BUSINESS FLYING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 154, 25 March 1919, Page 5

BUSINESS FLYING

AIR RIGHTS, SPEED, AND LOAD AN IMPORTANT REPORT The report of the British Civil Aerial Transport Committee, was presented to Parliament early in the year. The original reference w«s to consider. (!) The steps which should betaken with a view to tho development and regulation after the war of aviation for civil and commercial purposes, from a domestic, an Imperial, and an intermit ional .standpoint. (2) The extent to which, it will lie possible to utilise for tho above purpoaj th'o traiuod personnel of the aircraft which the oonclusron of peace may leave sin-plus to the requirements of the Naval and Military Air Services of the United Kingdom and overseas dominions It was soon,found that the committee was far too large, a.nd accordingly it divided . into several special committees, tho most important perhaps 'being No. 1, under tho chairmanship of 'Lord Sydenham, whose task it was to advise on policy and necessary legislation, v.-ith special reference to:— (1) The attitude to be adopted by Hie State with regard to national sovereignty in tho air, and international questions connected with aerial transport, (2) The question of State ownership (if auy) or of necessary State control and regulation of Customs, quarantine, an aliens. : (3) Necessary amendment of the common afld statute law as to the air covering private property, and as.to compulsory purchase of land, for aerodromes and landing grounds. ' (4) The principles of liability for damage caused by or to aircraft. Sovereignty of the Air, These questions raised at onco the initial difficulty of the sovereignty of the air, that is to say, whether the old doctrine that the owner of a piece of land possessed rights usque ad coelum existed up to the present moment and should exist for all time. This question had been discussed as an international one wheii a, convention eat in Paris in order to deal with the rights of international aviation, and that Convention failed largely over this question, tho Germans holding that it was idle to restrict the right of flying over private lands and claiming "tho freedom of the air" in a sense which would allow of machines flying, for example, over Portsmouth Harbour. The British delegates, on the contrary, having in view, perhaps, what afterwards occurred, took tho contrary view, and held that there must bo sovereign rights in any State to control the passage mid use of its own air. The committee came to tho conclusion that in any legislation thore must be an assertion of tho "sovereignty and rightful jurisdiction of the Crown over the air superincumbent on all parts of His Majesty's dominions and the territorial waters adjaynt thereto." They added that, in Ueir opinion, the ordinary threemile limit of territorial waters would not be sufficient for vftiat may be called "territorial air," and they redrafted the original International Convention for submission to the Foreign Office, and, it is hoped, for tho .consideration of. another conference to be called shortly. It may be recalled that , a few Says before Parliament rose Mr. Joynson-Hicks asked tho Government whether they were taking any steps to call such a conference, and the Foreign Office replied that they -hoped shortly to be able to snake a statement on the subject. It is regarded as of the highest importance that this conference should be called immediately. At present them are no logulations governing flying on the Continent or foreign flying here. Methods of identification, of inspection, of. passports, of Customs, the provision of landing stages, and the thousand and one matters vhich requiro consideration and settlement in regard to the new method of transport are still unsettled, and, whether or not Germany takes part in the ('.inference, it is essential, im order that the change from military to civil < ration should not be delayed and complicated, that the conference should get to vork at once. Committee A*o. 1 also drafted the clauses of an Aerial Navigation . Bill dealing with such points as the qualifications for owning aircraft, registration, ' certificates of air-worthiness, certificates of officers, regulations dealing with collisions, identifications; papers, signals, Customs, and the post office. Tho other important question which came before the committee was tho ownorsliip of air by the individual landowner, and the committee eaiae to the conclusion that no action for trespass should lie, except for material damage, but that a right of action for trespass should include one for injury caused by Hie assembly of persons on the kndin" or ascent of aircraft elsewhere than at authorised aerodromes, and in an action for trespass the obligation on tho aviator should be absolute, it not being necessary to prove negligence against Him. Under the present law grave damage may be caused to a man or his property by a moviiur vehicle without' any light of redress. If, for instance, a man is run over in the street liy a motoromnibus ne cannot obtain damages unless he proves that the driver was in some way negligent, hit tho committon relt that in the case of a machine falling from the skies killing or injuring either the landowner, or, say, his poultry, it would be impossible to provo neeWo on the part of the airman, and that accordingly in such a ca.se the actual macEine musing the' damage eliouldho responsible, even thoiufh the fall might be caused by collision with another machine whose pilot was tho guilty party. Conditions of Business Success.

The second Special Committee dealt with the scientific and technical side of Beronnuties with a view\ to ascertaining wltat could be done in cr.mmercial transport by the then existing machines, and they took as their standards four ma-chines-the Hnndley-Page, the de Havil?nm,, ~t l,er , « nd the Sopwith Pup. The two aeroplanes which the war has shown to be suitable for commercial aviation are iho big HandlovPage ono-of tho largest of which recently flew over London with 10 pnssengors, and the de Havilland type of large bomber, the do Hlfl, which has been evolved from the do ll.i since the committee sat, is the Machine which Mr Holt Thomas proposes to use in his flights from London to Paris. The committeo arrived at six definite conclusions about aeroplanes, as follow:— (1) That for commercial success speed'is probably the most material factor. (3) That for commercial sucpiss the speed needed depends very largely on the conditions of competing methods. Between large centres connected by direct high speed railways, speeds of 100 miles per hour are desirable; but for linking placpd between which the railway service is slow or interrupted by sea crossings, lower speeds will be found commercially practicable.

(3) That at present stages of about 500 miles would be the normal limit, but that it will bo desirable from the commercial point of view that stages should bo as long as possible.

(4) That it is desirable as speedily as possiblo to develop the existing facilities for night flying, especially for the carriage of mails.

heavy loading is necessary for commercial success, but since this will involve a high landing speed, development orland and air brakes is necessary. (G) That in view of certain disadvantages of high landing speed, and to provide for aerodromes and landing-places possessing the best possiblo surfaces, nnd that it may well be hoped that futiire inventions and improvements in dmikn will enable a lower landing speed to bo attained without a sacrilice of flying spend.

The committee also had to consider whether there was ;i possibility of unexpected inventions modifying the lines of present development, hut tho.v came to the conclusion that this was not so, and that while there would he considerable development in the existing appliances for flying there was no prospect of more than tiunntativp modifications of existing conditions. The existing aeronlsiny will bo improved. Such tliinus ns folding wings, already used in the Handley-Fagc-maoli-■■»a Tvlllj no doubt, be iacreased. and an

all-round improvement in engines is Mill certain to come. A great improvement lms taken place, in fact, since tho comin'tteo Rat, and the Liberty engine may, though it is not yet certain, revolutionise aerial navigation.

The committee felt that every effort, should be made by State aid ov State encouragement to widen (ho basis of fuel production and to prevent thn great interests both of aerial navigation and of automobilism being <le- . pendent on fuel of any one Id ml, particularly if it conies from oversea. Tho importance of this point lias been emphasised during tho recent war, in which the civilian consumption of petrol has been so severely restricted. The committee also considered at great length definite air routes, such as from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, the Eiviera, Russia, and South Africa. , Provision cf Aerodromes, The mere provision of aeroplanes is a small part of the question of commercial aviation, The provision of aerodromes and landing stages is urgently needed* and without compulsory powere of purchase, of course, is more' difficult. Hie whole question cf landing grounds, 18, regard to which the military side of aviation has afforded ample experience, bad to be considered, and the commitrfo concluded that landing grounds should—(1) Bear some reference to the direction of the main aerial routes; (2) Bo sufficiently far from tho centres of cities to be fairly ckar of bonses m the direction of flight; . (3) Be unlikely to be shut in by buildings in the immediate future; (i) Be as far as possible clear of rail, ways, telegraphs, trees, and other obstructions; (■>) Be situated on giound as far as possible free from mist or fogs; (6) Be provided with adequate water supply, telephone connections, and good facilities for rail, ':ram, omnibus, and motor traffic with t";o different districts ot the,cities to be usited; d) Be capable of expansion. The Second Committee also came to the conclusion that the use of aircraft would «*>advantageous:— (1) In the case of .-nails, by competing with the telegraph service, or by establishing a new type of express letter service ;

(2) In the case of passengers, by affording rapid transit over long ' dis-i ranees, particularly where the journey includes a sea crossing; and (3) Bj- enabling ordinary merchandise, commercial samples, etc., to bo carried more rapidly than by. any other means. fl»e committee, however, came to the conclusion that probably on? of the first methods of employing aeroplanes for the transport of passengers might lie, not in a regular service, but in the occasional and increasing use of single machines for rapid journeys, and this appears to be the line upon which development may be expected to take place, as exemplified in Mr. Holt Thomas's scheme mentioned above.

Ihe third, fourth, and fifth special committees wore of a more technical character. The third dealing with production throughout the Empire of the necesssary types of aircraft for organised aerial services, the fourth with the possibility of setting up a model type of industrial organisation applicable to the whole of the labour employed in aircraft manufacture and transport; and tho fifth with aeronautical inven'agns and experiments, research in Tegard to meteorology, and investigation of accidents. Position of the State, One question was discussed in several of the committees, and in the Main Committee, which will have to be settled by Parhame'nt-namely, whether coinnrrcial flying is to be, undertaken as a big experiment in Stato Socialism, or whether it is to be entrusted to individual cuterprise, supplemented, so far as liwling stages arc concerned, by tho assistance ot the existing military organisation or the exercise by the State of compulsory power of purchase. Some members of the. committee were obviously inclined to favour a State experiment, but Committee A'o. 1. presided over by Lord Sydenham reported in favour of State encourage, meut of private enterprise, and against what may bo called a State Socialistic experiment, It is claimed by many Unit the new industry should be as free from State control as possible. A private firm it is urged, can properly risk its capital in exploiting a promising new invention or development, but a State Department would be m the position of a trustee, would think twice or thrice before risking the necessary funds, and would be responsible to Parliament for its action , -'if J lle war tho Air Co ™cil has admittedly made bold experiments, but it is pointed out that in so doing' tho Department has been untrammelled W Parliament, and has been free to incur an expense unthinkable in peace time