FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0517.PDF
FLIGHT, 16 March iago AT READINESS ... At Horsham St. Faith, the first of such visits was made a few weeks ago, followed by this second series of exercises last Sunday, which repeated the operational therne. A security ban precludes identification of the Meteor squadrons lodged at Horsham, but the names of their commanding officers will be familiar to many readers. The squadrons com manded by S/L. Pitt-Brown, D.F.C., and S/L. Randle, D.F.C., were first airborne early on Sun- day morning For the benefit of 504 and 605 Squadrons, they acted as jet-bomber targets twice during the day. The two Spitfire squadrons, 610 and 613, were, in effect, airscrew-driven out- casts. The wide margin in speed and climbing power made impracticable co-operation between the two generations of fighter types. Neverthe- less, the Spitfires of both units (acting, in turns as interceptors) demonstrated most efficiently within their capabilities. A third Horsham Squadron is commanded by a U.S.A.F. officer. Major Garner, who is"with the R.A.F. under the exchange scheme. Two of the Horsham pilots, incidentally, are now flying F-86 Sabres in the States. Major Garner's squadron twice flew as targets for the Meteor 3s of 616 Squadron, and a fourth Regular unit, under S/L. Innis, D.F.C., was also in action. For the occasion, weather was perfect: a brilliant sun, and sufficient cloud to give realism to ground-controlled interceptions. Almost every defending force attacked its quarry successfully at heights up to 28,000ft, and corn- Four Vampires Is, from No. 605 (Councy of Warwick) Squadron,were the sole representatives of their type in the exercises at Horsham St. Faith. manders were extremely satisfied with practice gained and lessons learned. The success of the occasion was, perhaps, best expressed in the exuberant aerobatics of F/L. Lynes, the Regular pilot detailed to demonstrate the Meteor 4, by way of signing-off the exercises. His manoeu-vre,s ranged from an inverted climb-away after " wheels-up " to a near- landing on the perimeter-track. PRODUCTION CUTS Manufacturers' Protest to Mr. Attlee—and an Uncompromising Reply LAST week the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., and HandleyPage, Ltd., made public the major points in a memoran- dum which they had addressed, on January 28th, to the PrimeMinister, the Minister of Defence, and the Minister erf Supply. Its subject was the efieet which the GoverrraMirt's recesrteconomy cuts axe Mkeiy to- hav^e on the Services axud the aircraft industry. In issuing their statement the two companies point o«t that,at the suggestion of the Government, certain passages appear- ing in the original memorandum iiave, in the national interest,l>een withheld from publication. The statement begins bv reviewing the circumstances inwhich; it was issued: " It Ls understood from the ofliciaJs of the Ministry o-f Supply that in view of the pressing need Joe re-ducing defence expenditure in 1950-51 it has been decided to make immediate cuts in R.A.F. Transport Command . . . can-celling immediately the greater part of the 1950-51 orders, already placed many months ago, for Handley Page Hastingsnm\ other aircraft, manufacture of which, together with their Bristol Hercutes engines and all other items of equip-ment and accessories affecting many factories, is already well advanced. Representations have been made to the Ministry of Supplyand to the Air Ministry regarding the- consequences opon an important section of the aircraft industry of this sudden policydecision in relation to a period so immediately ahead, but while the probable consequences are acknowledged it is explainedthat the need for reduction ill defence expenditure is a Cabinet decision, and that . . . further representation to the Depart-ments is useless. This memorandum has therefore been sub- mitted to emphasize with all the strength possible the dangerousconsequences, direct and indirect, to the Services and to industry." The statement then goes on to point out that sudden can-cellation of the contracts concerned will involve immediate dis- charge of large numbers of skilled personnel—specialists whoare not readily transferable to other work. Such employees, it is pointed out, form the framework upon which any necessarywar expansion could be based. The accompanying dislocation would have repercussions throughout the organizations con-cerned. Also, it is added: "To disorganize these teams, so carefully built up over trie years, is to make a travesty of the industry's efforts, so keenly encouraged by the Government, tcrecruit and train scientists and technicians, to provide educa- tion schemes jointly with universities and technical colleges,and generally to establish a high level of scientific and engineer- ing capacity equal to the challenge of modern technological andscientific progress." As regards the Service aspects, it is felt that: " A most dam-aging blow will be struck at the efforts of the industry and the Royal Air Force to encourage systematic recruitment of goodquality young men, especially apprentices and students, into the technical branches of the industry and the Services. ..." Continuing, the memorandum brings in a point which hasseveral times been made in Flight during the past few weeks: " The neglect of air transport operations will lead to the virtualelimination of the "know-how" and technical background to such operations, and of the continued development of special-ized equipment and methods—all of which the R.A-F. learnt with such difficulty in and after the war. The case for a strongTransport Command has been demonstrated repeatedly, even in peace-time, and never more than by the Berlin air-lift. . . . "In the circumstances, it is most earnestly submitted thatthe policy . . . should be re-examined in the light of the facts revealed above which may not have been fully appreciated." The Prime Minister's Answer The original memorandum was forwarded under cover of aletter signed by Sir Frederick Handley Page and Sir G. Stanley White, and to this Mr. Attlee replied, on February 6th, in thefollowing terms: — "I can assure you that the points which you have raisedwere fully taken into account by Ministers when the question of economies in expenditure came under consideration. Whilethe Government are unable to continue the purchase of aircraft for which there is no longer a requirement, they are fully aliveto the importance of your firms as part of the aircraft pro- duction potential to this country and as designers of importantfuture types. "I realize that the cessation of these particular orders musthave serious effect on your firms and their employees, and I regret that in present circumstances it has not been possible toavoid this. I can say that careful consideration is being given to the possibility of alleviating these difficulties."
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
