FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1510.PDF
FLIGHT, 14 October 1955 Light Aircraft for Civil Defence A Proposal by a Pilot and CD. Staff Officer FROM time to time, in discussions on the problem ofassessing accurately large-scale air-raid damage, the sug-gestion of reconnaissance from the air is put forward. This is almost inevitably followed by mention of the word "helicopter,"and the discussion that ensues quite often ignores altogether the fixed-wing aeroplane as a means of low level reconnaissance—or,if it is considered at all, it is usually brushed aside because it cannot hover. I have also heard it said that the turbulence, smokeand dust over an atom-bombed (and probably fire-stricken) area would be too great a hazard for the aeroplane; but for somestrange reason this is considered a risk acceptable to the heli- copter. In fact, the pilots of both types of aircraft would be sub-ject to similar difficulties, but either could operate with caution. While it is readily agreed that air reconnaissance is clearly thebest method of obtaining a rapid and accurate survey of a devastated or damaged area, and the helicopter the best means ofso doing, I do not believe that, at any rate for some years to come, these machines will be available in anything like sufficient num-bers to Civil Defence. Helicopters are expensive to build and expensive to maintain and operate, and there is not yet anabundance of pilots. In the event of emergency all the Services would be crying out for helicopters and Civil Defence might welllook for some alternative in case there are not enough rotating wings to go round. If it can be an alternative which may notbe in equal or greater demand elsewhere so much the better. I suggest that the answer lies in the great pool of pilots avail-able in the flying clubs of the country, and their light training aircraft, ideal for this type of work, which would be groundedimmediately on outbreak of war and (except, perhaps for a very few communications types suitable to R.A.F. requirements)would therefore lie rotting in odd corners of hangars, as they did in the last war. The R.A.F.V.R. has closed down and someof its pilots, where they can afford it, are flying with clubs; many last-war pilots, also keep their hand in in this way. There is,therefore, first a pool of aircraft which would probably not be required for anything else and, second, an adequate supply ofex-Service pilots who have reached an age beyond that at which the R.A.F. would require them. I have not mentioned the youngerpost-war civil-trained pilot because in most cases he would, I think, be going into the R.A.F. or the Fleet Air Arm. Next we have to find the observers, who might well be membersof the Headquarters Reconnaissance Section. It is, of course, essential that these volunteers should be given air experience aswell as practice in air observation and reporting. If they are interested in photography they could be encouraged to take airto ground photographs, which can be very useful in providing detailed pictures and especially so in helping to assess the debrisproblem, blocked roads and so on. This does not present much technical difficulty, nor need it call for the provision of expensiveequipment. The untrained air observer is unlikely at first to make the most of his bird's-eye view, but with a few hours' practice atan altitude of around l,OOOft he will quickly become accustomed to the "picture" and be able to spot important detail. Now, how is all this to be achieved in a practical manner andat reasonable cost? First, the pilots and observers. A limited number of pilotsholding licences and of suitable age (say over 35) and experience (I suggest 300 hours plus) might be invited to join the CivilDefence Corps and to fly observers for say ten hours' flying train- ing per year. Cost, say, £40 for pilot and observer to cover tenhours' flying each and to include accident insurance and inci- dentals. Pilots and observers are therefore doing their flyingtogether, thus halving the cost incurred_ by each. There are over fifty flying clubs in the country and fromtheir aerodromes all the built-up areas could be adequately covered. At the outbreak of war the clubs would, of course, ceaseto function but some of their aircraft could be kept in service as Civil Defence machines, strategically based and with a trainedbody of pilots and observers to operate them. They need not only fly observers; a controller, or commander of a mobile columnmoving in might well appreciate an opportunity of surveying his problem from the air. Pilots and observers would be expected to be members of theReconnaissance Section and would be available for normal recon- naissance duties when their special qualifications were not required.As a beginning I would suggest the recruitment and training of 100 of each, pilot and observer, from volunteers resident inareas near aerodromes having flying clubs—cost, £4,000 per year in aircraft hire, insurance of volunteers and incidentals. Thiswould be less than half the cost of one helicopter and without AT a time when Home Office experiments with helicopters for CivilDefence purposes are receiving publicity, the accompanying article raises a controversial point: its author believes that dub-type lightaircraft have strong claims to efficiency for reconnaissance duties. Mr. Bennett is a flying instructor of over 3,000 hours' experience, anda Civil Defence staff officer. incurring any of the heavy overhead expenses and other numerousdifficulties which arise from the ownership and operation of aircraft. As an experiment, in a recent exercise, a member of the Recon-naissance Section without previous flying experience was flown as observer in a light aircraft. Visibility was good but weatherbumpy. The observer had no difficulty in locating the where- abouts of a dispersed column of some eight rescue and ambulancevehicles and identifying a number of other detailed features, including rendezvous points and main roads. His performancewas rather better than average for a beginner, but it does go to show that the undertaking is not technically a particularlydifficult one. More recently, a photographer without air experience was takenup for a trial series of air-to-ground photographs. The aircraft in this case was an open-cockpit type and the height from whichthe shots were taken varied from 1,200ft to 800ft. The pictures were perfect and details readily identified. Finally, it should be remembered that fixed-wing aircraft havebeen performing this function with marked success ever since the 1914-18 war, and for Civil Defence purposes the light, low-speed aircraft is ideal. Even if the aerodrome is bombed a grass strip or bit of perimeter track is all that is necessary for take-offand landing. A scheme such as this, providing an invaluable reconnaissanceservice which makes the most of an already highly skilled type of person, i.e., the pilot to train the unskilled observer, and at thesame time keep his own hand in by so doing, surely merits serious consideration. When, in addition, it is able to make use of anexisting highly specialized organization at a cost which is little more than that of the bare aircraft hire, with the prospect inemergency of a pool of skilled operators and aircraft at the immediate disposal of Civil Defence, there is surely much tocommend it. Its implementation would be a very simple matter, involvingmerely the selection of localities near club airfields to provide observers, invitations to qualified flying club pilots to enrol, theprovision of a simple syllabus to cover the ten hours' observation and reporting. The local C.D.O. could exercise general super-vision and certify for accountancy purposes that the flying had been done. FORTHCOMING EVENTS R.Ae.S.: Graduates and Students Section: Rocket films. R.Ae.S.: Main Lecture: "The Jet Flap," by I. M. Davidson. Surrey Flying Club: Annual Dinner and Dance. R.Ae.S.: Section Lecture: "Boundary Layer Effects in Supersonic Flow," by R. J. Monaghan. British Institution of Radio Engineers: Annual General Meeting and Lecture. Aircraft Electrical Society: 12th Annual Display of Air- craft Electrical Equipment, Los Angeles. R.Ae.S.: Graduates and Students Section: Dance. Aerauto Association (Chelsea College Old Students): Din- ner and Dance, Aldington Rooms, London, S.W.4. Institute of Welding: Annual Dinner, Park Lane Hotel. Institute of Welding: Autumn Meeting. I.A.S. and C.A.I.: Second Annual Joint Meeting, Ottawa. Institute of Transport: Anniversary Luncheon. Helicopter Association: "Design of Helicopter Operating Sites," by H. T. Hough, M.I.C.E., M.I.Mun.E., M.T.P.I. Elstree Flying Club: Informal Reunion of Pre-war Brook- lands Flying Club Members. Aircraft Golfing Society: Dinner and Dance. London Airport Inauguration by H.M. the Queen. R.Ae.S. Branch Fixtures (to November 16th):— Oct. 17, Halton. Film and talk. Oct. 19. Coventry, "Cockpit Hoods," by Dr. Holland. Oct. 20, Southampton, "Gas Turbines: Basic Principles and Pro- duction Problems," by C. E. Wurr; Isle of Wight, "Domain of the Helicopter," by R. Hafner, F.R.Ae.E. Oct. 27, Bristol, Film Show. Oct. 31, Halton, "Problems of Space Flight," by F/L. R. W. Durrant. Nov. 2, Southampton, "Flight Refuelling," by P. S. McGregor. Nov. 3, Isle of Wight, Annual Dinner. Nov. 16, Manchester, "Interplanetary Flight," by E. Burgess. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Nov. Dec. Dec. 19. 20. 21. 25 26. 27-28. 28 28 2.2-3. 3-4.9. 11 18. 2 16.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
