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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1048.PDF
•49o FLIGHT MAY I4TH, 1942 CORRESPONDENCE lor fighters, which would probably be fully occupied elsewhere. Obviously there can be little chance of a small machine "getting away with it" for long under such conditions as troop harrying, but look at the hundreds of men prepared to take this risk, the hundreds who through some defect are un able to fly with the R.A.F. or have not had enough experience for the A.T.A. And to the main point—there must be many sporting planes lying idle at the moment which would be still lying idle to-morrow if the Hun invades to-night.. These surely could be utilised. JAMES F. WHITTINGHAM, (Home Guard, ex Flying Member, Civil Air Guard). Support from a Fit. Sgt. RE your correspondent " 1926 A Licence," I should like you to have my opinion, for what it is worth. I consider the idea of an air arm to the Home Guard as an essential. It could be run on similar lines to the present "Army Co-op" squadrons, and I for one would like to help in the initial organisation (if any). I am a Flight-Sergeant Pilot with over 2,000 hours to my credit and, at present, am waiting to be invalided out of the Service following injuries received in action against the enemy. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Editor and staff for some very fine work during the last few years. Plight is definitely an asset to anyone air-minded. P. J. McQ., Fit. Sgt. Amateur Airmen's Enthusiasm T HE intriguing suggestion submitted by your correspondent for a H.G A.C. has at last provided an indication of the sentiments of amateur airmen all over the country. For 1 do believe (without in the least deprecating the credit due to the originator) that there is a considerable number of enthu siasts who have thought on lines similar to those expressed by him, and are earthbound through varying circumstances of war and industry. Within this community, I would include many more, non-fliers it is true, but men of undoubted in- tegiity and ability. Witness the response to the demand for A.T C. instructors! It is obvious, therefore, that there is a universal feeling amongst these disciples of aviation that whilst putting the services at the disposal of the nation, they should be used to the host possible advantage. This is a contention with which no one can disagree. Unfor tunately, however, the obstacles to the "H.G.A.C." as visualised at present are very real, and would also imply the necessity for an unusual degree of confidence to be bestowed on such a body by the Air Ministry. In spite of this, or again perhaps because of this, it becomes apparent that in comparison there would be little difficulty in recruiting a body of men employed in the aircraft indus- :ries who would welcome the opportunity of a " busman's holiday," and as in numerous cases they work or live in reasonable proximity to Service airfields, they could be found many interesting and useful duties to perform. They would require little or no instruction, working under the supervision of Service personnel, and would add considerably to their store of aeronautical knowledge and experience. In a well-organised civilian squadron it would be feasible to arrange duties on a rota basis so as not to interfere unduly with a man's domestic and other obligations. Working in liaison with senior members of the A.T.C., such a movement could well become the nucleus of an organisation as hoped for by your correspondent, and in any case would be a worth-while war effort and definitely within the bounds of practical application. It would be well not to spoil our oppor tunities by "putting the cart before the horse." G. A. CHAMBERLAIN. The Bottleneck YOUR correspondents on the above subject have, in my opinion, put forward a very strong case for the formation of such an air arm, and " 1935 Amateur Pilot" surely raises an important point in his suggestion that the scheme must be got going at once. Might I suggest that, if Flight is going to lend its weight to push this project, it might also help now by calling for volun teers, say one from each large town or district, to collect the names of probable members, so that, if and when the scheme is put into operation, no delay will be caused by waiting for volunteers. I have not the least doubt that Flight is read by fully 95 per cent, of "A " licence holders who are still in civil life, and if you were to collect and publish a list of names as indicated above, such people could get into touch directly with the one acting for their particular area. I for one would gladly act in such a capacity for my district, and if this sugges tion is adopted 1 have no doubt that a useful list of ' A" licence holders would soon be compiled, a list which should help to convince the " powers that be " that the scheme is well worth while. There are probably a number of other people who, just before the war, did a certain amount of dual, but were prevented by the outbreak of hostilities from taking their licences, who would also be eager to support the scheme. I know of one such case myself, and these names could be listed along with the others, careful note being taken in all cases, of course, as to the actual experience of each individual. "JUST PRE-WAR 'A' LICENCE." [We have no doubt that if the suggestion for a Home Guard Air Arm is adopted, there will be a plentiful supply of willing " A " licence holders. The " bottleneck," if any, is not likely to be formed in that direction. The main obstacle will be suitable aircraft. We doubt that there are a dozen in private hands and still holding a certificate of airworthiness. Prob ably nearly every aircraft of the private-owner type which could be made airworthy is in use by the Services and for communications work. As a first step we should like to hear from owners of aircraft. If our fears should prove unfounded and a reasonable number of machines are available, one serious difficulty will have disappeared.—ED.] POWER PLANTING Fighter Pilot's View WITH reference to the article, "Power Planting," which covered pages 249 to 255 in Flight dated March 19th, according to the last sentence it seems from someone's point of view that just because the pilot is not seated in front of the engines in the Lockheed Lightning, his fighting view would not be too good. This statement I do not agree with, as another example of this is the Bristol Beaufighter. The pilot of this machine ii also not ahead of the engines, but I would definitely not say that his fighting view was poor. I think this statement of mine proves itself, as one has only to look up the records of the Beaufighter's service in this war, and one will see immediately what a first-class machine it is. However, if the writer of "Power Planting" says that the Lightning has a poor view for the pilot, I am sure that he would also class the Beaufighter as having a poor one as well. If this were so, though, how is it that the Beaufighter has done such marvellous work at home and in the Middle East, as I am sure that this would have been impossible if the pilot had not had an excellent forward view. Perhaps someone could offer criticism on one or two of my points? JOHN DARLINGTON. CENTRALISED CONTROL Unification of Land, Sea and Air Arms YOUR Editorial and article on a general war staff are of great interest. Countries declaring war on one another recall their Diplomatic Representatives, who are responsible for the centralised control of intelligence reports of the Naval, Military and Air Attaches, which they hand on to their respective Foreign Offices, which in turn hand them to the Naval. Military and Air departments for the information of their respective staffs. From these reports the Foreign Office of a country is in a position to act as adviser in Intelligence affairs to the General Staff which issues orders for action through the Operations Section of the General Staff, together with such information available through the Intelligence Section of the General Staff. It will thus be seen that the success of a plan of action depends upon the reliability of the information available to the Intelligence Section of the General Staff which directly influences the strategy and orders given by the Operations Section of the General Staff. \ The unification of the Land, Sea and Air Arms for the pur pose of executing orders from the Operations Section of the General Staff is the duty of the inter-service liaison officers. Centralisation is very.simple and efficient provided the duties of one section are not duplicated by another. REX DAINTY (Hon. Capt., R.A.F. (Ret.)).
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