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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1933.PDF
NOVEMBER 6TH, 1947 FLIGHT Private Flying all to be delivered within two years of theiirst flight of the first production machine. The Committee also believes, with theBritish Gliding Association, that the most urgent need of British gliding is a general-jmrpose two-seater of medium-high perform- ance. It therefore recommends that twoprototypes should be built to each of the three best designs chosen from the resultsdf the competition for a two-seater, held recently by the British Gliding Association,thus utilizing the large amount of work already done. A bulk production ordershould then be placed, officially, for not less than two hundred gliders to the designjudged to be most satisfactory after the prototype trials. The I.L.A.C. feels bound to emphasizethat, in its opinion, these recommendations, faaa basic trainer-tourer and a two-seater'jURer, can only achieve their purpose of making possible widespread flying in theBritish Isles and of creating a healthy ex- l>ort market, if a national scheme for finan-cial assistance is instituted to establish light aircraft flying and gliding in the UnitedKingdom on a broad scale. Such a national plan, to succeed, would have to reduce fly-ing charges to the public to not more than £1 per flying hour. The Committee is ofthe opinion that, under present conditions, the only effective method of creating a newgeneration of British light aircraft is by- means of a Government grant to pay forthe building of prototypes and by means of an interest-free loan from the Govern-ment to cover and underwrite the quantity production of the types recommended. Sucha loan should be recoverable against sales, leaving only the cost of prototypes out-standing. A target for the present-day cost of a light aircraft of the basic type recommended, produced in a quantity of not less than 1,000, should be approximately fifteen shill- ings per pound of loaded weight, or a total of about £1,000 per aircraft. This pre- supposes an engine of low cost, produced in quantity.Kecomm'endations by the I.L.A.C. con- cerning the cost of founding the equipmentHide of a National Flying Movement are that the six prototypes of the three selecteddesigns of the basic trainer-tourer should be paid for (preferably through the Royal\ero Club) from a national grant of £60,000. towards their overall cost. Similarly, thesix prototypes of the three selected designs of two-seat glider should be paid for .by aturther grant of £24,000 towards their over- all cost. After prototype trials, the Gov-ernment should make available the sum of it,000,000 to finance the production orderof 1 000 aircraft and a further £170,000 for the production of 200 gliders. This totalsum of £1,170,000 would be used in the form of progress payments and/or underwritingof orders, so that work could be instituted without delays. A timetable is suggestedby the I.L.A.C. as follows: — (i) Design competition authorized, sep- mber, 1947- , •... .*• (ii) Design tenders to be submitted. January 15th, 1948. (iii) Selection of three best design cap- able of being produced in quantity. March 1st, 1948. (iv) Prototypes flying and under test. January to May, 1948. (v) Best prototype selected, modification. I une, 1948. (vi) First production aircraft flying. June, 1950. Costs The Informal Committee is convinced thatan essential of any new type of British light aircraft must be an inherent and substan-tial improvement in the cost of operation. The Committee has come to a realizationthat the chief factor in reducing operating costs must be an improvement in main-tenance characteristics- over existing stan- dards. ' Present-day maintenance itemsaccount for about 30 per cent of the total operating costs of existing aircraft. The CLUB OPERATING SIX £IOOO AIRCRAFT VARIATION OF DETAILED OPERATING COSTS WITH UTILISATION 2OO 4OO ANNUAL UTILISATION Informal Committee believes that by care-ful design these costs can be materially lowered. The pre-eminent need for such an aircraftbecomes evident from an examination ol the situation of light aircraft flying in theUnited Kingdom to-day. Clubs are charg- ing between £3 10s and £4 per flying hourand losing money on it. Detailed examination of costs to clubsand flying schools has revealed a fairly wide divergence. But it appears that they canbe broadly divided as follows: — Percent Maintenance (labour and materials) 31Flying personnel (instructors) .... 22 Fuel and oil 18Depreciation and insurance 16 Overheads : 13A figure for rent of airdromes, hangars and buildings has not been included because ofthe very wide variation of these amounts. Primary points which stand out, in addi- •tion to the maintenance aspects, are: — (i) A relatively wide variation in first costhas a relatively small influence on oper- ating costs per hour over a five-year life.(ii) The cheapest possible form of two- seater, judged on first cost, does not showup well in overall operating cost against a type which costs more initially but has de-signed into it improved maintenance charac- teristics, impossible in the cheapest type. (iii) Costs per hour decline substantiallyup to a utilization of at least 750 hours per aircraft per year. (iv) Costs per hour declined substantiallyfor an increase in the number of aircraft ••operated up to at least 10 per fleet. (v) The annual cost to a private owneiof even the cheapest form of light aircraft will, inevitably, place true private owner-ship beyond the means of any but a very few people. The value of the light aircraftfor business journeys should, however, bring about an increase in this form of privateownership. Examination of production costs hassuggested that the cheapest form of light two-seater* could be built for not less thanabout £800, whereas, built in quantity, the proposed I.L.A.C., Type I Basic Trainer-Tourer should not cost more than £1,000. Whereas a utilization of more than 500 hoursper year would be unlikely to be achieved with" the cruder machine, a utilization oi750 hours per aircraft per year should be well within the capabilities of the Type I. Estimated costs of flying to the privateowner work out as follows for the I.L.A.C. Type I— Utilization Utilization 100 hrs p.a. 200 hrs jxa. • • ' " . £ s d £ s dCost per hour .... 626 3 11 7 Overall cost per year 627 o o 717 o oCost conclusions reached by the Com mittee are therefore: —(i) The proposed all-metal I.L.A.C. 6OO BOO (HOURS/AIRCRAFT) •:'.'.i . Trainer-Tourer is likely to prove substan-tially cheaper over a period of time thar any other type of comparable light aircraft. (ii) Under present conditions (1947) effi-ciently run schools and clubs are likely to have to charge somewhat more than £3 perHying hour, and some form of financial assistance on a national scale is thereforeessential. (iii) There can be little future for theprivate owner who flies for pleasure only, because of the expense. (iv) The most practical way to establisha flourishing light aircraft movement in the United Kingdom is through the develop-ment of efficient flying clubs combined with " Hire-and-Fly-Yourself " schemes, equippedwith adequate numbers of aircraft. Gliding Costs r Gliding clubs would be able to operate theproposed two-seat glider at a cost of about £1 15s per hour without profit, at a rateof 400 hours per year for a fleet of six gliders. The hourly charge to memberswould have to be about £2. In addition to the most generous Kemsley Plan somenational scheme is clearly required to bring the charges economically within the reachof the " man in the street." .-. Future Programme Regarding research and development, theInformal Committee recommends that atten- tion be given to—(i) Simplified controls and flying charac- teristics. (ii) Improved undercarriage characteristics for cross-wind landing. (iii) Improved forms of construction andproduction. (iv) Low-cost radio aids. _ '"..,• ••iv) Reduction of noise and vibration. (vi) A " Roadable " aircraft.(vii) A cheap, easy-to-fly, helicopter. (viii) Improved power plants. ^Reasons for Basic Type * Recommendations Five fundamental reasons lie behind theselection of the I.L.A.C. Type I for primary attention: (i) The shortage of any modernstandard trainer; hence the need for an air- craft which will set standards of safety andease of maintenace on which a new era of light aircraft flying can be founded, (ii)The desirability of standardizing one type suitable for basic training, club use, " Hire-and-Fly-Yourself," and for export, thereby spreading overhead costs over the largestnumber of aircraft. (iii) The need for a type of aircraft which, in standardized form,can lead, both in manufacture and in train- ing to later types of higheT capacity andperformance, (iv) The need for the cheapest possible aircraft which will combine charac-teristics of low operating cost, wide appeal, safety and simplicity. (v) The fact thatengines of the appropriate power and cost
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