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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0671.PDF
MARCH 9, 1939 FLIGHT. 235 The Growing Fleet Air Arm THAT the Royal Navy is distinctly airminded is borne out by the facts set forth in the Naval Esti mates. Vote 4 in those Estimates, which previously accounted for the grant-in-aid to the Air Estimates in payment for the Fleet Air Arm has, how ever, disappeared, and for the future the personnel and material of the F.A.A. will be absorbed into the other votes in the Estimates. Some explanations are, there fore, desirable. The total cost of the Air Arm in the 1939 Estimates is to be about eleven and three-quarter millions, which is nearly double what was spent on it last year. Of this, some three and a half millions are to be spent on new aircraft. Vote 8 shows over six and a half million pounds to be spent on aircraft, but that sum includes much besides new machines. The most striking outward and visible sign of the Navy's airmindedness is the new title of Fifth Sea Lord for the member of the Board of Admiralty who is re sponsible for naval air matters. Another piece of evi dence is the fact that six aircraft carriers, not including the Ark Royal, are either building or projected. The completion of that programme will put Britain ahead of any other power in that class of ship. As the First Lord remarks, it is difficult to take over the control of the F.A.A. from the Air Ministry and at the same time to expand that Arm. The progress made is more than fair, and the Fifth Sea Lord has now got about fifty-seven per cent, of the personnel which he needs. His chief difficulty concerns the main tenance men, the fitters, riggers, etc., because in respect of them the Air Arm had to start from zero. All the main tenance work was previously done by R.A.F. aircraft men. Some of them have transferred to the Navy, but quite naturally the Royal Air Force cannot spare many of them at a time when it is itself expanding. The same argument applies to the transfer of artificers from the general list of the Navy. These men with due training would make excellent aircraftmen, or rather air artificers, and some of them have been allowed to transfer to the Air Arm. But the Navy, as apart ircm the Air Arm, is itself also expanding, and the First Lord in his state ment remarks that '' difficulties are boing encountered in providing a sufficient number of engine-room artificers, electrical artificers and ordnance artificers for the next two or three years. It is hoped to overcome these diffi culties with the sympathetic co-operation of industry.". But again, the industry of the country has no surplus of skilled mechanics who would be suitable for the artificer branches of the Navy and the Fleet Air Arm. A fairly long period of training of men in R.A.F. schools seems to be indicated before the needs of the F.A.A. will be fully met. In the meantime the R.A.F. will continue to lend the skilled personnel necessary to keep the air craft on the carriers and catapult shipj in flying order. " Flight " photograph. ofEthDfiTICS 0N THE GRAND SCALE : Fit. Lt. J. Summers, chief test pilot to the Vickers-Armstrong group, shows off some hinCr p0'nts °* tne Wellington long-range bomber near Weybridge. Wellingtons are coming through at a highly credit-le rat e and are taking up the brightly burning torch of geodesy from the Wellesley. The engines are Bristol Pegasus.
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