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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1125.PDF
GeraMton MAY 15TH, 1944 CIVIL AVIATION in AUSTRALIA Its Wartime Importance : Efficient Development with Small Financial AidT HE report on civil aviation in Australia for the year ended June 30th, 1940, shows that this form of transport is proving its great value in wartime as it did pre- viously in peace. It has provided a means for the speedy movement of industrial executives concerned with manufacture for war; it has put its meteorological and radio services at the disposal of the Royal Australian Air Force, and its elementary flying training schools and clubs have been a nucleus on which similar schools of the Empire Air Training Scheme have been built. But most important of all, it has provided a large number of aerodromes over the enormous area of Australia without which the efficiency of the R.A.A.F. would be seriously curtailed. And as Mr. Corbett, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Department, whose term has been extended for another year, writes: "The building up of Australian civil avia- tion organisation . . . has cost some £2,000,000 in all." That is all the sum is; enough to keep this war going for one-sixth of a day, about four hours. Total civil aviation expenditure for 1939-40 totalled only ^483,000 for ordinary services and administration and ^339,000 for new works. 7 The Year's Achievements The accident rate is a noteworthy part of the report, for there were no fatal accidents on the regular scheduled services. In all other civil flying there were only 10 pilots and 12 passengers killed, an analysis showing that 72 per cent, of all accidents were due to "pilot trouble." Some of the Qantas Empire flying boats and the Douglas DC 3s J9t Australian National Airways were seized temporarily for jp1 ailitaiy work, the Douglases being on convoy, but have since been returned. This is part of the reason for the drop in aircraft-miles to 8 million from the g| million of the previous year. It is significant, however, that the total of passenger-miles has risen from 43 to 49 million, showing that more efficient use is being made of the air- craft as the load factor is higher." Unavoidably the weight of mail carried by internal and Empire services has dropped from the 1,399,000 1b. of 1938-39 to 848,000 lb. of 1939-40. This is because the Empire air mail scheme has had to be dropped and the surcharge raised to is. 6d. per ounce. The surcharge collected on these mails by the Post Office is credited to the Civil Aviation Department at the rate of os. 6d. per lb. for internal services, us. 4d. for the Trans-Tasman and 52s. 6d. per lb. for the Empire sendee to England. Surcharge totalled £81,000 for the internal and £157,000 for the overseas routes, these amounts .being an offset against the mail payments paid to the companies tc run the routes which were ,^253,000 and £128,000 , respectively. Notable achievements during the year were the establish- ment of the Trans-Tasman flying bjat service with Awarua and Aolearoa in May, 1940, the bringing of Dilli in Portu- 345 REGULAR AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA guese Timor on to the Empire Route, the military modifica- tion of civil aircraft by Ihe aeronautical engineering staff of the Department, the reconstruction of one wing, nacelle and undercarriage of a Douglas DC 2 by Australian National Airways, the flying of 95,000 miles on medical missions by the six flying doctors, and the completion-of the radio beam path from Brisbane to Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide. Aircraft on the Australian register at the end of the year totalled 332, with 261 of these in possession of a current certificate of airworthiness. Importations for the jtear were not important, the only aircraft over 10,000 lb. loaded weight being two DH 86s and two Lockheed 14s. The remainder of the 25 British and nine American were all small craft. Indicative of the increasing aeronautical engineering control exercised by the Department is the fact that 51 firms are now licensed to manufacture aircraft material or parts, and 36' to' issue certificates of repair. Very complete statistics are- given of the. services, distances, aircraft,, mail payments,. passenger-miles and average passenger loading (which works out at 6.1 for all services). There is, however, one weakness, the percentage load factors are not given. Without this one cannot assess the efficiency of the use to which the aircraft are being put on the airlines and' it is not possible to measure progress accurately. American statistics are a model in this respect. The Government-assisted aero clubs flew a total of over 24,000 hours for the year for the instruction of 317 A licence pilots. Unassisted schools taught 255. Current A licences are 1,225 in number, with 324 commercial B licences and 651 ground engineer licences. Navigators' licences total 85, flying instructors' 87 and radio-telegraph operators' 92. There are 224 licensed aerodromes in Australia. The enterprising airline companies of Australia and the Civil Aviation Department have done good work on a very small amount of money. No doubt they will do as well in the future, but it is hoped that civil aviation will receive its due recognition and a suitable monetary stimulus from the Commonwealth Government. Civil aviation is con- cerned primarily with peaceful development, but those who have said that it has a great wartime usefulness have now seen their words vindicated to the full.
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