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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0583.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2201. Vol. LIX. FRIDAY, 30 MARCH 1951 EDITORIAL D/RECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR n;H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL EDITOR C. B. BAILEY-WATSON, B.A. ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, Or LONDON, S.E.I. ' Telegrams, Flightpres, Sedist, London. . Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). y Branch Offices: ". COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams, Autocar, Coventry. '. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 * King Edward House, j ; New Street. | Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. \ Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 ". 260, Deansgate. • Telegrams, Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone, blackfriars +412 (3 lines). -:'. Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, Iliffe, Glasgow. .'. Telephone, Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s.Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., lix months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Meteor Mk 8 - - - - 358 The Heron's Progress - 360 Celestial Navigation Trainer 364 Portrait of a Pioneer - 365 Big Day at Baltimore - 368 Developed Mamba - - 369 Convertible Aircraft - - 372 Protected Aiglets- - - 375 Airing Civil Aviation RECENT debates on the Air and Navy Estimates seem to have wanned Memberson both sides of the House to aviation matters : last week they debated the variousaspects of civil aviation with great vigour. Following an able and comprehensive opening speech delivered by Mr. George Ward, who is chairman of the Conservative Party's Parliamentary Committee for Civil Aviation, much that needed ventilation was brought out, though the facts—pro and con—were frequently buried in a great deal of political verbiage or obscured by dust from many grindstones. It is true that there was little new in it all, but most Members came well prepared with facts and quotations, and thus the details were assembled to give the most complete picture seen for many months. The debate will be reviewed in our next issue, but certain salient points may be singled out for mention here. The accounts of the two Corporations, for example, once again came in for a good deal of severe criticism. It is right, and to be expected, that the continuing heavy losses which taxpayers must shoulder (in addition to many other much greater and vastly less worthwhile national expenses) should be deprecated, but we feel that more credit might have been given for such progress as there has been during the last year by both B.E.A. and B.O.A.C. We would, also, associate ourselves with the high praise accorded to the efforts of Mr. Peter Masefield, B.E.A.'s chief executive. On the Corporations' non-scheduled activities we must comment less favourably. However much circuitous argument there may be, and however much justification for actions is claimed on the grounds of increasing the revenue earned by otherwise inopera- tive aircraft, with no addition to overheads, the whole business appears at best to savour of questionable ethics on the one hand and shabby treatment of the non-scheduled operating companies on the other. This judgment has no political flavour; it is based only on fair and normal business practice. , Certainly it is the duty of the Corporations to turn their deficits into profits by all fair means and as quickly as possible, but patently it would be intolerable if an individual businessman were compelled to contribute towards his business rivals' expenses so that they might undercut him. Discussions of high landing-charges and low rates for carriage of air mail in this country were indeterminate, as were those on the anomalies of fuel taxation for com- mercial and private flying. Suggestions were made, however, that further savings ought to be effected by reducing even more the staffs of the Corporations, in particular B.O.A.C. The number of B.O.A.C. employees has already dropped from 23,600 in April, 1948, to 15,600 in January of this year. Over-staffing at high administrative levels at British airports—an airport manager and an airport commandant appointed by M.C.A. and a station superintendent by the airline—was also mentioned. Although, for a long time past, we have heard objections to the appointment of too-old men and retired Air Force officers to important posts in civil aviation, we feel that in some quarters there has been too great a tendency to generalize from the particular in this matter. Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd contributed a welcome and informative speech on the subject of Fido, and firmly corrected exaggerated estimates of its operational cost while indicating its undoubted value. Finally, it must be recorded that a large part of the debate was devoted to aviation in Scotland, and particularly to the subject of Prestwick and its development. Impassioned speeches were made by various members from across the border. Mr. Beswick replied by quoting the large part of the deficit—of the order of £462,000—occasioned by Scottish services. The cost to the public of Prestwick's development and maintenance had already been put at £2,788,000 by Mr. Rankin. The Bill—Consolidated Fund (No. 2)—was read for the second time. The lively debate gave encouraging evidence of widespread interest in civil aviation and of the considerable specialized knowledge of the many Members who took part. These are healthy signs.
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