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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1144.PDF
APRIL 20, 1939 FLIGHT. CORRESPONDENCE THAT EMPIRE AIR DAY POSTER Air Comdre. Chamier and Artists' License VX7HEN the Tailor and Cutler reviews the Royal Academy VV portraits it is not interested in the virtues of a magni ficent painting, but is critical of details of dress. Perhaps it is natural for your correspondent Mr. Thetford, as an aeronautical expert, to be more concerned with the de tails than the effect of our Empire Air Day poster. Posters are not photos: it is not desirable that they should advertise anything but aviation in general, and we must give artists due license. Dare I say that this particular design was the Air Minis try's choice ? And may I confess that I, last year, made the unfortunate artist alter a biplane to a monoplane and thus invited technical criticism of what was, in my opinion, a most bold and effective poster? J. A. CHAMIER, London, W.C.2. Secretary-General AIR LEAGUE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. An Artist's View Y OUR correspondents' criticism of the poster in your issue of April 6 certainly was hypercritical. To call it an "unauthentic " painting was going much too far. Call it '' an error of detail'' if you like. Whether Mr. O. G. Thetford was an unsuccessful candidate in the competition, I do not know. If he was, he has my sympathy; but I consider his "mud-slinging"—also at aero nautical artists—very bad taste. Nevertheless, I am rather surprised that an artist who can execute such a striking and attractive poster should not have paid a little more attention to detail, although in the rush to get finished in time for submission, a small yet glaring error may easily be overlooked. The only criticism I can make is, probably, one that few might think of, but not a hypercritical one, I trust. That is, by showing only one type of aircraft a free advertisement is given to the makers of that particular make of aircraft and engine, which, had I entered the competition myself, I should have been fearful of doing. This, in my opinion, is somewhat unfair to all the other successful aircraft and engine manufac turers. AERONAUTICAL ARTIST. Cambridge. SERVICE AT LYMPNE The Airport Staff Defended From Sir Ralph Hare, Bt. H AVING read the letter in your issue of April 6 headed, "Those Landing Fees" and signed by Mr. Foster, of Eastbourne, I feel that I cannot allow his statements in con nection with the actions of the officials at Lympne to go un answered. I have visited certain parts of the Continent by air pretty frequently in the course of the last two or three years. As I live in the Eastern Counties, I naturally find it quicker and more convenient to use Lympne for clearing Customs, etc., rather than to proceed to a London airport. It has there fore become a habit of mine to undergo the usual formalities at Lympne before once more hurling myself into space and proceeding like an infuriated wasp across the water. I must admit that, on the first occasion, I was a bit frightened by the various forms which I was asked to sign. Thanks to the extreme kindness and helpfulness of the officials, however, the forms and payments were quickly completed and I was free to proceed abroad. From that date I have always regarded the officials at Lympne as being personal friends, not only to me, but also to all travellers passing through. Never once have they failed to help me, although I am afraid that I have caused them a lot of work. Let the writer of the article pause to think before he launches a further violent attack upon the good men of Lympne. He would surely be less critical if he were to find himself in an awkward and extremely damp position in mid-Channel. This might be an uncomfortable proof that the officials are, after all extremely efficient at their job, for it is due to them that Air Comdre. Chamier with the poster which forms the subject of the controversy on this page. successful rescues are made. The landing fees and the forms may seen a bit tiresome when one is in a hurry, but the officials are not responsible for their invention and, after all is said and done, it is, in fact, their duty to see that ail rules are complied with. In my humble experience I have never had to ask an official at Lympne to turn a propeller, for the very good reason that they have always offered to do so and I cannot therefore be lieve that, had the writer of the article asked very nicely, he would have been refused the help which he required. King's Lynn. RALPH L. HARE. C.A.G. TRAINEES A School's Claim to Sixth Place ON page 350 of the April 6 issue of Flight you give some C.A.G. figures quoted by Sir Lindsay Everard. Sir Lindsay Everard is our Home Commissioner and we are sure that, except inadvertently, he would not have missed out the Bedford School of Flying, which, irrespective of licences renewed, has actually trained and obtained 28 "A" licences. This brings the Bedford School of Flying about sixth in the list. We take this opportunity of saying that this Club trains on standard machines. We would like it to be primarily understood that, although we bring this information as to the number of pilots trained to your notice, we have not, and shall not ever engage in any competition to obtain the maximum number of licences in any particular length of time. From your knowledge of our aerodrome you will know that the majority of pupils who have obtained their licences on the normal municipal aerodromes would never be able to bring a machine into Barton. In addition to the flying training, almost every evening oi the week there is a lecture in connection with elementary and advanced navigation, aero engines and aircraft. Every day of the week there is instruction in practical training in full swing. For BEDFORD SCHOOL OF FLYING, LTD., Barton, Beds. D. M. K. MARENDAZ, General Manager. (gCER? NEXT WEEK: COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT AND AIRLINES NUMBER
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