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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1923.PDF
NOVEMBER I8TH, 1948 FLIGHT 591 ciples of flight. A few minutes on the ridge, a short cross-country flight, and lift-drag ratios really mean something tangible; even those dreadful twins. Flying for Range andFlying for Endurance, which seem to cause trouble even to experienced pilots, lose their terror to the man who has'achieved an infinitely large number of air-miles per gallon. There are, furthermore, a variety of problems, rangingfrom the nature of eddy currents in the vicinity of the flight decks of aircraft carriers to the mysteries of cumulonimbus,which tend themselves particularly well to investigation by motorless planes. At least one member of the CentralForecasting Office at Dunstable has realized the value of sailplanes as an aid to weather research and has purchasedhis own private machine. The proceedings of the Royal Meteorological Society regularly report contributions fromsailplane pilots which have proved of considerable interest. The advance of the science of aeronautics and many of itsallied subjects, it is claimed, should, in the eyes of the The Grunau Baby, in large-scale use at RAF. gliding clubs in Germany. authorities, be a sufficiently weighty consideration in favourof supporting the gliding movement. Lastly, but certainly not least in the order of importance ^sailplane enthusiasts point to the imponderables affectingservice morale and prestige. In these matters it is impos- sible to estimate the exact value of a well-organized glidingmovement run by the Service for the Service; nevertheless, this aspect should not be dismissed lightly. :'• It is in the nature of things that in a modern air forceonly a small proportion are actually engaged on flying duties. Progressive specialization inevitably brings with ita separation between the flying and the non-flying men, and even among aircrew there is sometimes a marked lackof understanding between members of different categories flying together, supposedly as a team. Gliding clubs established at a number of centrallysituated airfields would go a long way towards counter- acting some of the effects of this tendency. The clerk, thecook, the medical orderly, the fitter, even the navigator or wireless operator who uses the facilities of a glidingclub will soon gain a clear and valuable insight into the mind and work of a pilot; the pilot will be all the betterfor some rather unusual flying experience, and if he carries out his owft inspections and helps with the repair andmaintenance of club machines and with the running of the club generally, will arrive at a much better appreciation ofthe part played by all the ancillary trades which, together with the flying personnel, go to make up a modern air force.Good co-operation within the gliding club—and no club worth its salt can be run without that—would contribu+etowards a better spirit, and the effect on morale and efficiency throughout the Service would be considerable. Teams have represented the Service in a variety of com-petitions, from rifle shooting to winter sports. Some of these have been extremely successful, and rightly enjoyhigh esteem and some support. Yet as far as gliding is concerned there is only the British Air Force of Occupation E 13 A high-performance two-seater—the German Kranich sailplane. which can be considered for the selection of a team capableof representing one of the world's great air forces in an international soaring contest such as was held in Switzerlandthis summer. This is not entirely due to the fact that gliding talent is not available in other commands, but tothe strictly limited amount of German material which h?.s been made available to the few Service gliding clubs inGermany. Yet there can be few finer examples of how much it is possible to achieve, in gliding as in other spheres,given a modicum of equipment, some good organization, and an unlimited supply of enthusiasm f Adequate gliding facilities throughout the Service wouldlead to a great deal of competition between the various units. Standards of achievement would be raised, andmore national and international soaring records could be attacked and quite probably broken. This, it is claimed,would serve to strengthen Service prestige—never an inconsiderable factor but more important to-day when it isnecessary to attract the right type of air-minded man to the air force. These then are the arguments advanced by those whowould like the Service to take a more positive attitude towards gliding and soaring. There is, of course, anyamount of room for discussing the best ways of establishing and encouraging a vigorous movement; suffice it to say thatapart from a small measure of official support and con- sideration, most of the contributions in money and effortshould be borne by enthusiasts and supporters within the Service. A TOTAL of 112,836 glider launches have been made so far this r\ year at R.AJ. Reserve Command Units. At the 53 Glider Schools in the Command (including one in Northern Ireland) members of the A.T.C. who passed their glider test during the three months ended September numbered 612, making a total for the year of 1,537. The total of launches in this period was 41,250. FUTURE OF GRANGEMOUTH THE Air Ministry has notified the Grangemouth TownCouncil, through the Department of Health (Scotland), of its willingness to relinquish tlie Grangemouth airfield,which is required for an £11,000,000 industrial development scheme. The airfield is at present used as No. 13 ReserveFlying School, R.A F.V.R., and, in announcing their decision to relinquish it, the Air Ministry add "The V.RFlying School will carry on there either until an alternativ* airfield has been found or until building operations on ornear the airfield make further flying unsafe." It is understood that some time will elapse before buildingoperations will encroach to any marked extent on the airfield, so that there is no immediate threat to the work of the school,which has now 40 aircrew in training and another 150 in various stages of entiy. Efforts to transfer the school to theR.N.A.S. airfield at Abbotsinch or the civil airport at Renfrew having failed, another airfield is under consideration at themoment. The Flying School is associated with No. 101 Re- serve Centre, R.A.F., Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, and there is apossibility of a town centre also opening up in Edinburgh.
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