ask much about, and which seemed to concern the chief instructor and the ground engineers more than the private pilot. Obviously, a lad would not be expected to make a study of the laws of the air any more than he would be expected to be conversant with the details of the Act deal- ing with the maze of motoring regulations. Unfortunately for the care-free one, a great many of the very necessary directions about which it would benefit him to know are to be found only by reference to the books and publications so casually mentioned at the end of his "A" licence handbook, neither underlined nor in italics. In fact, he probably feels tremendously grieved when a glitter- ing commander of, say, Dictorial Airways, glowing with rage, asks him what he thinks he is doing taxying out as he is coming in to land. Enquiry from his " B " licensed fd t h bi t lih J*HIS article may be a little skittish, bat it contains a lot of sound sense for the budding private pilot. The author is well qualified to deal with his subject; he can have no prejudices, for he has been, in turn, an instructor and a commercial pilot, and is now a control officer. •'Flight" phototirapl. A control-tower assistant at Croydon aims the Aldis light togive a waiting pilot the "O,K." At "controlled" aero- dromes the private pilot must conform to such control asrigidly as does the commercial pilot. The more he uses his aeroplane for extended trips the more the enthusiastic private flier runs the risk of becoming entangled in what, at first, seem to him to be a lot of irri- tating new snares contrived by some officious department of red-tape weavers. And the very fact that, until caught quite unawares, he has truly never heard of them, makes him furious, livid or defiant, according to temperament. He decides, for instance, to make a visit to London by air. After a praiseworthy bit of pilotage, with the aid of latest maps and Watling Street, he manages to snoop rather trickily into Heston, where London smoke, an easterly wind and a bit of drizzle make it, in his opinion, a little more than ordinary flying. He finds that not only his friends are waiting to wel- come him, but also an official rejoicing in the name of "Control Officer." The latter's welcome lacks the cordiality of the former. It seems that there is some absurd regulation at Heston to the effect that when the aerodrome is difficult to find it must not be landed on. The word " kew-bee-eye" keeps recurring, presumably Cockney for a "bit o' muck." Consultation in the friendly atmosphere of the bar brings to light the staggering information that he has infringed a most sacred rule by entering, without permission, a "Control Zone" in what is called "QBI." Inwardly he thinks that this is a most difficult rule, and he decides that next time he wings his way southwards he will be very wary indeed. In order to extend his knowledge of aerodromes, he makes Croydon his objective on his next visit, and, as he passes Heston en route, he feels glad that QBI. is so definitely absent. But he is uneasy about the fact that the ever- lowering cloud is compelling him to fly at a height over houses which, his conscience tells him, is wrong. However, it is unquestionably clear enough. After landing at Croydon he is a little irritated to find that another of these " newfangled " officials would like to see him. After ascending interminable stairs he is to°g qy from his B licensed _ „ o friend at home brings to light the unexpected knowledge breathless to express his surprise at the information that be that at that particular airport there is a local signal which has once again transgressed in QBI. It appears that this may be used to prohibit taxying while an aircraft is ap- institution is determined not only by fogginess, but also by preaching to land. How was he to know that, he lowness of cloud. As the breathlessness and irritation wear indignantly demands. It was not one of the questions off he learns of airliners, guided by wireless, speeding down asked in his " A " licence examination. out of the " overcast," as they call it in the U.S.A., at 15°
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