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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1056.PDF
ami JURCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2111. Vol.LV.. THURSDAY, 9 JUNE, 1949 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH* MtftE. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH* DJ.C ASSISTANT H. F. KING. M1B.E. ART Ewncm m. JOHN YQXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices.: DORSET HOUSF, ,. STAMFORD STREET, LONDON. S.E.I. Telegrams.: flightpres, Sedist, London* Telephones Waterloo. 3333 (60.lints). Branch Offices t COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street; Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry* Telephone: Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. King Edward' Hbuse, New Street. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 240, Deansgate. Telegrams: Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: B/drfcfriors 4412 (3 lines). Dtomgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW; G.2 26b, Ronfidd Street. Telegrams. :lliffe, G/osgow. Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home : Twelve months, (3 Is. Od. Six months, £1 IQs. 6d. Overseas : Twelve months, £2 I Si. 6d. BY AIR : To any country in Europe (except Poland). Twelve months, £S Is. Od. Six months, £2 10s. 6d. Canada and U.S.A. Six months,. $16. In this issue: | A Study in Tactics - - 666 Silent Ascent - - - - 668 Pressure-jet Helicopters 672 No. 2 Squadron History 675 Anglo-American Papers 687 Turbine-powered Trans- ports - - - - -- 688 Momentous MonthsI N tiie field of technical development the remaining months of this year will be momentous ones for British commercial flying. Chief among the important pro- jects due to embark on their development programmes are the Bristol Brabazon long-range trans-oceanic transport and the pure-jet, ultra-fast de Havilland; Comet for medium /long-range work. Both designs, in their respective classes, are unique, and either one is a potential founder of British supremacy on the international' air- ways.. Oxi these sharply contrasting types, when, they take the air in the weeks ahead";, worid-wide attention will be fixed. Having received their baptemes de I'air., they will join a formidable company of new British airliners, most of which, being powered by turbines of proved efficiency, are unchallengeable. The full worth of the experience already accumulated by the Vickers Viscount, Armstrong Whitworth Apollo, Avro Tudor VIII and! Vickers Nene-Viking (and, it follows, the length of our technical lead) is difficult to compute at this stage. To the types named will be added this year the Handley Page. Hermes V (a turboprop "development of the Mk IV), the Vickers Nene-Viscount,, and the Mamba-IMWathon. Eoi^y of Britain's new transports is openly admitted abroad"and concern is voiced at the absence of competitive equipment. American plans for new airliners remain ill-defined; meantime, Britain is, surely assuming the technical lead. Though two key types—the. Saro Princess-flying ship and Bristol 175 Constellation replacement— will not be flying for a year or two, the Farnborough display in September—includ- ing, as it may, the Brabazon, Comet, Viscount, Apollo, Hermes, Ambassador, and Marathon—will represent a new high-water mark in the turning tide of our fortunes. Dangerous Road FOR some time past we have shared the fears of many who are engaged in thebusiness of civil; aviation—commercial, club or private—that a dangerous lackof planning persists and that left and right hands are working independently in quarters whence foresight and clear-cut leadership should now be expected. Last week we touched upon the financial problems of the clqbs, the importance of air- mindedness in the country, and upon fears regarding the future of London airfields for private and charter aircraft. A related aspect of what may be called the threatened decline of private-enterprise flying is perhaps of even greater and more immediate national moment. It concerns the preservation of our potential reserve of air and ground staff. That the country still needs to hold all available reserve strength in readiness is confirmed by the proportion of last week's Commons debates devoted to call-up and building up of Reserves (45,000 for the R.A.F. Reserve) and the announcement of plans for Civil Defence recruitment in the autumn. We do not subscribe to the opinion that a light-aircraft pilot trained: in a civil flying club would be of no use to the Service in the event of another war. Even supposing it be accepted, and. that we ignore the fact that the clubs (and for that matter the associated taxi and charter concerns) are enabling a very large number of fully trained and experienced pilots to keep their hands in—even then there remains to be considered the very large ground organization engineers in all categories, flying control, met. and traffic staffs, who would, as in 1939, be in a position to make a vital contribution to a wartime Air Force. Irreparable harm will be done to the nation's prestige and potential air strength if many of the flying clubs with their rapidly diminishing reserves are unable, as they fear, to survive for another season. In the key trade of ground engineering, the Corporations have already of necessity shed a proportion of their staff, while others have resigned, reportedly, owing to dis- satisfaction with conditions. Although some have found similar work by virtue of the Air Lift and recent scheduled-service and charter agreements, those who have not found vacancies and it is feared that there may be many more if the tendency con- tinues will enter other industries and be lost to aviation altogether. Tha aircraft industry can ill-afford to lose these men, and the Services, surely cannot remain disinterested.
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