FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1563.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER Editorial Director Editor Assistant Editor - Art Editor - G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. C. M. POULSEN MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C (VV/NG CDfi., R.A.F.V.R.) - JOHN YOXALL FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD • FOUNDED WO9 Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines.) COVENTRY: 8-10, CORPORATION ST. Telegrams ; Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 : KING EDWARD HOUSE, NEW STREET. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 : 260, DEANSGATE. Telegrams: II iff e, Manchester Telephone: Blackfriars 4412(3 lines) Deansgate 3595 (2 lines) 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. 2074. Vol. L1V September 23rd, 1948 Thursdays, One Shilling Outlook Rearming Once More > vN OTHING could be more tragic than the reflection that, during the very week when Great Britain was honouring the memory of those gallant R.A.F. boys who in 1940 stood between her and defeat at the hands of the Germans, it should have become necessary for the British Government to announce its decision to rearm. No one has yet suggested that war is inevitable, but it is wise to act on the assumption that it is, and to accept the human and financial burdens which rapid rearmament will entail. So far as fighter aircraft and power plants are con cerned, the country is not in a bad position. The Meteor and Vampire are already in service, and produc- tion of them can be speeded up. The Attacker vaA N.7/46 can be brought to the production stage fairly quickly. Mr. Herbert Morrison stated in the House of Commons on September 14th that measures are being • adopted which will nearly double the present rate of output of certain fighters. Less promising is the position when it comes to :aight fighters. Experience in the German war showed that two-seaters are essential, and in the recent Air Exer- cises no jet fighters were employed for night intercep- tion, nor has any announcement been made of any two- seaters coming along with the exception of trainers. Stanley Baldwin once delivered the dictum that '' Our Frontier is the Rhine." It is important to bear in mind that in a war with Russia our advanced bases would be in Western Germany, and that the nations of the Western Union would be entirely dependent upon Great Britain and the United States for armament of all sorts, notabry aircraft. That fact affects not oniy air strategy but the demands upon our production capa- city. The ultimate defence organization may take the form of national air forces of the continental nations being supplemented and strengthened by considerable contingents from Great Britain and America. < Such a set-up would help to relieve the anxiety felt, which we have expressed more than once, about th<> '. British bomber position. America is ahead of us in heavy bomber production, both jet propelled and piston- engined versions having reached an advanced stage ot development. The decision to develop jet-propelled bombers was announced some three and a half years ago when the Air Ministry issued a specification for a medium-range, twin-jet bomber, '' capable of a speed approximately twice that of the current reciprocating-engined bomber." This would mean a speed in the 600 m.p.h. neighbour- hood, but evidently the range was afterwards considered inadequate, and about two years ago an order was placed for a heavy bomber of longer range and powered by four turbo-jet power plants. Even this, after a time, did not satisfy the Air Staff, and last year it was an- nounced that still further improvements in speed, range and operating height were being demanded. It is very commendable to hitch one's wagon to a star, but in this instance the aim may have been set too high, and too much reliance seems to have been placed on the likelihood that a period of peace would justify long-term planning. The Personnel Position jk S for manning, it should not be too difficult to find r\ the men to crew a re-expanded air fleet if an •*• emergency arose, for a very large proportion of the pilots in uniform in 1945 can still be regarded as useful aircrew material. Conditions and techniques have not altered appreciably in the last three years. There is. - however, an immediate requirement for crews to pre- vent the regular nucleus upon which we should build in emergency from remaining at its present dangerously low level. It is essential that more young volunteers should be attracted to the R.A.F. for regular sendee and training to handle high-speed aircraft, particularly jet fighters. In addition to the volunteers, many of the younger
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
