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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1447.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2171. Vol. LVIII. THURSDAY, 3 AUGUST 1950 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL EDITOR C. B. BAILEY-WATSON, B.A. ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET. LONDON, S.E.I. Telegrams : FHghtpres, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices : COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. King Edward House, , New Street. Telegrams .* Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3. 260, Oeansgate. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone : Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams ; Iliffe, Glosgoy. Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas : Twelve months £3 Is. Od. Six 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: Newcastle "Nationals" 138 Gateways to France - - 143 The Shooting War - - 147 P.I08I ------ 148 Open Day at St. Merryn ISO Anti-submarine - - - 151 Fairey 17 152 Airmen's Charter- - lie Slow AheadF OR those who try to keep in close touch with the country's defence measuies the past week will have been a full one. Much of the detail must remain hidden behind the security veil and a little time must pass before the general picture again becomes clear, but it is apparent already that reasonably energetic measures are at last to be approved and set in motion to add to the state of preparedness of the Royal Air Force. Among them are overdue schemes to attract more regulars by improving the conditions of service and there is also talk of longer periods of National Service. The R.A.F. needs well-qualified and experienced men. To put it bluntly, it will be necessary radically to revise the scales of pay for everyone in uniform before the results will be entirely satisfactory, and a better taste would be left in every mouth if the miserable practice of taxing allowances were to be abandoned forthwith. In the aircraft industry interest has again been centred upon anti-submarine air- craft (two are described on pp. 151-152) as well as upon fighters for defence). This, we feel, is most desirable, for the protection of shipping from under-water attacks ranks second only in importance to the control of the air over this island. Of the extra £100,000,000 to be spent this year on defence, nearly one half of it— sufficient, we are told, to buy a thousand Meteors and 1,750 Vampires—may be spent* on new jet aircraft. When one considers the number of modern jet fighters which have been sold abroad during the last two years, it seems little short of scandalous that for lack of money, not productive capacity, some Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons, whose prime duty is home defence, should still be making do with obsolete piston-engined intercepters. The record of Auxiliary squadrons in the Battle of Britain is not forgotten, and if the situation made it necessary to call up certain Air Force Reserves in somewhat the same way as Naval pmcers and men have already been recalled, the Auxiliaries would surely be near the head at the list. They merit the finest, most modern aircraft we can offer, together with adequate reserves. A relatively small proportion of the new defence expenditure allocated to the R.A.F. would suffice also for the reinstatement of certain important production orders and development contracts, several of which were rashly abandoned for economic reasons a few months ago. Inevitably, even the quite modest steps and additional expenditure now contem- plated will have an adverse effect on the still precarious national economy of this country and also of others in similar circumstances. In fact, it may be that, for the time being, this is the only intention of the fourteen "Kremlins." Even so, we feel well justified in continuing to advocate a marked all-round strengthening of the Royal Air Force, penalties notwithstanding. It is right that British forces should lend a hand in Korea ; but this places a further strain on our present limited resources —and who can say what new commitments will arise in the weeks to come. Fuel-Tax Relief THE announcement that flying and gliding clubs are to be reimbursed for expen-diture incurred as a result of the increased tax on petrol is no less welcomefor being overshadowed in r the week's aviation news by sombre internationalevents. Apparently some agreement had already been reached upon this matter before the Korean war had had its profound effect upon all matters connected with military preparedness. The scheme formulated by the M.C.A. therefore seems to support the statement by Mr. Beswick—upon a matter previously in considerable doubt that "the Ministry appreciates the importance of the clubs." Flying clubs will now be no better off than they were last year, but their financial position should at least be no worse and their very existence will no longer be in such jeopardy. Air-mindedness among the youth of this country has been handicapped by the scarcity of practical outlets in the post-war years, and this has undoubtedly had an adverse effect on R.A.F. recruiting. Anything which will help to make private flying cheaper will be welcomed and worth while.
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