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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0974.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2209. Vol. LIX. FRIDAY, 25 MAY 1951 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHN/CAL 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, flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams. Autocar, Coventry. Te/ephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 260, Deansgate. Telegrams, Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars +412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., <ix months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: F°kkerS.I3intheAir - 608 The Bomber's Future - 614 '• E. Lawrence and the R-A.F. 615 The World's Speed Record 617 N°- 7 Squadron - - - 620 Hucknall on Holiday - 625 Orderly Control of the AirI T is time that a word of praise was given to those who have dovetailed together the diverse traffic requirements of the almost countless commercial and military aircraft now operating over this small country, and have devised a tolerable and practical scheme for controlling them and ensuring a high degree of safety in the congested zones —in particular the London area. The problems are by no means all solved, but a good start has been made, and there is reason to believe that the first turbine aircraft to operate in and out of London—the Comets and Viscounts—will be able to do so without upset to themselves or to more leisurely types. The introduction of the Instrument Rating for civil and Service pilots has also been something of a co-operative effort, necessitated by the new traffic conditions and the acceptance (and part realization) of the aim of all-weather flying. When examined in syllabus form, qualifications for the Instrument Rating are rather terrifying to the average non-professional pilot, and, so far as the Services are concerned3 many pilots are hard put to it to find the necessary qualifying hours of actual instrument flight—though this is sometimes due to anomalies in methods adopted for log-book keeping. However, the general revision of airmanship entailed (including as it does navigation, aviation law, handling, met., procedures and so on), quite apart from flying practice, cannot fail to make for better pilots. Any who can do so would be well advised to try to reach the standard called for, even if they have no idea of flying intentionally under I.F.R. conditions. For the air pilot even more than for the sailor, and in spite of the best meteorological forecasts, conditions may change with disconcerting suddenness; and it is better to be safe than sorry. Fact - facing ONE of many terms which have come into common usage during and since the waris "wishful thinking." It is a simple and expressive phrase, and on first analysissuggests little more than a pleasant optimism or make-believe that may even be laudable. Recently, Dr. J. C. MacGown, president of the Pathfinders, gave a definition of insanity as "the inability to face the reality." This puts a much more serious complexion on certain types of wishful thinking, and we have in mind the many people who prefer to disbelieve in an existing state of affairs because they sincerely wish it were otherwise. It was in this sort of category that the doctor placed pacifists who" endeavour to delay our defence effort. Senior officers, in recent speeches, have also drawn attention to this lack of what may be called public awareness. Where the safety of the country and our lives are concerned, such an attitude can be a fatal one. Britain is committed to a tremendous rearmament programme which will sadly upset her economic recovery and make every individual poorer. It is regrettable, but has become inevitable, though every attempt has been made to avoid it during the last five years. The time has thus come for everyone to make sure that we get the best value for our efforts and money, and for a start many petty restrictions and hindrances should be removed. For example, let's have no nrore fuss about the noise of training aircraft. Let us remove without delay the restriction on hours during which night flying may take place in the Volunteer Reserve, for what worthwhile flying training can be achieved in the summer months between darkness and midnight? It may here be mentioned that the Chipmunks used at V.R. schools near London and other cities seem to be somewhat quieter than Tiger Moths, though both have the Gipsy Major engine. As another example, having lost our sole full-scale range on Heligoland, let us secure at least one alternative so that the C.-in-C. Bomber Command may order realistic exercises for his crews. To pay millions of pounds for equipment on the one hand, and on the other to prejudice our chances of using it to the best advantage in the hope that we may never have to defend ourselves, is truly a refusal to face up to reality—a form of insanity,
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