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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0102.PDF
IOO FLIGHT THE ARMY and the HELICOPTER . . . designed to brake to a stop like a motor car, needs no traffic con trollers, no communication with the ground and no timing. To develop its full potentialities it can and must normally rely ont mechanized navigation. The instruction which will be the essence of the helicopter road must, therefore, be in the nature of a line on a developed form of what is now known as the Decca Flight Log. Such roads, or instructions in the form of maps, must be expected to follow the same course of development as all other roads, in that they will probably at first be laid down to serve the Army authorities for the guidance and marshalling of large numbers of relatively unskilled military drivers. In assault operations they would be secret paths leading from many points of departure to concentrate the assault on the target area and to guide a shuttle service on the return journeys. In peacetime at home the existence of a network of paths from central depots to important defence points would at first also be secret and the development of the techniques of laying and protecting these paths, and of marshalling traffic along them, will be a charge on the military authorities and a major object of manoeuvres. As these techniques develop, paths which are of value to civil communications will be published and the equipment for their use made generally available, so that in due course the pattern of internal civil air-traffic control will also come to be based the new conception of the helicopter road. It has often been urged that the cost of radar, Decca, the gyro compass and other similar equipment would kill the helicopter stone dead, but much of this equipment is already fitted, together with a good deal of additional radio and instrumentation which will ultimately be eliminated. It is, therefore, doubtful whether the equipment required for the full exploitation of the helicopter would impose any great additional burden, although it is clear that considerable time will be needed for its gradual development. The economics of helicopter operation are in any case much less influenced by manufacturing cost than is generally realized, though this is certainly an important factor. As recent studies have shown, about half the direct operating-costs of a modern helicopter, which include not only depreciation and insurance, but also crew charges, landing fees and maintenance, may be accounted for by the cost of fuel, and it is rather in this direction that major economies may be effected. From the military point of view this is of great importance because, although the operating costs of the larger helicopters will compare favourably with those of other means of air transport, the cost of the fuel consumed will be a formidable obstacle to their large-scale use unless they are designed to burn efficiently the cheapest possible grades. Development work initiated now on this application might well pay a handsome dividend in the future. The value of the services which could be performed by the military helicopter is impossible to estimate since the aspects of preparedness and effectiveness cannot be costed. In an actual engagement the helicopters could, however, perform subsidiary services—in addition to those already described—the value of which might alone exceed the development cost: they could save troops and their equipment from encirclement; they could perform salvage operations, lifting damaged tanks and aircraft directly to the repair depots; and they could effect a great reduction in the time and cost of delivering tanks and other heavy equipment, by transporting them direct from the factories to the combat areas. Perhaps most important of all, by maintaining direct links with the base depots, the helicopters might succeed in somewhat reducing the Army's "tail" of ground vehicles and non-combatant admini strative and maintenance personnel in the field. Our recent acceptance of the gift of American helicopters is an indication of the present under-developed state of our own helicopter industry. It is occasionally suggested that this state of affairs is the result of lack of enterprise in the industry itself; but in existing economic circumstances no good case could be made on this basis, in view of the considerable risks actually taken by the firms concerned and the low priorities accorded them. With out active military support on a larger scale our industry must remain, as at present, a mere appendage of the aeroplane industry, with which we share many skills and much common technical knowledge, but which is not necessarily well suited to the full and proper exploitation of the helicopter, a seemingly obvious con sideration which has been appreciated from the outset by the Americans. Enquiries from every continent, in relation to every kind of engineering, mining and development activity, clearly show that there are many applications for freight and crane helicopters of all sizes. Over the whole of Western Europe, and in many places farther afield, the need for fast airline helicopters is beginning to make itself felt, and there are innumerable requirements for the smaller helicopters in mail, ambulance, agricultural and general utility services throughout the world. This potential demand could be the foundation for a civil export trade augmented by foreign military orders, which would equal in value the trade of any other industry. To grasp the opportunity successfully it is, however, essential to have an adequate demand and operational usage at home, without which neither the initial investment nor the achievement of adequate quality can be assured in the face of competition from the American helicopter industry which already enjoys these facilities. The coming of the helicopter, supplementing the long-range network of the aeroplane, also marks the birth of new forms of political and military control, without which vast areas now hostile or indifferent to the general good might remain indefinitely as sources of danger to the world community. In due course large numbers of helicopters will be required as an essential means of transport in the development of many of these areas, and as the basic instruments of police and para-military supervision. At home, too, the helicopter will one day, and perhaps quite soon, become the common means of travel, bringing increased efficiency to our communications and much pleasure to those who will experience this ideal form of motoring. To meet the demands of civiland military, home and foreign markets, the helicopter will ultimately require a supporting industry rivalling in size that which has been built up to serve the road vehicle. Admittedly the defence fighters, the strategic bombers and the Naval anti-submarine aircraft must be our first concern at the present time; but to the writer it seems that as a nation we should now look more boldly into the future and take the first steps to secure our rightful share of the benefits which could flow from an early marriage of the Army and the helicopter. ROTORSTATION SITES •"PHIS issue is largely devoted to analysing the possibilities of -*- the helicopter as a means of transport between centres of population. If those possibilities are to be fully realized it is essential that provision be made now for the construction of suitable helicopter landing-places in or very near to the main traffic-centres. Opinions may vary as to the time which may elapse before such sites are required; but no one will deny the urgent need to survey, select and safeguard landing-places in every part of the British Isles. Municipal authorities, upon whom the main responsibility will fall, are not always fully alive to this need. In London itself, for example, there are already signs of L.C.C. opposition to the prospect of helicopters landing and taking-off in the heart of the city. B.E.A. have made no secret of their high opinion of the South Bank site as a suitable rotorstation, and the operational results of experimental flights made last summer between Gatwick and Waterloo were very encouraging. The L.C.C., however, appear to be adopting a rather negative policy of reserving the right to veto any scheme put forward by the airline without offering any considered alternative. Many city and town corporations, of course, already possess useful (if sometimes bitter) experience of aerodrome ownership and, consequently, a latent interest in the prospects of helicopter, landing-places. In such cases the local" authorities concerned normally belong to the Aerodrome Owners' Association, which has in the past year provided members with a great deal of preliminary information on the selection of "helidrome" sites (to use the term favoured by the Association). The A.O.A. has just begun to compile an authoritative list of all the helicopter sites now reserved in this country, and is asking municipalities to submit details (or write for advice) to the secretary, S/L. A. W. Day, at Londonderry House, Park Lane, London, W.i. Advice given by the A.O.A. naturally varies according to the area concerned; normally the mid-city location is considered to be ideal, but the actual choice of site can be influenced by the area and approaches available. Sites selected are usually square, L- or T-shaped, and occupy 900-1,300 sq ft; bombed sites often prove suitable. Once chosen, the site must be preserved and, if possible, utilized until required for helicopters. In framing its recommenda tions, the A.O.A. collaborates with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is also in constant touch with manufacturers. While acknowledging the valuable work of the Association in fostering air-mindedness in local authorities, we feel that B.E.A.'s knowledge and experience is not yet being fully utilized in the planning of helicopter sites. The Corporation is not only this country's central source of helicopter operating experience but is certain to be the main user of landing-places now being planned. In the past, construction of airports for fixed-wing aircraft has often been undertaken without any regard for the operator's requirements, resulting in large-scale waste of public money. There can be no excuse for any repetition of this experience in the development of helicopter facilities.
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