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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0177.PDF
JANUARY 27TH, 1949 FLIGHT CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. r RAM TEMPERATURE RISE Speed Not the Sole Determining Factor SINCE without an atmosphere there cannot be a ram tem-perature rise, however great the speed of a body, the ..' speed cannot be the sole determining iactor at very great "altitudes. While usually the pressure of the undisturbed air is : irrelevant, the pressure distribution over the aircraft may be • important. r Similarly, the ambient air temperature is irrelevant. I 'apologize for my error concerning this in Flight of Decem- ; ber 2nd, and wish to thank your correspondents for drawingattention to the matter. G. R. BARRATT. Manchester. GROUND CREWS OF THE R.A.F. Non-commissioned Aircrew Worse Off• T READ with great interest F. A. S. Brown's article in Flight J- of Jan. 13th on conditions within the R.A.F., but, quite naturally, he mentioned only the ground tradesman's point of view. It should be remembered that non-commissioned aircrew are, in many respects, in a position worse than that of the tradesman. Many who were warrant officers under the old scheme are now aircrew II, and therefore come under the powers of the ACH/GD flight sergeant. Being what he is, the inferiority complex is more pronounced than ever, and he takes every opportunity of making himself unpleasant. As Mr. Brown pointed out, the men will not be content until the ACH/GD N.C.O. has been deprived of his power. That applies equally to aircrew and ground tradesmen. Windsor, Berks. ' ._-._.,. DAVID F. OGILVY. "Bull," not Straight Discipline is What Rankles MUCH as I would like to see a bigger and better Air Force,as an N.C.O. Group 1 tradesman who has passed through every rank from A/C.2, I regret that I cannot see eye to eye with your correspondent F. A. S. Brown (13/1/49), although I admit that there is some truth in many of his statements. Obviously, Mr Brown is biased, and has presented an unfair and unjust criticism of the class of airmen categorized ACH/GD., many of whom are of as high an intellect as most Group 1 tradesmen. Someone must be efficient in administering discipline and drill in a Fighting Service (most technical N.C.O.s are far from proficient), and who is better qualified to do so than the ACH/GD., who has been specially trained for this work? Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert was right when he said (December 9th, 1948) the R.A.F. needs more discipline, but discipline administered by officers and N.C.O.s who have been trained to handle men correctly and administer this discipline in the right manner—a matter entirely different from the enforcement of "bull" under the cloak of discipline. This " bull," and not straight discipline, is what rankles the average serving airman and makes him anxious for his release, with an avowal never to return to the ranks of the R.A.F. volun- tarily—a symptom which seems apparent in the case of Mr. F. A. S. Brown. The main cause of this trouble lies in the almost despotic powers granted to officers and N.C.O.s who have not been properly trained in the true meaning of the word " discipline." Properly administered discipline will make a Commander re- spected by, and endeared to, his men, who will invariably follow such a leader through fire and water-—even Hell itself, if the occasion demands. True discipline commands respect from all ranks. Truly, the administration of the R.A.F. leaves much room for improvement—a condition which will, I think,_ eventually be righted; but so far as Mr. Brown's attitude is concerned, I fear that his short four years with the R.A.F. did not even teach him the difference between "discipline" and "bull," that oft-misinterpreted meaning of the word discipline. When officers and N.C.O.s are better educated to the true meaning of discipline, " bull" will disappear, and the Service will be so much more contented and happy; but I cannot imagine that this is one of the fundamental causes of dissatis- faction in the R A.F. The root of the trouble lies much B ., deepei and in other channels, but a solution will be lound ; and if this adverse criticism oi Mr. Brown's is the best he can do towards the establishment of a better Air Force, then I suggest that he gives it up now and waits for intelligent men like Sir Philip Joubert to find the answers which wili iron out the present difficulties. ALEX. A. METCALF. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 5- R.A.F. RECRUITING Some Suggestions from a Serviceman DUE to the publicity given to the economic plight of thosewho serve in the R.A.F., many serving airmen have the impression that they are wasting their time in a non-productive job; and the public feel that the Service is an unnecessary luxury. Surely the Government should stress the fact that, unless we maintain our position in the Middle and Far East, we shall lose our greatest dollar-earning exports, oil and rubber. A more imaginative approach must be made to the recruit- ing problem. I feel that the following suggestions would help: — 1. Hammer home the fact that military power is necessary to maintain our economic position. 2. Give every suitable regular tradesman the opportunity to fly as part-time aircrew. 3. Ensure, as far as possible, that every regular finds em- ployment when he leaves the Service. - ; . . 4. Give more opportunities for promotion. 5. Give the married man a "square deal." " AIRM1NDED.' A VERY SILENT SERVICE ' What is Wrong with R.N.V.R. and R.N.V.(S.)R. ? ONE would have thought that Mr. Simon Warrender's recentletter (Flight, December 16th) upon the sad state of affairs connected with R.N.V.R. and R.N.V.(S.)R. flying training, or the lack of it, would have caused a flood of correspondence from ex-Naval pilots. 1 noted with interest that the letter referred to also received publicity in a national daily news- paper, a London evening newspaper, another weekly aviation journal, The Navy (January issue), and the Air Reserve Gazette. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that it has been read by many of those to whom it was obviously addressed. To my amazement, not one R.N.V.R. or R.N.V.(S.)R. officer appears to be sufficiently interested either to comment or offer a constructive suggestion! Surely the question of reserve training facilities is one of national importance, as well as an indication of keenness on the part of those con- cerned? I venture to suggest that if Mr. Warrender had written as an R.A.F.V.R., or Territorial Army officer, a great number of replies would have been received from ex-members of those Services. Does the absence of correspondence upon a vital subject mean complete disinterest? If so, it is no wonder that the Admiralty do not make even a Tiger Moth available for the many who, by reason of age or other factors, are not eligible for flying training under the present Admiralty policy. North Cheam, Surrey. "FLAT ABACK." >,-•-;••• ::-•-•--. CLIPPED WINGS '4 '•r'^T—^V' The Development of Warlike Tendencies WHILST agreeing with your correspondent, G. Sandys-Lumsdaine, regarding the neglect of our own air defences, I cannot but oppose his views (and those of certain other correspondents) concerning the denial of flying facilities to Germans. The objections to such facilities appear to be based upon two lines of argument, i.e. (1) Germans are ex-enemies, so they have no right to fly; (2) by allowing them to fly it would develop military tendencies with disastrous results to ourselves. The first argument is extremely weak, for it is not based upon a fair and just assumption, but upon malice, and a cer- tain amount of hatred. Also, the phrase that "they are ex- enemies" has nothing whatsoever to do with their "right to fly." If one man, given the qualifications of a pilot, has a "right to fly," so has any other; race does not enter into it.
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