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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1463.PDF
I- ,•. ""•.FIRST AIRCRAFT ENGINEERAND AIRSHIPS - /A' THEHVORLD .• FOUNDED WOQ Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH^ Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegiuns : Trnditui, Sedist, London. BERTFOHD ST., , COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry.Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIUATlOti ST., BIKMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971. lelepuooc . Wa.erioo 3333 i5O In .. 280, DEANSQATE, MANCHESTER, :1. .- ' Telegrams: Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 26B, KENFIELD ST., . GLASGOW C.2. . Telegrams: Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTIONKATES: Home and Canada:Other Countries: Year, £1Year, £1 13 0.16 0. 6 months, l(>e. 6<i.6 months, I8e. Od. 3 months, 8s. 6d.3 months, 9B. Od. No. 1535. Vol. XXX1I1. MAY 26, 1938. Thursdays, Price 6d The Outlooks The Royal Air Force AFTER last year's Royal Air Force Display the Air /A Council decided, in view of the expansion and the X J^.difficulty of staging "spectacular" shows at Hendon representative of the work of the modern R.A.F., to abandon the display. Interest now centres on Empire Air Day, and Flight offers its readers a comprehensive review of the constitution, organisation, and work of the Royal Air Force in connection with that nation-wide event, which is being held next Saturday. Our readers will see for themselves, at the R.A.F. stations which they elect to visit on Saturday, the kind of work on which the different units are engaged, and will be" able to form their own opinions of the quality of that work. Since, however, it is difficult to obtain, from a visit to any one station, a clear picture of the multifarious duties of the entire R.A.F., we publish this week articles on the. organisation of the Service and on the work of certain units selected as being typical of their class. The present strength of that part of the Royal Air Force which most closely concerns people at home includes 25 Fighter Squadrons, 71 Regular Bomber Squadrons (count- ing-in two bomber-transport squadrons), 19 Squadrons in the Auxiliary Air Force (of which 11 are Bomber Squad- rons, 5 Fighter Squadrons, and 3 Army Co-operation Squadrons), and 17 General Reconnaissance Squadrons. When estimating the strength of what is somewhat mis- leadingly termed the "Metropolitan Air Force," the Air Ministry is in the habit of including the .12 Army .Co- operation Squadrons. This practice is obviously open to criticism, as these squadrons would, in time of war, be at work with the Army and would not, therefore, be avail- able for home defence. Of the 71 Bomber Squadrons con- siderable numbers are stationed overseas, while many of those stationed at home are far from being up to full squadron strength. Training of pilots is likely to be the "bottle-neck" which limits the rate of expansion, and the present 11 Flying Training Schools will not suffice. Their number is to be increased, as is also the 22 civil flying schools at which flying is taught ab initio. Already three new addi- tions have been announced. A Good BeginningT HE new Air Minister has started well. His first public task was to explain the manner in which it is intended to divide the £i\ million extra help to civil aviation. One of his first actions after taking office was to make the acquaintance of representatives of the British aircraft industry at a meeting of the S.B.A.C. Sir Kingsley Wood -will have to be judged by his actions, but in the meantime it promises well for the future of British aviation that he created a very favourable impression on those members of the industry who met him in person for the first time. His friendly and unassuming manner pro- mised a future -co-operation with the industry which should go far towards overcoming the difficulties with which both the industry and the Air Ministry will be faced during the next few years. On the civil side Sir Kingsley starts well, with a reputa- tion established at the Post Office when the Empire air mail scheme was planned. Equally to be welcomed is the Air Ministry's announce- ment that Lord Nufueld has had an interview with the Secretary of State for Air, and that he has placed his services at the disposal of the Air Ministry. It will be recollected that at the time of the formation of the shadow factories Lord Nuffield could not see eye to eye with Lord Swinton, and that he strongly held the view that it was. a mistake for aero engines to have their separate parts manufactured by several different com- panies. Lord Nuffield considered that the right policy would be to let a number of different firms manufacture complete engines! As it has turned out, aero engine produc- tion is ahead of airframe manufacture, but that is to some extent due to delays in aircraft manufacture rather than to unexpectedly rapid production of engines. So perhaps Lord Nuffield was right to some extent. Be that as it may,' it is indeed good news that his great manufacturing resources are to be taken into use. How that is to come about has not yet been announced, but it seems to be the general view in the industry that another aircraft factory will be established rather than an engine factory. Certainly that would be the logical line of attack on production problems. B
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