FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1635.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No, 2264 Vol. LXI. FRIDAY. 13 JUNE 1952 ED/TOR 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.1. Telegrams, Flightpres, 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, Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2. 26b. Renfield Street. Telegrams, lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months CI Is. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Canadair CL 21 - - - 704 Single-engine Safari - - 710 Racing Lightweights - - 713 The Queen's Birthday Honours ----- 714 R.C.A.F. Flying Class room 715 Chez Turbomeca - - - 716 Finding the Right Ap proach ----- 718 Training in Rhodesia- - 720 Transatlantic Variety- - 721 Striking a Balance R EGULAR readers will recall a series of articles in Flight last winter, in which we spoke of the great opportunity open to this country, through its aircraft industry, to enter the world's markets witti turbojet and turboprop airliners—in particular, the D.H. Comet, Vickers Viscount and Bristol 175. Mr. Charles Gardner of the B.B.C. wrote two guest editorials in support of this theme, and on May 29th last the same vital subject was discussed on the air by a most distinguished "Taking Stock" team, who debated the question of the overall production demanded from the aircraft industry if the tremendous defence programme is to be realized. The speakers, under Charles Gardner's chairmanship, were Air Chief Marshal Sir Alec Coryton, Mr. George Edwards, Air Commodore Harvey, and Lord Pakenham. A brief report appeared last week. Since Flight first tackled the subject, too, certain facts have emerged more clearly. For example, the all-important requirement of more skilled men to produce aircraft, has started to be solved by taking the jobs to the men. Houses for workers in the aircraft industry are slowly being provided, but the main expansion in manpower will clearly result from extensive sub-contracting. Mr. George Edwards, in the B.B.C. discussion, said of the top-priority Valiant that more was being sub-contracted than for any other aeroplane within his knowledge in recent years. He was reasonably confident that the M.o.S. programme for this outstanding jet bomber would be met; and this was in addition to orders, totalling 54 to date, for the Viscount airliner, which it was planned to produce at the rate of four per month. Sir Alec Coryton, Bristol director, did not think the double military and civil production commitments impossible to meet. There was one difference of opinion between these two speakers and the other mem bers of the team, for while the former felt that this country's lead would be maintained for many years and at least into the next generation of civil aircraft, Lord Pakenham and A. Cdre. Harvey believed that the opportunity was to be regarded as a fleeting one to be seized at once; they detected a suggestion of complacency in the attitude of the other two. Mr. George Edwards had talked of a calm approach and instanced American production of 100 of one relatively small aircraft in a year as the maximum rate. Very high individual production-rates did not have to be reached, he said. The discussion was in the main reasonably reassuring—both military and civil pro grammes stand a good chance of being met—but not, we think, wholly so. We agree with Lord Pakenham that everything should be done to seize the opportunity now, for while Sir Alec and Mr. Edwards are no doubt right in thinking that Britain will hold a lead in turbine-powered civil airliners for some years to come, competition will certainly increase and sales will become more difficult. There is no doubt that the promise of sure and early deliveries count for much when sales are being negotiated. It also occurs to us that most of the discussion was dependent upon the assumption that there would be no deterioration in the international situation, but this unfortunately cannot be guaranteed. The team was apparently unanimous in the view that, if condi tions demanded that something had to go by the board, then it should be one or more of the mediocre aircraft or, better still, the products of a less essential industry. Mr. Edwards will find plenty of support for his belief that certain vital key or bottleneck sections of the aircraft industry should be rationed to avoid inefficient use. He instanced skilled manpower in general (of which there must always be a hard core), and more particularly, tool design and manufacture. There is much to be said in favour of Lord Pakenham's suggestion for a Cabinet committee to take top-level decisions to expedite important activities in the aircraft industry. Certainly we believe that more could be done, and done quicker, if the "normal channels" could on occasions be by-passed. He also tossed out another idea : with the Comet in mind—for which the manufacturers are already committed a good way ahead of orders—the real question was whether one could expect a private firm, even the most patriotic, to go past a certain point in risking its shareholders' money. Some form of Government underwriting might be offered to manufacturers and so provide a reasonable inducement to go ahead still faster than at present.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
