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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1948.PDF
FLIGHT AUGUST 28TH. 1941. requires many airliners for the movements of its high officials, its air force personnel and its parachute troops, and also needs established airways, such as that from West Africa to Egypt. Probably all thoughtful people will agree that air transport has now completely proved its two claims to national usefulness, and perhaps the memory of this will be carried over into the peace which must finally come. Air transport must be raised to its proper status in the affairs of the nation if a repetition of the former mistakes is to be avoided. These former mistakes have led us into the present regrettable position of being quite unable to supply our own requirements in air transport—and we are begging and borrowing from the airlines and the manufacturing industry of the United States in our efforts to make good our own deficiencies. In 1940 we bought 43 transports from the American air- lines ; in the first half of this year we bought 20 more. But our latest request is for another 24 Douglas DC-3S and 12 of them were handed over to us on July 12th. But whether we shall receive the other 12 is very doubt- ful, as the airline companies point out that they must deal with ever-increasing traffic and need these airliners. The validity of their statement is fully realised, at least by Flight, as, though we in this country think of the States as having a very well-developed air transport system, they have a total of only 300 airliners. We have fewer than that—how few would surprise most people. We have every sympathy with the U.S. airlines in their complaint, and would be against any such request for airliners being made to them if it were not for the urgency of the war situation and the fact that the in- terests of U.S.A. and ourselves are so bound up together. As it is, we feel that we can only ask our representatives in U.S.A. not to press the matter too closely if it can possibly be avoided, as the serious curtailment of the traffic-carrying capacity of the airlines would cause fric- tion in the American war machine. Some consideration should also be given to the fact that, while we ask for airliners, bombers are stacked up on American aero- dromes, according to the statements of at least two lead- ing American aviation papers. A Pride of LionsM R. FRASER, Premier of New Zealand, has been in Great Britain for some time. Mr. Menzies, Premier of Australia, has been here and is con- templating a second visit. Field Marshal Smuts cannot get nearer to us than Cairo, but there he met a member of the War Cabinet, Mr. Lyttelton. Now Mr. Mackenzie King, Premier of Canada, has flown the Atlantic in a bomber to take part in discussions for the conduct of the war. The British Lion and all the lion cubs are at one in this great struggle, for tribulation draws men closer together than any other influence can do. The Dominions cannot easily spare their leaders from the seat of their own affairs for long, and if air transport had not been available it is doubtful whether Mr. Mac- kenzie King could have afforded the time to give Mr. Churchill the great advantage of a meeting and consulta- tion. Moreover, air transport is how the safest means of travel. The Navy took Mr. Churchill safely to his meeting with President Roosevelt, but the Navy is very busy and cannot always spare ships for such matters. DEMOCRATIC CO-OPERATION : An air crew of the Royal Dutch Naval Air Service emplaning in an American-built Lockheed Hudson for a patrol with the R.A.F. Coastal Command. Points of interest are, the beam-firing Vickers K gun ; the Williamson oblique camera mounted in the adjacent window, and the basket of pigeons in the charge of the wireless operator. The bulge on the inside of the door contains the collapsible dinghy.
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