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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1606.PDF
392 FLIGHT SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1948 in the Forces. Mr. Max Aitken did not agree, and he made the point that the R.A.F. must now be treated as an under-manned industry. He was referring particu- larly to such skilled men as technicians and instrument makers. These men were wanted by industry and by the R.A.F. Industry paid the higher wages and in- dustry got the men. The subject was followed up by Group Captain Wil- cock, who took as his text the reserves which already exist in the form of men, a million of them, who served as pilots, navigators, air crews and mechanics. He made the very good point that although we have 1,000 pilots in the R.A.F.V.R., men who, three years ago, were flying operationally, they are now flying " tuvy training machines—the same sort of thing which the boys and girls in the aero clubs are flying." He suggested that the Tempests which to-day are lying about on the ground should be made available to V.R. pilots, and also that useful training could be given to some of these V.R. pilots by giving them a chance to take part in the air lift to Berlin. There are obvious difficulties in adopting this suggestion, but it appears to merit consideration. Accident InvestigationO NE of the subjects which Lord Nathan had under consideration before he left the Ministry of Civil Aviation was the present system of accident investigation. We submit that as soon as he has picked up the threads and can find time, the new Minister of Civil Aviation, Lord Pakenham, should give this matter his close attention. In our issue of September 16th we published a letter from the Deputy Master of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators in which one particular air accident re- port was criticized. It was the accident which gave rise to the installation of speech-recording apparatus at air- CONTENTS Outlook ------ B.E.A. to Berlin - --- Here and There Civil Aviation News - - - Miniature Mammoth Bomber Salute - - - - Hermes IV ..,-- High-lift Research - Fuel Pumps for Gas Tut bines - - Masefield's Sixteen Points -4^- " ?. New Cabin Blower Designs - • > Correspondence - - - /**J* Service Aviation ---- Forthcoming Events, page 416 391 393 396 398 -401 432 403 409 414 417 port controls, but that step, desirable as it undoubtedly is, is not sufficient in itself. The whole system in force; is illogical. ' Everyone who knows him and his work has the highest possible regard for, and confidence in, the present occupier of the post of Chief Inspector of Accidents," and no blame attaches to him personally. He is work- ing the system as well as any man could within the existing framework. But it is fundamentally wrong that the Ministry of Civil Aviation should be the employer' not only of the Chief Inspector of Accidents, but of the Airport Controllers, too, as well as being the overriding authority in relation to the three Corporations. In fairness to all concerned, and especially to the pilots, the investigation of air accidents should be under- taken by an independent body, owing no sort of allegiance to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. As things are at present, the Ministry is prosecutor, judge and jury too. CIVIL AIR LIFT: An Avro Tudor I of 6.S.A.A., flown out to Germany and operated on the Wunstorf-Gatow run by Co glimpsed under the nose of a Handley Page Halton freighter. Haltons are being operated with marked success on the Civil Air Lift to Berlin by Skyflights, Bond's Air Services and Eagle Aviation. c A
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