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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 1727.PDF
JUNE 13, 1940 533 HERE andTHERE "Looking Forward"O WING to paper restrictions, which seriously curtail our available space, it is regretted that the second instalment of Dr. Roxbee Cox's lecture on the future of British civil aviation, "Looking For- ward," must be held over till next week. Trans-SiberiaA REGULAR air service between Mos- cow and Irkutsk was opened by Russia on May 15 last. This service will be maintained by PS40 mailplanes which will cover the route of 2,820 miles from Moscow to Irkutsk in 19 hours 45 minutes, stopping at Kazan, Sverd- lovsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk and Kras- noyarsk. Balloon BroadcastO N the B.B.C. Home Service a broad- cast will be given on June 17 at 10.30 p.m. describing the work of the balloon barrage squadrons. The pro- gramme will give the day-to-day work of the men and will include some of the incidents which happen to the sections operating off the coast—some of the thrills in bringing a balloon to earth in a high wind, and the excitement of the occasional breakaway which occurs. Also on June 20 at 1.15 p.m. there will be a talk on "A Fighter Pilot Visits His Old Squadron." Eire Civil Flying Ban AN Order made by the Eire Ministerfor Industry and Commerce (Mr. Sean MacEntee) prohibits, as from May 28, the flying of civil aircraft over the VERTICAL TAKE-OFF. A new helicopter being flown by its inventor, Igor Sikorsky, who has always been interested in the possibilities of such machines. State of Eire and its territorial waters, unless specially authorised by the Minis- ter. It has been intimated that only aircraft engaged on scheduled air trans- port services will be granted exemption. The Order therefore will not affect the Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Liver- pool, but presumably will mean the clos- ing of the flying school in County Kildare. Trans-Atlantic MailT HE Postmaster-General announces that air correspondence for Canada, U.S.A. and countries beyond, if prepaid for transmission by the Pan American Clipper service from Lisbon to New York, is now forwarded by the British Overseas Airways service to Lisbon which operates twice weekly to connect with the Clippers. The existing rates (Canada, Newfoundland and U.S.A.: letters is. 3d. per half-ounce, postcards 7d.) remain unchanged. Air correspond- ence for Portugal and Spain, prepaid at the ordinary European rate of 5d. for the first ounce and 3d. for each addi- tional ounce (postcards 2jd.). is also for- warded by the British air service when delivery time would thereby be reduced. Definite times of posting cannot at pre- sent be quoted. Air Services ResumedI N the course of the twelve days' stop- page of air transport, two SOS messages from the Hebrides for the air ambulance had to be refused. Happily, this is again available with the resump- tion of air services to Belfast and the Hebrides on June 4. The Stornoway liner also flew on the following day and Railway Air Services to the Isle of Man, Belfast and Glasgow, have resumed. R.N. AND R.A.F. GET TOGETHER ONE of the first steps taken by theMinister of Aircraft Production was to set up the Air Supply Board and cer- tain other Committees, and as these are getting into their stride their powers and activities are becoming clearer. The Minister, as was to be expected of one who has shown vision in so many directions, has been extremely active in dealing instantly with all the major questions, and has brought together in the Air Supply Board the combined experience and opinions of the Fleet Air Arm and the R.A.F. regarding the most suitable equipment to be ordered. Thus the Minister and his able deputy, Sir Charles Craven, will be able to direct the production efforts of the aircraft industry in such a manner as meets the needs of the Services. The importance of the Navy can never be over-stressed where and when British interests are at stake, and a clear indi- cation of the vital need of making the Senior Service fuHy effective was given just over a year ago when aircraft that were then being operated for the Fleet by the R.A.F. were handed over to the Admiralty. During the past twelve months the Navy has been gradually regaining air consciousness to a greater degree and is beginning to again play a part, growing in usefulness, in the field of general aeronautical development. In those years that preceded the last war and for the first 3J years thereof, the developments engendered by the R.N.A.S. were of the highest import- ance both in the founding of the air- craft industry and in the design and use of special types of aircraft, the descen- dants of which are in regular use to-day. There has been good progress in this last twelve months, due primarily to the splendid spirit of active co-operation that has existed between the senior representatives of both Services—pri- marily Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfred Freeman, R.A.F.,and Cpt. Slattery.R.N. What more natural outcome of such excellent working together could there be than that the cqnsiderable abilities of these two officers should be directed for the common good through the single channel of the Air Supply Board. In this manner the requirements of the F.A.A. and the R.A.F. will receive equal consideration. This gives us a very suitable oppor- tunity of offering our warm congratula- tions to Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfred Freeman on his promotion announced a day or so ago. Those concerned with the aircraft industry, and for that matter any branch of aeronautical en- gineering, will realise the invaluable services that he has rendered to the cause we all have at heart and the importance of which cannot be exaggerated. Captain Slattery, the representative of the Admiralty on the Board, though not one of the fathers of Service aviation like Sir Wilfred, is none the less a pioneer, being one of that small band of Naval officers to take the first Fleet Air Arm Course in 1924. His " rate of climb " since then has been nothing short of meteoric. He has a wide experi- ence of the sea and of the air, and is well practised in the art of deck landing and suchlike specialities. He was Staff Officer Operations to the first Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers, and brings, as the youngest Captain in the Service— being but 36—a remarkable record of practical and administrative achieve- ment of which the F.A.A. for the past year have made good use.
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