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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1929.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Fouzided 1909 No. 2136 Vol. LVI. THURSDAY, I DECEMBER 194?. EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH. M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. ART .EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE,. STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I. Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices : • '• • COVENTRY ' - C-IO, Corporation Street. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. King Edward House, . , New Street. 4 Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 260, Deansgate. ' Telegrams ! Iliffe. Manchester. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 tines)* GLASGOW, C.2 26b, Renfield Street. . Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. ... . Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas : Twelve months, £3 Is. Od. Siv months, £1 10s. 6d. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00. BY AIR : To any country in Europe (except Poland). Twelve months, £5 Is. Od. Six months, £2 10s. 6d. Canada and U.S.A. Six months, $16. In this issue: Collecting aStratocruiser 696 Getting to Know the Canberra .... 7C0 The Prestwick Enquiry - 704 Torch in the Sky - > - 705 Avro Orenda - - - - 709 The New V.R. Trainer - 710 B 5 v The Iron is HotA FTER a long and depressing period during which her aircraft industry was unable to produce a competitive civil airliner, Britain has quite suddenly found herself in the position of having several very important prototypes of which two in particular, the Comet and the Viscount, may fairly be termed world- beaters. In one sense all of us are a little surprised at this turn of affairs, so refresh- ing amidst the frustration of our present humdrum existence, and there is some doubt as to whether we are fully prepared to take advantage of the situation as it and our national economy demand. America will be quick to set about making up for her present lack of turbojet or turboprop airliners, but " quick " in terms of aircraft construction cannot mean less than two years. Though we shall not stand still during that period—far from it— we may not again find ourselves in the present position of having something unique to offer. Present efforts must be intensified without delay, and by all the means available, this country must endeavour to gain a foothold in world markets for civil turbine transports. To break into these markets, and particularly into the American home market, is by no means easy, but the British industry was never better equipped to do so. Moreover, currency is, for once, greatly in our favour. At the time of the Farnborough Exhibition, Sir Roy Dobson, S.B.A.C. president, came straight to the point in telling visitors that the display was not held for fun or to show off aircraft. "We want your orders," he said. It must be expected that competitors will systematically talk down the advantages of British turbine-powered airliners and play upon any shortcomings there may be. This is accepted practice which should be anticipated and offset. The very volume of discussion and comment now current in America may be taken as indicative of the concern felt within that country's aircraft industry, even though the sense of it may be in contradiction. Much has been made of the problems arising from differences of detail equipment and standards—for example, the disparity in screw threads. It is true that there are problems of this description, but they have been faced often enough before, both in war-time and on each of the many occasions when the world's principal operators have bought their aircraft abroad, and on no occasion have they proved so formidable as we are now led to believe. To-day, all aircraft are backed by a comprehensive spares organization, and it is a matter of hours to re-set a thread- grinding machine from the production of one size to that of another; in any case, the introduction of the Unified Thread has been agreed in principle. Although few people have as yet been privileged to ride in the Comet, a very large number have sampled the outstanding qualities offered to passengers by the Viscount. We have yet to hear of anyone who was left unimpressed by its qualities in this category. From the economic point of view, the most important single fact is that the Viscount as well as the Comet have been ordered for service with the British Corporations, which have recently shown themselves to be particularly shrewd over such matters. Such home orders are an invaluable talking-point and an endorsement of the manufacturers' own performance figures. At long last, to':), the air line-travelling public is beginning to show a critical interest in the speed, comfort and silence of the vehicles in which it rides. This tendency is one that can be turned to the particular advantage of this country by acquainting prospective travellers at first-hand with the great advances that will follow the introduction of the jet airliners which, for the time being, this country alone can offer. We believe that to many people—particularly in countries where the art or science of publicity has been developed until it has almost the power of a drug—actions speak loudest of all. With this in mind, and in the belief that an aircraft with out- standing qualities will go a long way towards selling itself, Flight will do all in its power to support those people who have for some time past advocated sending British aircraft such as the Viscount, and later the Comet, for demonstration abroad as soon as it is a practicable possibility.
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