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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0102.PDF
102 FLIGHT, 20 January 1961 CORRESPONDENCE . . . of Aviation policy which seems to reserve it almost exclusivelyfor transatlantic operations. Such divorcement of international and domestic routes must be without parallel in the world and ishardly conducive to economic airport management or to the proper and natural development of air transport. The only argument levelled against the use of Prestwick fordomestic services is its distance from Glasgow (29 miles); but in doing so its principal critics, BEA and business circles in Glasgow,put an unfair interpretation on this, as the proper criterion is obviously ground journey time to the airport. The new Prestwickterminal building, already budgerted for and in replacement of existing wartime hutted accommodation will, like Gatwick's, adjoina main railway line giving a journey time of from 35 to 45min to city centre. The same businessmen who complain of the longroad journey to Prestwick, which takes 55min as against 35min ro Abbotsinch, daily make an hour's road journey from Londonairport to the city centre, without option of a rail link. Likewise BEA, whose chairman, protesting against possible use of Prestwick,thinks it ridiculous that passengers should be dumped 30 miles out in the country, operate into several new Continental airports andto Gatwick at comparable distance. In each case, as with Prest- wick, a fast rail or motorway link is available. Benefits whichuse of Prestwick would entail and to which these critics naturally make no reference would be: unification of overlapping air trafficcontrol, shorter flying distance on the main trunk routes to the south, all-the-year-round regularity of operations and the integra-tion of international and domestic services on the one airport. It is estimated that the new Prestwick terminal buildings can beextended to accommodate Renfrew's traffic at but a fraction of the cost to develop Abbotsinch. This saving, coupled with the reduc-tion in operational costs and losses of one airport doing the work of two, is also worthy of urgent consideration. Ayr DAVID REID Wishful Thinking ? VOUR editorial in the issue of November 18 on the sale of-1- British arms to Germany and other NATO countries is timely in that it raises certain issues basic to the defence of this countryand of the West generally. You question what it is that has kept us aloof from the EuropeanCommon Market. Is not the answer to this—as to many anomalies of our policies—that we are still being guided by economicconsiderations instead of by ideological ones? The fact is that we are at war ideologically now, and all deci-sions need to be made on this basis. From a number of recent statements to this effect by senior officers, one can quote AVMTraill, formerly NATO Air Commander, North-east Atlantic: "We must have sufficient military strength to guard our free-dom—of that I am clear. But guns alone can never answer Communism because they cannot prevent an idea from crossingyour borders." Also Air Cdre Blair-Oliphant, Director of Weapons Engineeringat the Air Ministry, until his present Washington appointment, who said earlier this year: "World War Three is a total war because it is an ideological war that is being fought for the heartsand minds of men and nations. In the past, wars have been fought on three fronts—military, economic and political. Today, ideologycontrols all three fronts and unless we have an ideology we canr iOttake the initiative on any one of them. Without an ideology wecan be defeated separately on each front." From France, General Stehlin, Commander-in-Chief of -heFrench Air Force and Deputy Chief of the French Defence Staff has put it this way: "If the free world is not to be out-manoeuvredby this new and very powerful weapon, ideology, we must meet the enemy on his own ground and with the same weapon. If wecan unite the ideological and military factors, we will have a real defence of freedom." If this is the situation—and anybody who has read one of the87 million copies of the Moral Re-Armament manifesto, Ideology and Co-Existence, in one of its 26 languages can hardly remainunconvinced—then it follows we need to make sure we not only prevent the war of arms but win the war of ideas. In view of this, it is disturbing, to say the least, to read in yoursame editorial, "the whole vast Cold War may before long be an unsavoury memory." What justification is there in fact forsuch an optimistic statement? Is it not reminiscent of the ultra- wishful thinking frequently heard in the autumn of 1939—"thewar will be over by Christmas"? Now, as then, surely the only way for a war to be ended is forit to be decisively won. No good will be done by deceiving our- selves—that it won't take some doing. As Dr Adenauer puts it."We are in an ideological struggle. Therein lies the decisive task. It may last for decades bur must be won." As General Stehlin declares, "it is with the weapon of a moralideology that we will secure the peace and be able to build a new world." Derby R. P. DUCE Army Air Corps HistoryT HE comparatively young, newly formed Army Air Corps isalready looking back into the past for some history. It has been decided to start a Museum at the Army Air Corps Centreat Middle Wallop Flight, July 29, 1960). Some examples of the early marks of Austers and wartime troop-carrying gliders whichwere used by our forerunners, the AOP and the Glider Pilot Regt, will be on permanent display. We are particularly interested in acquiring an Auster Mk 1,a Mk IV and a Horsa and Hotspur glider. If any of your readers have any information on the whereabouts of any of these machinesor parts of them in any condition would they write to me at the Officers' Mess, Army Air Corps Centre, Middle Wallop, nearStockbridge, Hants. Stockbridge, Hants M. SOMERTON-RAYNER, Capt, Army Air Corps CORRESPONDENCE IN BRIEF An American Pou-du-Ciel enthusiast is building an HM-360 andwishes to correspond with Pou-builders past and present. He would like to exchange data and photographs. He proposes ultimately to pub-lish a series of articles with a view to reviving home-building interest Correspondence (in English) should be addressed to: Ralph M. Wefei,EEA 7128, 8400 Fullbright Avenue, Canoga Park, California, USA. AN AIRSHIP MUSEUM TO perpetuate the association of RAF Cardington with lighter-than-air craft from 1920 onwards, an airship museum is to be established at the station. Flight readers who can assist by pre-senting or loaning appropriate material (literature, pictures, models or items of equipment) are invited to contact Sqn Ldr J. Blake,Station HQ, Royal Air Force, Cardington, Beds. AIDING HELICOPTER RESEARCH AN endowment in the form of a seven-year covenant to a totalof £17,500 has been made to Southampton University by West- land Aircraft Ltd to found a readership in helicopter engineering.This follows an expansion-programme appeal made by the chan- cellor of the university, the Duke of Wellington, and it makespossible for the first time a venue for engineers specializing in helicopter technology. It also offers an opportunity for basichelicopter research under the direction of Prof E. J. Richards, professor of aeronautical engineering at Southampton. The readership will supplement an earlier contribution of£3,500 by Westland Aircraft, made in 1955 for specific applica- tion to aeronautical research and facilities at the university. Thishas helped to promote investigation into the problems of blade vibration and rotor-blade motion in forward flight, carried out byDr J. P. Jones, a senior lecturer. It has also resulted in the setting- up of various test units, including an acoustic laboratory—nowcalled the Westland Acoustic Laboratory—and a wind tunnel; and opportunities have been provided for consultant work withthe Saunders-Roe and Fairey divisions on blade-tip silencing FORTHCOMING EVENTS Jan. 16-20. Institute of Physics and The Physical Society: Annual Exhibition (Jan. 19—Lecture: "Some Physical Problems in Travelling at Supersonic Speed," by Dr F. P. Bowden). Jan. 20. RAeS Man-powered Aircraft Group: "Gliding and Man- powered Flight," by Lome Welch. Jan. 20. Institute of Navigation: "Presentation of Height Informa- tion in Aircraft," by A. Stratton and K. R. Honick. Jan. 21. Society of Environmental Engineers: Discussion on "De- velopment of Accelerated Climatic Tests." Jan. 24. RAeS: "Problems of Erosion and Impact," by Dr R. N. C. Strain. Jan. 24. Society of Instrument Technology (Tees-side Section): "The Experimental Investigation of Space," by Dr P. J Bowen. Jan. 25. BritIRE (Electro-Acoustics Group): "Noise Correlation Measurements," by K R. McLachlan. Jan. 25. Kronfeld Club: Film of 1958 World Championships. Jan. 25. Society of Instrument Technology (South Wales Section): "Fire and Explosion Hazard of Intrinsically Safe Instru- mentation," by S. J. Emerson. Jan. 26. Society of Instrument Technology (Chester Section): "Satellite Instrumentation," by R. C. Jennison. Jan. 31. Institute of Transport (West Middlesex Group): "Air Transport in Russia Today," by Capt G. A. Yarotski. Feb. 1. Kronfeld Club: "Army Flying," by Maj P. A. Downward. Feb. 1. RAeS Agricultural Aviation Group: "The Economics or Agricultural Chemicals and Fertilisers," by J. C. Pinder. Feb. 2. RAeS (main lecture at Swindon Branch): "Nuclear Propul- sion for Aircraft," by A. D. Baxter. RAeS Branch Fixtures (to Jan. 27): Jan. 20, Hatfield, Social. Jan. 23, Glasgow (Graduates' and Students' Section). "Building and Light Air- craft," by Dr Roche; Henlow, "Supersonic Civil Transports," by R. G.Thome. Jan. 25, Weybridge, "The Exploration of Outer Space," by J. A. Ratcliffe.
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