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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1627.PDF
182 CIVIL AVIATION FLIGHT JUST I6TH, 1945 Commonwealth and Empire Conference on Radio for Civil Aviation THE meeting ot the Commonwealthand Empire Conference on Radiofor Civil Aviation which opened inLondon marks a further step in inter- national co-ordination in civil aviation.Before the war international standardisa- tion of radio aids and procedure existedmainly regionally and to some extent among countries participating in theI.C.A.JM. But it had not been universal, partly, perhaps, because the necessity was at the time not as pressing as it will shortly be when long-distance air routes are established. A wide divergence in radio equipment and practice has thus grown up, especially betweenNorth America and Europe, accentuated by the fact that prac- tical application did not follow the improvement of aids. The needs of war were a strong incentive to reconsider thewhole question ot the international standardisation of radio aids, and in October, 1943, Sir Stafford Cripps, as chairmanof the Radio Board of the War Cabinet, convened the first Corumonivealth and Empire Conference on radio for civilaviation. This was to be the first step towards further inter- national discussions. Out of this Conference, which first metin February, 1944, the C.E.R.C.A. organisation was born, representing civil air radio departments of the Governmentsof the British Commonwealth and Empire and aimed at formulating recommendations on all matters relating to theimmediate and ultimate international standardisation of radio and, radar devices ior civil aviation. This does not only referto equipment, but also to standardisations of rules and regula- tions relating to their use. Policy it is the policy ol C.E.R C A. to have at all btages ol itsproceedings, as and when security considerations permit, informal discussions with the other Allied nations, to ensurethat at the first appropriate international conference their tentative conclusions have a maximum probability of accept-ance. It is believed that the final stage of general inter- national agreement will be facilitated through this gradualprocess of formulation and adjustment of projects and thought among the principal nations concerned. Even the completest agreement in conference, however,would leave the net product as nothing more than a list of technically sound proposals which each member Governmentmight submit separately in international conferences; putting forward such proposals each Government will do so onlybecause their technical soundness has been tested in free debate by the strongest collection of brains that could bebrought together Two C.E.R.C.A. conferences nave already been held—thefirst in London in February, 1944, and the second in Ottawa in November of that year. Recommendations have beenagreed for the immediate but interim international stan- dardisation of such radio aids as are now available to civil airtransport. A first draft of recommendations for the allocation of radio frequencies to civil aviation use has also been pre-pared and is now being considered in conjunction with the plans of other countries and also with those for the non-aviation user. No firm proposals have yet been iormulated on which radioaids may be suitable for international standardisation as it was concluded that there is not yet available either frommilitary or pre-war sources a group of tried radio aids justify- ing international standards. To complete its recommenda-tions for international standardisation C.E.R.C.A. had drafted a programme of development to be undertaken within theCommonwealth and Empire of radio aids to be recommended wben their suitability lias been demonstrated. It will beattempted at present to obtain agreement on the operational The Rt. Hon. Lord Winster, Minister of Civil Aviation,speaking at the opening of the Conference. requirements and a selection of the most promising radio aids.To facilitate and promote a better exchange of, information a permanent central office of the C.E.R.C.A. has been set upin London. It is often asked how these new bodies organised during the war fit with each other and to whatextent do they overlap. The C.E.R.C.A. has already a two- year lead in P.I.C.A.O. (Permanent International CivilAviation Organisation) in the study of radio systems for international standardisation. It is therefore believed thatthe proceedings of the Empire body would prove vital to any international organisation. The C.E.R.C.A. was also repre-sented on the wireless and telegraphy sub-committee meetings of I.C.A.N. (International Commission for Air Navigation,previously known as C.I.N.A.). The integration of C.E.R.CA. within the framework of Empire air transportco-operation is illustrated by the fact that its secretariat has been allied together with the permanent office of the Common-wealth Air Transport Council and by the recommendation of the Southern African Air Conference that future developmentsof radio communications on Southern African routes shoul4 follow as f*f as possible C E.R.CA.'s proposals, To secure the universal agreement on application of radio Jofcivil aviation will be the task of the international civil aviation organisations but, as Lord Swinton pointed out, the full ex-change of experience and ideas which C.E.R.C.A. has had and the tentative conclusions it might reach will be of infinite valueto the larger body. At the third C.E.R.C.A. meeting which is now taking placein London all Commonwealth countries constituting the organi- sation are represented together with Colonial Office delegates ,and technical advisors. Both the United States and the Sovieti Union have sent delegations to attend the Conference, a happy!indication of the appreciation of its work. Because of the presence of Russian and American representatives it will bepossible to exchange views on the most promising systems of radio communication which would be later recommended foruse on international routes. Agenda The agenda of this Conference is packed with such impor- tant items as revision of radio aspects of the final act of the Chicago Conference, radio airworthiness requirements, stand- ards for aircraft radio equipment, terminology., etc. As already mentioned the discussion will also cover standard radio systems for the immediate post-war period, proposals for inter- national standard systems embracing the whole range of ai4s such as short and long distance aids to navigation, traffic con- trols and application of radio in rescue operations, in preven- tion and avoidance of air-to-air collision, etc. The opening of the plenary session of the Conference was pre- sided over by Lord Winster, the new Minister of Civil Aviation, who said that radio is one of the greatest means to make aw • travel synonymous with speed, safety and comfort, and war has given civil aviation a breathing space in which to think out its aims while war experience have been making those aims easier of accomplishment on the technical side. Lord Swinton,
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