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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0615.PDF
MARCH 23RD, 1944 FLIGHT 3*7 Seven Post-war Types Jet'propelled Airliner Mentioned in Commons Debate: Concerted Pleas to Remove Civil Aviation from Air Ministry T HE inclusion of a jet-propelled airliner among seven new types of civil aircraft recommended by the second Brabazon Committee was disclosed by the Secretary for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, when he replied to Government critics in the recent debate in the House of Commons on civil aviation. This committee, he told the House, was given the task of finding out the wishes of potential operators so that it could help designers by giving them a more detailed descrip tion of the exact types of aircraft required in various parts of the world. Five types had been recommended by the first Brabazon Committee, and the second one, which had done invaluable work and was still sitting, had recom mended two additional types, making seven in all. In outlining these seven projected new types, Sir Archi- . bald referred to the jet-propelled type as '' the fifth,'' from %. which it may be inferred that it was recommended by the first Brabazon Committee. For obvious reasons it was not revealed at the time when the other four were an nounced—the four types on which actual design work has already been allocated to selected firms. Revolutionary and Fast No details of the jet-propelled civil aircraft were given by the Secretary for Air, who contented himself with saying it was a revolutionary design whose main purpose repre sented the application of jet-propulsion to civil purposes, and whose speed would far outclass that of any civil machine now in operation. The two additional types recommended by the second Brabazon Committee are a 14-seater landplane of conven tional design (the specification of which is not yet drawn up) intended for feeder lines in the Colonies and in other overseas countries, and a smaller twin-engined landplane of 8,000 lb. all-up weight, seating up to eight passengers and also suitable for feeder lines and for taxi work. Dealing with the first four new aircraft in his list, the Air Minister said, "The first of the seven types is the big transatlantic landplane being designed by the Bristol Aero plane Co., about which the Lord Privy Seal (Lord Beaver- brook) has already spoken in another place. The second is a landplane of over 100,000 lb. all-up weight which will be capable of operating the North Atlantic route with an interim stop at Newfoundland. It will also be suitable for long-range operation on other trunk routes. Like the Bristol machine it will have a pressure cabin. "The third is a slightly smaller four-engined aircraft, j of about 70,000 lb all-up weight, which will also be pres- **1Ssjised. It will be designed with a more capacious body than the previous one and is intended for the operation of trunk routes in medium stages. The fourth is a twin- engined landplane with a pressure, cabin, of about 40,000 lb. all-up weight, and is capable of seating about 30 passengers. This will be suitable for European services and other short-medium range work." Probably the next most significant point from the debate —the second on civil aviation within a fortnight—was that, although the members taking part differed on all sorts of other points, they were unanimous in their insistence that the control of post-war civil aviation must be removed from the Air Ministry. Some thought it should go to the Ministry of Transport, and others advocated the setting up of a separate Ministry of Civil Aviation, but the only voice raised in support of its being left with the Air Ministry was that of the Air Minister himself. A third point of more than passing interest cropped up when Sir Archibald was dealing with the broad issues of policy and was deprecating .any suggestion that Britain should depart from the principle of other countries and throw the air services open to private enterprise. "Are we to understand," asked Sir Oliver Simmonds, "that the Lord Privy Seal's statement, in which he invited shipping companies to come into this deal, had no real basis in policy? " "No," replied the Air Minister, ""we are not inviting them to come in now. We have made it abundantly clear that there is no immediate intention of obtaining facilities for shipping companies to work on international routes. We have said that we cannot decide on our national set-up until the international organisation of civil aviation is settled." He added that we could not ask facilities from other Governments, nor were they asking facilities from us, in advance of international discussion which he hoped would start before long. The debate was launched by Sir Alfred Beit, who said that he and his hon. Friend (Mr. Tree) were bringing for ward the subject of civil aviation so soon after the previous debate on the subject because, on that occasion, it had been "too much fogged with the idea of internationalism." His chief quarrel with " hon. Members opposite " was that by concentrating on this aspect of the subject they had given his right hon. and gallant Friend, the Under Secretary (Capt. Harold Balfour) an opportunity which he did not fail to take of writing-off that topic and, consequently, cir cumnavigating the immediately obtainable matters. Saying that he was personally opposed to the idea of internationalisation. Sir Alfred Beit mentioned that the American Press was already making references to the rights that country should enjoy, in many territories, where her money has been poured out in constructing airports and similar bases. "I should like to point out," observed Sir Alfred, "that all such expenditure is a contribution to the United Nations war effort and nothing more. . . . These new and imposing airports, which will be the nodal points of the great traffic routes of the future, must be available to all on equal terms, subject to orderly international agree ment." On the subject of Air Ministry control, he pointed out that in the various debates they had had on this subject, no hon. Member seemed to have advocated a con tinuation of the existing system, and although he was fully aware that the wheels of a Coalition Government moved slowly, they might hazard the guess that " the House will react most unfavourably if my right hon. Friend shows no signs of parting with reluctance from what can only be described as a neglected child." Five-point Policy Finally Sir Alfred Beit put forward what he described as " a perfectly clear and simple policy for civil aviation which we have every reason to commend to the House." This was a five-point policy, summarised as follows: — (1) The early adoption of freedoms of transport and emer gency landings. Freedom of air operations and the use of airports to be subject to mutual agreement and traffic arrangements. (2) An international convention to supervise subsidies, regu late fares, and lay down the status of technical and personal requirements (3) A British or Empire Licensing Board to which all appli cations for air operations must be made, to prevent unregulated competition. (4) Control of civil aviation to be vested in a separate Ministry or the Ministry of Transport. (5) Civil transport aircraft to be constructed in the imme diate future to enable the Empire to operate its own ait service without dependence on other countries. With every passing year, said Sir Alfred, it became in creasingly possible to operate airlines without subsidies: six British shipping companies which had got together to operate an- airline to South America were prepared to operate without a subsidy, asking only an airmail contract.
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