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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1714.PDF
478 FLIGHT, -6 October 1949 SWEDEN'S FLYING CLUBS Accent on Gliding : How the Government's Subsidy Oper- ates : Strict Official Control The Tiger Moth Is a popu- lar glider tug in Sweden. The sailplane in this photograph is a Weihe. PRIVATE flying in Sweden may be said to have come intoits own in 1937, when Kungl. Svenska Aeroklubben(K.S.A.K.), the Royal Swedish Aero Club, agreed to act as a central organization for the flying clubs. Its primary- object was to represent private flying in negotiations with official departments, but it also set out to assist in the develop- ment of private flying through the creation of new clubs for power-flying, gliding and aircraft modelling. Its work included technical and economic investigations of flying-club activities, the organization of schemes for assisting in the training of private pilots, and planning for the encouragement of private aviation. From the very beginning, the new federation was actively supported by the Government, and subsidies were granted—though initially only for power-flying—to assist in the purchase of aircraft and to reward pupils who gained their pilot certificates. During the war, when all private power-flying had been stopped, the Government appointed a committee to inquire into the conditions of private aviation as a whole and to inves- tigate its value to the Air Force. This committee delivered its report at the beginning of 1943, and it was adopted with effect from July 1st of that year. The proposals included subsidies for gliding and model flying, on the plea that they formed the best means of interesting young people in aviation. Subsidies for power-flying were not included and subsequent requests that the grants should be enlarged for this purpose were not approved. Again, the K.S.A.K. was commissioned to plan, lead and control the new State-aided activity on condition that its statutes were approved by the Government, that representa- One of five Slingsby T-2IBs which form part of the Soaring Club equipment. This British type was introduced into the country in 1948. IN the light of our own Government's refusal to subsidize club flyini '£ is interesting to see what is happening in a Continental country, in this instance Sweden. Though it would appear that gliding is supported at the expense of power flying, Swedish enthusiasts may consider themselves fortunate in receiving a very fair degree of official encouragement from a Socialist Government. The subsidies are administered by the Royal Swedish Aero Club, an official of which has provided the information for the accompanying notes. tives of the Air Force and the Civil Aviation Board were accepted as observers, and that the accounts for the subsidies were kept separate from the rest. A further condition was that all questions concerning purchase of material and the operation of training schools should be examined and approved by the Air Force in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Board, the latter body acting mainly as financial adviser. Subsidy Details The subsidies were divided into two principal parts. The first was to procure gliders for training and advanced soaring, together with the necessary ground equipment; the sum amounted to kr. 700,000 (approximately ,£46,700) sprdad equally over three years. The second consisted of an annual grant to be divided as follows: At a central administrative organization salaries were to be paid to a chief gliding in- structor and three assistants, one model instructor and an administrative staff; for these the total cost was kr. 150,000 (£10,000). No grants were given to flying clubs for adminis- trative purposes, but kr. 75,000 (£5,000) was granted towards the cost of training courses for instructors at the central school and pupils in gliding schools. Individual subsidies to be paid to gliding-school pupils were fixed as follows: — " • "A" diploma kr. 60 (£4). "B" diploma . 60 (£4). ••'"•- . "C" diploma »." kr. 120 (£8). Soaring certificate '... kr. 200 (£13 6s). To qualify for these subsidies pupils are required to spend a fixed number of hours in building gliders. Kr. 30,000 (£2,000) was granted for model-making equipment and to cover such overhead expenses as rental of premises. Club instructors were given the opportunity of keeping in good practice, for which purpose kr. 35,000 (£2,330) was set aside. With kr. 100,000 (£6,660) for renewing flying equipment, the total annual grant amounted to kr. 390,000 (£26,000). K.S.A.K. is in itself a club which was founded in 1900 and is affiliated to the F.A.I. Certain sub-organizations are under its control, and these include the Central Soaring School at Alleberg, which was formed in 1941 as the centre of Swedish soaring. The school, open for only four months a year, bas an instructional and maintenance staff and all necessary build- ings, which include two hangars to hold about twenty gliders of different types, and two power-aircraft. At Alleberg also is the Central Instructors' School, with facilities for training soaring and gliding instructors who are intended for employ- ment with club training schools. These club instructors are B 28
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