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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0086.PDF
FLIGHT International, 18 January 196 2 Safety, Economy, Comfort FRANK BESWICK interviews SIR MILES THOMAS IN AIR TRANSPORT THIS is the fourth in a special series of interviews in which Frank Beswick is seeking authoritative opinions on these three vital factors in air transport. So far he has talked with Sir Frederick Handley Page, Lord Brabazon and Lord Douglas. Here he puts questions to Sir Miles Thomas, an eminent businessman with extensive experience of air travel. Sir Miles, of course, also has an aviation background: for seven years he was chairman of British Overseas Airways Corporation. IN this series of interviews 1 have presented the views of a constructor, an operator, and one ("Lord Brabazon) whom I described as "a guardian of the public interest." There is another important specialist viewpoint—that of the passenger; and it has been suggested that in order to get a properly balanced picture I should seek the opinions of a "businessman" on some of the questions which I have raised. Indeed, 1 was almost challenged to get the views of such an individual—the inference being that there would be no more talk about the good old days of the Stratocruiser. Well, Sir Miles Thomas has recently been kind enough to answer some questions, and it must be agreed that no more experi enced or informed "businessman" air passenger could be found, nor one who is more sensitive to trends of public opinion. Inci dentally, I should emphasize that the reference to the Stratocruiser was his, and was due to no prompting from me! 1 also took the opportunity of putting two extra questions to Sir Miles about the structure of British air transport, as they seemed to me especially relevant at the present stage of mergers and licensing. Firstly (I asked), with your very sensitive appreciation of public feeling, what do you think is the general reaction to the air accidents that have been in the news; do you think they have made much impact on the public mind ? 1 believe (replied Sir Miles) that people are more and more disturbed about the charter companies. My personal feeling is that these operators are having a rough ride—a raw deal. It is all very well giving lip service to freedom of opportunity in the air, but unless you allow these people to get their bread and butter on some reasonably regular routes, with a fair margin of profit, then you cannot expect proper service in these package tours—and they are of benefit to the public. No; I would say that at the moment the more knowledgeable people will steer clear of some of these charter operations. On the broader aspects of safety in the air, do you think we have put enough emphasis on safety in our aviation research ? I know that the operators will give safety top priority, but what I have in mind is our basic research and development. No, 1 don't think we have put enough emphasis on safety. It is a deplorable fact of modern life that millions of dollars and roubles are being spent on means of exploring the troposphere but only a tithe of that money goes into research on how best to combat fog— which has a deplorable effect on mobility. We should spend less on getting a chimpanzee into space and more on getting millions of people moving efficiently about their daily business. We should stop thinking about saving minutes in the air on a 1,000-mile journey by increasing the speed of the aircraft and devote our resources more to devising better safety standards in matters of airport control; in anti-collision devices; in aerodynamic efficiency; and especially in means of lessening the demands on the pilot on take-off and landing. What about comfort ? There are some who say we have made little or no progress in improving standards of comfort for the air traveller: what is your view as a customer ? The one virtue of modern aircraft is that on a given journey we suffer for a shorter time. But I think safety and comfort are inter related. If you consider a measure of passenger comfort is impor tant it is likely that the crew quarters will be more comfortable; and less fatigue for them means a greater margin of safety for everybody. My feeling is that the travelling public will pay a bit extra for a ride in an aircraft designed for comfort and safety. When 1 see these enormous jets, with six people abreast in the so-called "economy" class, I wonder if that is not the kind ot treatment that is cutting down the rate of traffic growth. I still have people talk to me about the comforts of the old Stratocruiser with its downstairs bar and its bunks, and the opportunity of moving about and getting a reasonable blood circulation and a change of companion on a long journey. But from the point of view of a businessman, to whom time is so valuable, isn't the saving of three or four hours on a transatlantic journey the paramount consideration ? No, it isn't. These high speeds bring their disadvantage, especially on the east-west journeys. The traveller finds himself out of phase with both local time and his own stomach time, and it takes him longer to recover from this out-of-phase situation than
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