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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1848.PDF
I4 September 1951 BRIGHTON CONCOURSE Impressions of the Third Anglo-American Aero- nautical Conference: The Concluding Dinner BRIGHTON has a wide and undoubtedly well-merited reputa-tion for being a place where, in surroundings which vary from the bizarre to the bazaar, one can have a good time. Wewere able to gather from chatting to various of the delegates, plus what was self-evident at the Mayoral reception on Wednesdayevening, that last week's R.Ae.S.-I.Ae.S Aeronautical Conference was a considerable and unqualified success. To the erstwhilesecretary of the "royal and ancient," Captain J. Laurence Prit- chard, must be accorded unstinted recognition for the successof the whole affair i he made the organization particularly his own, and indeed deserves the full meed of praise for having donesuch a fine job. In saying this we are, of course, implying no lack of recognition of the great deal of extremely hard work so ablydone by the others of the R.Ae.S. staff. Everyone concerned has reason to feel justifiably proud. The quality of the lectures presented, both British and American,was unusually high, and it is our intention to publish abstracts from several of the papers in forthcoming issues of Flight. The criticismhas been voiced that, in the discussions which followed presenta- tion of the various papers, the American delegates took an undulymodest part. It should, however, be pointed out that this was not the direct fault of the visitors, for few of them had received copiesof the papers before arriving at Brighton. There can be no doubt that the major value of such internationalgatherings as the Brighton Conference lies not merelv in the presentation of individual ideas as exemplified in the lectures:the real value is a rather more subtle quantity. Delegates (and, no less important, their wives) meet on common ground in circum-stances and surroundings which contribute strongly to ensuring that "a good time is had by all." The Conference offered a plea-santly ordered meeting ground for amiable exchange between British and American "opposite numbers"—and amity, particu-larly amity of understanding, is the true value. The Dinner The Conference Dinner, a sparkling affair, took place at the Grand Hotel on the night of September 7th. Mr. W. A. M. Burden, F.I.Ae.S., proposing "The Royal Aero- nautical Society," described its founding in 1866 as a tribute to British genius. His remark that at gatherings such as the Con- ference a sense of humour was necessary, as well as co-operation, obviously met with general accord. Responding, the president, Mai. F. B. Halford, read a message from "an old friend"—Lester Gardner—then another from an honorary fellow of the R.Ae.S. This latter ran as follows : "It gives me much pleasure, as an honorary fellow of the oldestaeronautical society in the world, to learn of the lead it has taken over the years, with the Institute of the Aeronautical Society of America,to foster the closest technical co-oneration between this country and the United States in the whole .field of aerial development. The con-ferences between the leading aeronautical technicians of the United States and the United_ Kingdom increase that understanding andfriendship which are vital for successful partnership in our struggle for the way of life which is our common heritage. I wish you well inyour deliberations." The signature was "Winston S. Churchill." The president de- scribed it as "a typical Churchillian epitome" of what must have been at the back of all minds that night. World War I, the president went on to recall, ended with but a poor understanding between Britain and America, but valuable seeds were sown bv the Schneider Trophy Races, especially that of 1924. Other milestones were the commencement in 1926, of a series of British visits to America, followed bv a crop of Ameri- can visits to these shores; the Wilbur Wrieht lectures; the Mac- Robertson Race to Australia; Mr. "Ted" Wright's classic lecture on aircraft production, in 1938; and, finallv, the advent of the gas turbine which culminated only recently in providing "the last lewel in this technical tiara of transatlantic co-orteration." In this war-fearing world, continued Maj. Halford, we ought to thank our lucky stars (and stripes too!) that the two nations Were so complementary. Speaking as a member of the aircraft industry, however, he said, quite frankly, that at times he did not 349 At the Conference Dinner: (left to right) Ma . F. 8. Halford, Rear- Admiral L 8. Richardson, Mrs. Halford and Mr. W. A. M. Burden. feel that there was the complete two-way technical traffic thatthere should be. If not watched very carefully, "security" could become a bogey. The faster technical progress was, the lessdamage leakages could do, and the way to defeat the copyist was to move faster still. Rising to propose "The Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences," Lord Brabazon of Tara remarked that it had a Fifth Avenue address and that the R.Ae.S. was in Park Lane. "Just think," he said, "where we have got in 50 years." He recalled the "scowl- ing" at the first I.C.A.O. meeting and the inspired idea of "eleven- ses" which soon had everyone addressing the other by his Christian name. He complimented the Americans on the wonders they had achieved in aeronautics, and on their "unrivalled technological progressiveness" which was "rushing along at a bewildering speed." He hoped they would find in British achievements a worthy yardstick by which to measure their own accomplishments. Rear-Admiral L. B. Richardson, U.S.N. (Ret.), president of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, reminded his audience that the Institute was 20 years old next January, whereas the R.Ae.S. was 86. The Institute looked up to its "godparent society," as Lester Gardner had styled it. Mr. S. Paul Johnston referred to the magnificent job done by the R.Ae.S. staff in general and by Capt. J. Laurence Pritchard in particular. Dr. A. M. Ballantyne, the new secretary, was a new friend, to whom full co-operation was pledged. Caot. Laurence Pritchard made an interesting historical allusion to Brighton's connection with aeronautics. In 1912, he recalled, an American named Glenn Curtiss had arrived there with his "flving boat." When he returned he took with him a young man called Porte who was later responsible for some of our biggest marine aircraft. Capt. Pritchard paid graceful tribute to his staff at the R.Ae.S., and to his wife, for helping him during his long tenure of office. The dinner and speeches being concluded, the company took the floor, the Americans setting the pace with a square dance. MESSAGES OF GOODWILL IN reply to loval greetings sent to Balmoral by Major Halford onbehalf of the deleirates, the following was received from the private secretary to His Majesty the King :— "The King sincerely thanks the Council and Members of theRoyal Aeronautical Society for their kind and loyal messaee sent on the occasion of the 3rd Anglo-American Aeronautical Conferencewhich His Majesty as their Patron warmly appreciates." Good wishes for the success of the Conference were receivedfrom the Prime Minister and from the President of the United States, as follows:— "I welcome and wish every success to the Third Anglo-AmericanAeronautical Conference. I welcome it because I believe the constant interchange of knowledge and ideas must ultimately be-for the everlasting benefit of the world. I wish it success in its efforts to solve some of these problems so urgently awaiting solutionfor the safety and comfort of this vital form of transport."— C. R. ATTLEE. "A complete understanding with the people of Great Britain atall levels is of the utmost importance in these times of world crisis. In the field of aeronautical science the closest possible collaborationis highly desirable. For this reason I hope that the third conference between the Poval Aeronautical Society and the Institute of theAeronautical Sciences will strengthen the bond that already exists between the aeronautical engineering professions on both sides ofthe Atlantic. I wish the conference every possible success."— HARRY TRDMAN.
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