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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0492.PDF
196 FLIGHT FEBRUARY 25TH, Air Transport Planning Need for a Ministry of Civil Aviation : The Evil of Monopolies : Merchant Navy of the Air : Importance of the Psychological Aspect By ALAN J. COBHAM, K.B.E., A.F.C. TRANSPORT has been the necessity and life-blood of Britain's trade and development forhundreds of years. We have always led the world in all forms of transport. It has been one of our in- herent national abilities, and has been developed by the vision and foresight of each succeeding generation. We must not falter in this tradition. The future of air transport and its repercussions is as great as that of the Mercantile Marine. We have always been a nation of transporters, and as soon as we cease to lead the world in transportation, the whole of British influence will wane. Within the next few years air transport is going to bring about international travel and world communica- tion on a scale hitherto unconceived in the history of man. Britain's great industry of the future should be aircraft and air transport. Here lies our great new hope, and, with the ever-changing dispositions of world trade, air trans- port is a particular job that we should grasp as one of the most im- portant new lines of development to replace some of the trades and in- dustries which may have left Britain for ever. The development of aviation has been one of the most rapid, and per- haps the most revolutionary engineering success in modern history, and the superiority of British aircraft and personnel in the Battle of Britain saved us from annihilation and the world from conquest. Necessary Ingredients Our future success in the air depends upon the creation of a great aircraft and air transport industry, complete unto itself in every requiiement, and manned by a resolute group of airmen, aircraft builders and all the types of specialists and artisans necessary to make up - such an industry. Man-power, effort and materials are the only ingredients necessary. I firmly believe that Britain can build the finest air- craft in the world. I believe that we have a natural aptitude in the young men of this country, and the necessary experience in the older men of the aircraft industry, to create and build the world's finest aircraft, and it would become an inherent national industry. I believe that we have the finest material in the world (with full acknowledgments to the achievements of other nations) in personnel: pilots, navigators, maintenance engineers, traffic managers and all the staff necessary for air transport. Therefore, here is our big opportunity. At the moment we have a great aircraft industry fully occupied in the production of war aircraft. We have thousands of aircraft operators working night and day in the Royal Air Force. A scheme must be evolved whereby we can select from these two great sources of supply the personnel and man-power necessary for the foundation of Britain's great peacetime industry. It is impossible in this article to deal with every aspect of the situation, but the following are a few main NO one in this country has done more in the past to " sell " aviation to the public than has Sir Man Cobham. His many 'flights to distant parts of the Empire in years gone by opened many eyes to the possibilities of air transport. He was aptly nicknamed "The Apostle of Civil Aviation," and in this article he pleads for a treatment of air transport that shall be worthy of its great potentialities. headings on some broad general principles and policy :—. It is essential that for the next few years there should be an Advisory Aviation Board, composed of men of standing and repute, on much the same style as tin American Civil Aeronautics Board. Failing this, then should be a permanent Parliamentary Standing Com- mittee to advise the Government continually on the next steps necessary for the development of air transport. 1 am confident that had we had a permanent Standing Advisory Committee for Air Transport during the past fifteen or twenty years, all the troubles experienced in the past would not have occurred. I would suggest that there must be a separate Ministry of Civil Aviation. Air transport has vast international interests and obligations, and the Government's con- currence on all developments is necessary. Those who suggest that the Department of Civil Aviation should be attached to some other Ministry, such as the Board of Trade, Ministry of Transport or the Air Ministry, lack not only foresight and imagination but comprehension of the magnitude of the immediate de- velopments that are going to take place in aviation. This is not a side •< : line ; it is a far too big and virile industry to be tacked on to an exist- ing Ministry, and the very nature of its ever-changing developments, inventions and progress would make collaboration with another Ministry unworkable. There- fore, let us start off by having a new Ministry of Civil 'Aviation. Secondly, we must reorganise the air transport side of the industry and establish a variety of operating com- panies. There are two main branches of the industry- building and operation. Air transport and aircraft building should naturally run side by side, and on the one hand we have scores of companies to make the air- craft, but for some peculiar reason there is at present only one operating company! The aircraft building companies, the equipment manufacturing companies and many other parts of the industry owe their founda- tion to the orders given to them by the Air Ministry on behalf of the Royal Air Force. There are scores of companies which go to make up the existing British aircraft building industry, which has been the back- ground to the R.A.F. and has made the production of aircraft for this war possible on a scale hitherto uncon- ceived. How to Subsidise About a hundred years ago our forefathers evolved a scheme for subsidising the new invention of the steam- ship, and laid the foundations of our great mercantile marine. However, they did not create one monopoly operating company; instead, they selected and subsidised several steamship companies, and as the years went by, the steamship developed and improved, and gradually the subsidies were diminished until eventually they became.
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