BRITISH AIR WONDERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 205, 24 May 1919, Page 7

BRITISH AIR WONDERS

. AMAZING NEW PLANES JULES VERNE WONDERS MATERIALISED "Like an hour of Jules Verne—but founded on fact," was the description of a speech delivered in the House of Commons by Major-General Seelv in introducing tho Air Estimates i for tho ensuing year, (luring which the Government; propose to expend 66} millions and are providing for the maintenance of 150,D0C men. . The Under-Secretary for the Air had a dazzling story of pant aerial achievement to unfold and gave his audience a 'peep into .the future which left them entranced. The wonders of which ho spoke include:—

A wireless telephone now perfected. A seaplane which carries 12,0001b. and has flown 100 miles an hour.

An 'aeroplane is;building which will carrv 20,0001b. ' An aeroplane (only planned as yet) which will attain speeds hitherto undreamt of. . • ■ An nir post between Cairo, and Tiwhti. . An air route survey of Darkest Africa is in progress. Five years ago almost to the day, General Scely recalled, he was asking for one million for our air service. Now the estimate was for 6n£ millions, and had tho war stone on it would have, been over 200 millions. When the armistice came we wcro producing 4000 no'roplanes a month, and he claimed that, thanks to the astonishing valour of our men, we could now 'certainly assert that we are "masters of the air:" During the war just under 8000.enemy machines'were shot down, by our pilots, against. 2800 of ours missing (and probablv shot down). "It means," he com-i-mental, "probably 40,000 or 50,000 desperate battles' in. the air, and we can only bow our 1 heads in- respectful admiration of' such incomparable - valour. The House cheered- .sympathetically. Defence-of "Our Air." Coming to the future of the force, hfi said the estimates had been reducod bv two-thirds and (he was afraid- itwould be bad news' for aviation companies) after the existing orders had heen completed there would be but few fresh orders' for several months. It had been decided'that-.the peace strength of the air force should he 5300 officers and M.OOO men, and' that there should 1)5 10?- squadrons.- , "There is not much risk of this country heinsr Attacked by air at the present time." he said, "alluding-to-Hip need "] a stronir force at home. "But he would be a, rash man'who would sny that there is no'risk of this country being so attacked in the future. "The power of aerial attack is so great and. so swjft, and preparations can be made so secretly, that _we should be gravely to blame—certain-as fe arc oi securing a just peace-to neglect the defence of 'our air,' as it might be ca led. We are. therefore, retaining the nucleus of. the op>ani c ation of our home defence force, and fiHhoiipti do not "Wfint fl. (jrefifc many fiauadroTis for -the luonient hp™ we must have them available. GnnerM Seolv also touched on the pro-portions-of the air forces to.he retained with the armies of occnauou and tlio Fleet, an'l remarked: "I. am not surfl that in a few years air power may not make fleets and armie= as we see them now obsolete. Certainly that would be so if tlie progress in the air during the next ten years be nn anything like the (inme stale as in the past ten yenrs. (Cheers.) , Greatest developments in the air seiviee were to be. looked for in the Has . where there are both space and perfect climate, and as an-example of the practical use of which .the aeroplane was being nut on the outposts of the ;he said our political, officer at Bagdad ltf nble bv aeroplane In make in two days the round of in?necl ; ons which used to occupy him two mouths. (Cheeis.) Air Mail to India.* "The possibilities of carrying the mails from' Cairo" to India ore very .favourable." he went on. "How best to do it. whether' to carry them -by. members of thtf'Biyal Air Force, or to put the contract up 1/) lender, or to grant thfi rjglus to a chartered conioany on the lines of the original East India Company, is a matter for future consideration, though not for long delay; hut we-have got there lion- the aeroplanes which could do the wor'i. and the Postmaster-General is enthusiastic ovet the prospects of N the new., service .. There are olner routes on which service} could be started, hut t.he Air Minister had decided, that it is best to concentrate first on this. "We are far more advanced than any other country in the preparations that we have made, for civic'flying." claimed General Seely, passing lo another phase of the Ministry's ..activities. Wc had passed legislation lo provide our own air regulations, and were engaged at Paris in discussing the' international regulations.- The next duty will be to plan air routes at home and abroad. "Tho Controller-General has already drawn up a complete list of the aerodromes which will be required in this countrv for civil aviation, as well as those required ior 'military purposes. Thev will be titled with sound and light signals, with beacon stations, with telephone and telegraph stations, with directional wireless enabling you to direct your aeroplane from the ground, and, I am glad lo sny, with wireless telephones, in which- only' during the last few days we have achieved a result which we have been trying to secure for a good many years. , '

• "Wehavegota wireless telephone with which we can both send and receive' on the same' instrument. Until a few days ago it was possible for one aeroplane to communicate wiih another, but not to receive the answer."

The whole aerial route from Cairo to India has been surveyed, and there are three surveying parties choosing aerodromes on the route between North Africa and the. Cape.

"I say nothing about the Atlantic route." he remarked. "That is a difficult matter, and. the less said about it until you are quite sure you can do something the better it is. It is no good boasting that you can do 1 his, that, and the other until you can see your way clear to do it."

Dealing willi further inventions of the war. General Seely touched on "direc-tional-wireless." "The Germans were the first, I think, to use-.directional wireless with-effect, but fortunately for us we could always intercept their messages, and as we had got their code we were able ay ways to know where to a I tack them. (Laughter and cheers.) We have been able lo direct machines from the ground with complete success, and the • difficulties in the way of flight in misty ■weather may be overcome." 100-Miles-an-Hour Seaplane. Before the war ended we were experimenting with several new machines, and General Seely gave the following particulars-.— i * "There is one seaplane of a novel type , now being built. It is the largest so tar wliioli has actually been flown. It has five ' Bolls-Royce engines, aud it carries 1 13;000lb. (nearly li tons) at 100 miles an • hour. "Another aeroplane is being built which is oven larger. It is 111 ft. in span, 85ft. long, and will carry a useful load of just, under 20,0001b. (nearly 0 tons). It is not complete, but it will probably bo a success.' "Wo have/another aeroplane, of which the plans are completed, far larger than either of these, with 8 engines, ri&velojiing possibly very considerable speeds and carrying a much larger load. "We have under construction, conceived by ft brilliant brain arid entirely novel in type, an aircraft which I will uot particularise. Although it is guile .possible that it may not succeed—mathematicians linvc told us that it will and that il; will attain speeds hitherto -quite undreamt of and having qualities of a kind different from anything we have over ticen—l liopo later in tho year to bo able to give moro information about this 6omewliat remarkable invention." Lord Hugh Cecil spoke of a great schism in the Air Force, officers who can fly regarding with contempt officers who cannot fly. Nothing could exceed the unsatisfactory nature, of tho relations between Hieui—those who aro in charge ot the administration, and to whom it is necessary to go at every turn, and who do not enjoy tho- confidence and- respect ot tho great body-of flying officers.

Colonel Moore Brnba/.on, a well-known flying man, who called for the creation ot an Air Staff, also touched on this aspect ot tho question. "Wo have suffered,' he said, "from Staff officers of Hie Regular .Army who have no technical knowledge of tho service." He reinfect an amusing story of a Staff officer coming to him one day and taking out of his hands some important and abstruse calculations, leu minutes later the officer returned to ask: "What is perpendicular? Is it up and down or sideways?',' (fjoud laughter.) Ii was hoped to make (lie Air Service a crack corps. "Then let it be a crack corps of efficiency and not of social snobbery," Colonel Brabazon asked. Air Transport Committee. "Everyone in the lioyal Force must leurn lo lly," General Seeiy salu, speaking of « new regulation. In further reply tu other points raised in tlw debate, he .-aid the report of the Aerial Transport Cominillce had been to a large extent, the framework on which the Government had founded their proposals to the Aerial Convention at Paris. On behalf of the Government ho desired, lo express his cordial thanks to the inonbcm of tho committee, of which Lord Noi'fhcliffe was chairman, for their great-ser-vices. "The report of the committee is one of the most valuable reports ever presented to the Government," he added, "and nil hough tho whole of the proposals of that committee could not be adopted, on almost every aspect of the air it hit flu* nail oil the head more than nnv other document."

Artmiralty has any idea of withdrawing Admiralty has any idea 0 fwithdrawiug from the Air Force. All the senior officers of General Sykes's staff for the civil side of the Air Ministry have been selected, (lie whole staff is in process of formation, and shortly tho whole thine would be in working order. There would be civil as well as military officers, but for the moment mast of the posts would continue to be filled by R.A.I 1 , officers.