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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0167.PDF
JANUARY 2IST, 1943 FLIGHT The Air and the Commonwealth—NOW! A Complete Change of Policy Needed : Planning on the Qrand Scale Demanded : Overhaul Research and Development By F. G. MILES BEFORE the war an excuse that was often offeredfor the lack of progress in our use and design ofaircraft was that, compared with the U.S.A., we had little opportunity or necessity for fast aircraft and extensive services. In America, it was said, the dis- tance between towns was so vast that it paid to travel by air; in England, and even between England and Europe, distances were small, and the time-saving by faster aircraft unimportant. Also, an entirely false relationship was assumed be- tween slowness and safety-plus- economy by those who had control of design and policy. It has since proved indeed lucky for us that the penchant for slow but sure biplanes was not imitated by the military de- signers and by a far-sighted air staff. But the very basis of any argument that America's wide spaces conduced • to better aircraft and more paying and popular airlines than our own rested upon a most obvious fallacy. England, because of the scattered and wide-flung Commonwealth of Nations, had a far greater opportunity, a far greater task and a far greater obliga- tion than the U.S.A. These she almost entirely neglected. It is true that late in the day some magnificent flying boats were ordered and built by Shorts; but in the meantime letters were carried over the British Empire hv faster and better organised Dutch airlines, using American aircraft. And those countries which bought their aircraft abroad turned to America for transport planes, seldom or never to England. No Time to Lose Our task is urgent, immediate; it brooks no delay. Unless we act now we shall find we are too late to take an equal part in the aircraft manufacturing industry and the establishment of airlines over the world. The general shape of post-war policies and agreements must be hammered out with the other interested countries now. Design, experiment, inventions and the manu- facture of prototypes must start now or it will be too late. Success in great transport aircraft building may be of outstanding importance in war as well as in peace. We must work together with the whole British Com- monwealth of Nations in making our plans. The old Empire has been undergoing a profound modification of its origial form. There are no longer conquered lands populated by immigrants, but great, proud, free countries achieving more and more independence in every way, politically, industrially and economically. The only certain way of maintaining the strengthening of ties between ourselves and them (ties which were weakening rapidly before the war, due to our clumsy and patronising attitude in too many cases) is to plan now. The war brought us together in a magnificent THE author of this article became known, at an early age, as the designer of Phillips and Powis aircraft. He now controls, in conjunction with his wife, the destinies of that firm, but he has by no means exhausted his youthful enthus- iasm, and here he pleads for vigorous action to ensure this country's place in post-war aviation. vindication of our common heritage of freedom, but unless we are wise and far-seeing a reaction may set in after the coming of peace. One major factor in offsetting such a reaction would certainly be cheap, rapid, safe and mutually owned and managed air transport throughout the Commonwealth. Militarily such a widespread series of great air bases is absolutely essential as a guard against any future aggressor; economically it will form a sound bond and an incentive to mutual trade; politically it will help us to get to know each other and to keep in touch. The first essential thing to be done if we are to make such a vision pos- sible is to call an Air Council of the Commonwealth now. It may con- sist of one or more representatives from every dominion and colony. Held, in London we could get to know everybody's point, of view, designers and airline managers could meet. We could plan co-operation from a beginning of equality, for it is very obvious that we must not attempt a purely English-financed and controlled monopoly of Empire aviation. Whatever kind of Board of Control is set up, there should be no geographical or political preference. Commonwealth Airways should be controlled and managed by representatives of Australia, Canada, South Africa, Ceylon, and indeed of all the units of the Commonwealth, if success on the greater scale is to be possible. Thus we should obtain enthusiasm and build harmoniously toward a whole which would take proper account of the special requirements of different countries a*id peoples. The second thing is to recognise how -backward and unambitious we are and have been in our ideas about air transport and to overhaul our means of research, development and finance to start catching up right now. Aeronautical University Here the keyword is action. Let us build an airport now which will be useful in war and outstanding in peace. Let us endow and build an aeronautical univer- sity far more dynamic and ambitious than anything heretofore considered, and let us make sure no mis- taken ideas prevent us from providing it now with brilliant boys and girls looking to an aeronautical future. Let us pull up the badly equipped and unenthusiastic research centres we have at present and plant them near to the central airport. Make them open to designers and inventors wanting facilities. Give the first-class men who are already there a better and higher status and add young and enthusiastic researchers. Aim towards a purpose ; a practical and immediate purpose, say, of making possible an absolutely safe three- hundred-ton airliner as a long-distance job. Stop hole- in-the-corner methods on big essential-jobs such as de-
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