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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1353.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD •• FOUNDED 1909 Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices.- DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. COVENTRY : BIRMINGHAM, 2 : 8-10, CORPORATION ST. <j UA' \,D,H£ L^ TB.UOL £ ' ^s**' Telegrams: Autocar. Coventry. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham'. Telephone: Coventry 52 10. Telephone: Midland 297 1 (S lines). Telephone: Waterloo 3333 (35 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : GLASGOW, C.2 : 260> °EANSGATE. 26B, RENFIELDST. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. Telegrams: Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412. Telephone: Central 4857. No. 1796. Vol. XLIII. c Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper. May 27th, 1943. Ihe Outlook Thursdays. One Shilling The Boa BombshellE SCHEWING all accepted practice, the Government has appointed to the important posts of chairman and director-general of British Overseas Airways Corporation two men who, whatever other qualifications they may have, are entirely without experience in the very complicated and specialised business of operating long-distance air routes. Admittedly both Lord Knollys and Air Commodore A. C. Critchley have had contact with flying, the former having served in the R.A.F. in the first World War, and the latter, better known as Brigadier General Critchley, has for some time been in command of No. 54 (Training) Group initial training for the R.A.F., but that is as far as their practical experi- ence of air operation goes,. Sir Harold Howitt, who has hitherto served as part- time chairman, becomes deputy chairman; he also was without experience. The same applies to the other two directors, Mr. Marchbanks and Mr. Simon Marks. It would be difficult to find another board of a great national corporation whose cumulative inexperience is as great as that of the new B.O.A. board, entirely unrelated to the operation of great airlines. It would appear that it was thought that at least one member of the board should know something about aircraft opera- tion, and the selection fell upon Miss Pauline Gower. With this particular choice we have no quarrel. Miss Gower has been "through the air mill." With Miss Spicer she ran a passenger-carrying concern many years ago, and that work won the admiration of all. They obtained their ground engineers' licences and worked harder than most men. Since the war Miss Gower's contribution to the war effort as commandant of the Women's Air Transport Auxiliary has been of very great value to the nation. Now that the Government has decided very tardily, following public pressure, that something will have to be done about the British Overseas Airways Corpora- tion, there is little doubt that we shall see progress made in several directions. It is equally certain that the Government will claim the credit for having put in men who can and will "get things done." What will not readily be overlooked by those who have studied the problems is the fact that the original board, with all its faults, was severely handicapped by having aircraft and personnel taken away from the Corporation. The varied assortment of aircraft types with which they were compelled to operate as best they could precluded efficient operation, and taking into consideration all the difficulties, the Corporation has not emerged without credit. In all fairness to the directors who resigned some time ago in protest of existing conditions, this fact should be borne in mind. Too Much "New Blood"F RESH blood is all very well, but even in medical science it is administered in small doses. Some ot the patient's own remains, and i^ might have been thought that in the case of B.O.A.C. some of the " new blood " would have been drawn from among those who have had twenty years' practical experience of operat- ing airlines. It is difficult to believe that none of the many who possess that qualification is available, and one can only come to the conclusion that no endeavour has been made to find them. Growing public opinion following long agitation in the Press for a Government policy on commercial air trans- port has forced the Government to further action It was evident from questions in the House that dissatis- faction was felt at Government evasiveness or inaction
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