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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1033.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2427 Vol. 68. FRIDAY, 29 JULY 19S5 ED/TOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. and Bar ASSOCIATE EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL EDITOR W. T. GUNSTON 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, Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW. C.2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £4 10s. U.S.A. and Canada, $14.00. IN THIS ISSUE: From Pup to D.H. 110 - 149 City Helicopter Traffic - 151 Seamew on the Deck - 153 Jet Engine Intake Ducts 154 Douglas at Santa Monica 157 National Gliding - - - 160 The Duke at Abingdon - 161 Argonaut Odyssey - - 162 The Royal Heron - - - 166 Titanium in Aircraft - - 167 Analogue Computation 168 Surveillance for PeaceP RESIDENT EISENHOWER'S Geneva proposal that America and Russia should accord each other freedom of air reconnaissance to provide against the possibility of a surprise attack has left the world breathless by the sheer grandeur of its con- cept. Yet the essence of the idea is simplicity and directness . . . "we to provide you with ample facilities for aerial reconnaissance, where you can make all the pictures you choose and take them to your own country to study; you to provide exactly the same facilities for us." It is not to be supposed that the President is unaware that such inspection could be no certain index to a country's preparedness for war, for that is increasingly an affair of hidden labour on small devices, no longer proclaimed by the massing of men and machines. True, air reconnaissance, as in the late war, is a rewarding medium of military, technical and industrial intelligence. But there can be precious little which is not already known to the Russians concerning America's military dispositions, the essential charac- teristics of all her aircraft and of other standard weapons, and the extent and deploy- ment of her strategic industries. Thus, the cynic might argue that in a merely military sense America would stand to gain from such an arrangement infinitely more than Russia, not only from her own observations but because flights over her national territory by Soviet aircraft might afford a closer acquaintanceship with very advanced types of machines which have hitherto been only fleetingly glimpsed in the Tushino fly-pasts. Yet in face of the President's profound sincerity (which is acknowledged by the Russians themselves) such argument becomes sterile. This remains: that air reconnais- sance, now the very spearhead of offence, may yet become the instrument to prise apart the barriers of fear. Independent but Inter-dependent AFTER a General Election as quiet as that completed earlier in the year, one is aptto overlook the fact that we have a new Government with a good-sized majority>• and a mandate to go ahead with the programme which was started in the previous Parliament. Naturally enough, air transport and the Civil Aviation Act will be examined in due course—perhaps very shortly after the Summer Recess. The national Corporations are unlikely to be subjected to any changes; they are doing a good job, and while they may not always have been as efficient as might have been wished, we would not care, even in retrospect, to suggest any better way of achieving a B.O.A.C. and B.E.A. in the time and circumstances since the war. There are several commercial aviation matters which should, and will be, reviewed; they may be grouped under the heading of restrictive practices. Though we have in mind purely national interests, the remark would apply aptly to certain international ones. Any agreement which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of reducing the standard of service to the passenger or of holding the fare higher than it need be will, in the long run, be to the disadvantage of the air transport companies. The operators most concerned in any changes which may be made are the so-called independents, but in the past opportunities have been lost because these companies have, in the main, been singularly difficult to deal with—if we are to accept the opinions of interested M.P.s on both sides of the House. We believe that the Government would now welcome from the independents constructive criticism rather than mere complaints or, where there are genuine grievances, facts to substantiate them. Above all, they would like to hear the independent operators speaking with one voice over major issues that are of mutual interest to them and which may be expected to come under discussion when Parliament reassembles.
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