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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0887.PDF
Editorial Director G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Editor • -CM. POULSEN Assistant Editor - MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER Art Editor - (WING CDR., R.A.F.V.R.) JOHN YOXALL FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WBRLD .• FOUNDED 1909 Editorial, Advertising and Pubfishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. • "->'- : . •. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines.) COVENTRY : BIRMINGHAM, 2 : 8-10, CORPORATION ST. *' N Gw E D WAR DR H CMJSE. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. T^egroms : Autopress, Birmingham! Telephone : Coventry 5210. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : 260. DEANSGATE. Telegrams : tliffe, Manchester. Telephone : Blacljfriars 4412. GLASGOW, C.2 : 26B. RENFIELD ST. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow Telephone : Central 4857 SUBSCRIPTION RATES : Home and Abroad : Year, £3 I 0. 6 months, £1 10 6. No. 2060 Vol. Lill June 17th, 1948 Thursdays, One Shilling c7//e Outlook Faster Than SoundL ^ST Thursday, after relating how the Colour had not been Trooped, and telling the awful tale of England's first innings, the B.B.C. at news time added as a tail piece that an American aircraft had flown faster than sound ; so we may yet hear one even- ing that England has won a Test Match and, incident- ally, that someone (probably an Australian) has reached the moon. Some excuse may be admitted for thus dismissing one of the most important events in the sensational history of mechanical flight, for as long ago as last December a report appeared in the American journal, Aviation Week, and was quoted throughout the world, to the effect that the Bell XS-i rocket-propelled research air- craft had achieved supersonic speed, not once, but several times. Now that no less a person than Mr. S^tnington, American Secretary for Air, has given con- firmation of this performance, we must hasten to tender our congratulations jointly to Captain Charles E. Yeager, the pilot named, to the Bell Aircraft Corporation who designed and built the XS-i (in conjunction with the U.S.A.F. and the N.A.C.A.) and to Reaction Motors Inc., for the rocket unit. Remarkably enough, the XS-i has no sweep-back on the wing and tail. Whether supersonic speed was first achieved in con- formity- with a long-term programme, whether it occurred by accident or whether the pilot was sud- denly overcome by a desire to "give her the gun," is not yet known, but, whatever the circumstances, the acmevement ranks as one of man's most remarkable technical accomplishments. Next Generation PilotsT HE overall subject of flying training, including the diversity of aircraft to be used for the job, is :.:•», occupying many minds in Ministries and industry and has recently been occupying many pages in this journal. Something of a turning point has been reached, and many reforms and new ideas are on the verge of crystallization. Service, commercial and private flying are all concerned. In recent months setbacks and blows have followed hard on each other's heels for the clubs, and most disappointing of all, after early high hopes for the Whitney Straight recommendations, has been the Government's complete and determined refusal to aid the private flying movement in any way whatsoever. Clubs must thus struggle on as best they can with one or two old and uneconomical aircraft, and with cost of instruction much more than most members can afford. In a short while we may expect to have details from the M.C.A. of new regulations controlling the issue and renewal of pilots' licences and of qualifications for flying instructors. Few will dispute the need for revision of existing regulations, but it is regrettable that the stan- dard-raising amendments foreseen must necessarily put private flying even farther from our reach. The ideal light aircraft of the type suggested by the Masefield Committee is lost to us, and, incidentally, to the export market, at least for some years. It is to be hoped, however, that single-seat aerial runabouts of the type to which we have been reintroduced in the last week or two, and which have a definite place in the picture, will have a more encouraging reception. With the ending of the war all aircrew categories suddenly became available in abundance, and airline operators were able to pick and choose from men whose flying experience represented an individual outlay of thousands of pounds, but anno domini steps in and pilots quickly get out of practice or past their prime. The question therefore arises as to the future source of commercial pilots of the very high standard required. Air experi- ence measured in thousands of hours takes years to build up, and four-engine time is almost impossible to obtain outside the R.A.F. or Corporations. The Ser- vices are now hardly able to find a sufficiency of suit- able young men to meet their intake requirements. Cabin
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