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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1061.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER Editorial Director G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Editor - -CM. POULSEN Assistant Editor - MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C, (W/NG CDR., RAF.V.R.) Aft Editor - - JOHN YOXALL FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD •• FOUNDED 1909 Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (50 lines.) COVENTRY: BIRMINGHAM,!: 8-10, CORPORATION ST. KING EDWARD HOUSE, GLASGOW, C2: 26 B. RENFIELD..ST. MANCHESTER, 3 : NEW STREET 2 6 ° • DEANSGATE. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telegrams : Au?opress, Birmingham! Telegrams : Hiffe. Manchester. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Coventry 5210. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). Telephone: Blackfriars +412. Telephone: Central 4857 SUBSCRIPTION RATES : Home and Abroad : Year, £3 10. 6 months, £1 10 6. Registered at the G.P.O. m a Newspaper No. 2010. Vol. Lll. July 3rd, 1947 Thursdays, One Shilling. "We Outlook Backing for the ClubsI T is very gratifying to observe the increased interest which is being taken in light aircraft and the flying clubs. For some week-ends past, several successful flying meetings and displays have been organized, and the International Rally at Derby, in spite of one or two slight setbacks, was very well attended. We now look forward to the R.A.F.-supported and Air League- organized Blackpool Air Pageant, which is to last for three weeks. There has been a great deal of pessimistic talk about the high cost of flying and the probable extinction of the private owner, but such is our belief in the spirit and enthusiasm of the active nucleus of old- timers and their younger disciples that we do not admit such a possibility, come what may. The same is true of their non-powered brothers on the wing. Of course, the cost of flying at the present time is prohibitive for the majority of air-minded people, and, what is more serious to the private flying movement, the clubs are undoubtedly having a very lean time finan- cially, even with flying rates of £3 10s per hour. There is a limit to how long other club activities, associated ncerns, wartime compensation and the like can sub- e the flying side. As has already been suggested, st of £1 per hour is a reasonable figure at which to There is little need to stress the value to the country of a keen and active reserve of private pilots. To any- one who is unfamiliar with the excellent—almost vital—• work of club pilots recruited into the A.T.C. and of the 740 private pilots who enlisted in, and more than solved a major problem for, the Fleet Air Arm early in the war, the details would be illuminating. It might be said that the country '' owes'' the private flying world at least £2,000,000, the sum estimated to have been saved on the training of the Naval pilots alone. It is to be hoped that Lord Nathan's active week-end at Derby and Bramcote, when, he talked and flew with the people who will depend on his support in the future if their flying clubs are to prosper and expand, will have convinced him of the vitality of the private flying and light aircraft world. Further, when the recommenda- tions of Mr. Whitney Straight's committee are placed before him we hope that he will not hesitate to recom- mend that they be implemented to the fullest and most generous extent. It then remains for approval to be given to the recommendations forwarded by Mr. Peter Masefield and his Informal Light Aircraft Committee. These are intended to ensure that both power flying and gliding clubs shall have thoroughly safe, suitable and economical replacement aircraft available for their early use. By achieving a certain standardization, economy of production should be realized and there will be the added advantage of providing good competitive British machines for the export market. A Ministerial Taxi SIR HENRY SELF gave the assurance a few weeksago that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has greatfaith in the future of the helicopter and, more par- ticularly, that it intends to give full support to the West- land company in the matter of the Sikorsky 51 design which they are building under licence. It has been announced already that the Government is to buy three of these machines. Last week the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry, with the intention of recording his impressions, tried out a Westland Sikorsky as a taxi from his home in Welwyn Garden City, to St. James's Park. The importance of this flight in the eyes of the Ministry may, perhaps, be judged by the fact that Flight received no fewer than five separate written warnings of Mr Lindgren's inten- tions, together with invitations to witness his arrival. Whenever Mr. Lindgren or his colleagues decide per- sonally to experience the practical side of flying, we wel- come the fact, but since the precision with which a
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