FLYING IN PEACE TIME

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 206, 26 May 1919, Page 5

FLYING IN PEACE TIME

CIVIL AVIATION

BRITISH POLICY OUTLINED

As lpng ago as tho summer of 1917 a very strong committee was appointed by the Britisn Government to inquire iutp the question of civil aerial transport iii all us bearings. Lord .Northclilfo was chairman of- this''committee, but wua called away on a mission to t''e Uivted States after the first ineetiug of tho committee at the end of May, 1917. Major -Baird took his place a.s chairman, 'lim coininittee included a 'number of experts, as well as representatives of tho JJomimons, of the Air .Ministry, and the Home, Foreign, and Colonial Offices. The committee's investigations covered all sides of the question ct civil aviation. Five special committees VJure appointed, each of which inquired into one particular subject. One committee investigated international ■ and municipal law cud policy as affecting civilian aviation; au- ■ other examined, technical a,nd practical questions of aerial transport; another reported on business gncetigns relating to the;aircraft industry and aerial services! another inquired into labour questions; and yet another into special mutters concerning research and expert education. At the moment (says the London "Times" of March U) the question which is most important ie the development of civil aviation in its relation to the air.craft industry and to private enterprise generally. On this the'oonimitteo camo to some very emphatic conclusions, which they strongly recommended to the immediate notice of the Government—the report, by the .way, was presented to Parliament in May, 1918, but was only printed as a Parliamentary paper at tho end of last December. As 10 the development of civil aviation, the committee declared their opinion that:— "Tho development: of civil aerial transport eervices, in order to oreate a market, for the manufacturing industry and consequently to enable it to maintain its power of production and of progressive improvement in design. . . , is essential for the safety, of the Empire. . . . Acria.l transport services cannot be developed by the ordinary commercial methods so as to. , secure thp required result, and State aotion of some kind in developing aerial transport, services is therefore uu,Avoidable." •',■'' • ■■' ■ ' ■' ■

The committee wont on to explain other advantages .from civil aviation in the direotion of quicker inter-Imperial communication, increased facilities _■ for friendly intercourse with foreign nations, etc. ■ •."'■ '»hey then insisted on the need'for a epoedy decision by the Government. "So far as the policy of His Majesty's is. concerned, we desire to lay the strongest emphasis on tfie necessity .~. of .an early decision. To postpone decision until after the war might well bo to allow the manufacturing industry to languish for lack of orders, and thus to lose the .means of carrying out any policy,that might eventually be determined upon. If, therefore. His Majesty's Government-accept our main proposition that the fullest possible development of civil aerial transport servioes immediately after the war is a national necessity, and that it cannot be achieved without State action, will be necessary for them to settle at once what form that action is :to take."

Of Vital Importance, The committee backed up this recom niendation by a striking statement about foreign competition as a spur to action by the British Government ' / "Wβ desire to point out that preliminary aotion has already been taken by several of our Allies for the purpose of preparing for cjivil aerial transport, in some case? by the institution of experimental postal services. It has been reported, also, that'enemy countries have moved in this direption."

They deolared that they considered it "of vital importance that the British . Empire should ; not be allowed' to lag ; nations 'iii ; this movement,' . more especially aa .this might have a •very serious effect upon the position of the Empire with , regard to the international aspects of aerial transport," They urged that there was muoh preliminary work which could be begun, at once. Within the British Isles inquiries should he made as to routes, landing grounds, and aerodromes, "involving in the two latter oases consultation with local authorities." i Preliminary disoussions should, be T)egun with the Dominions and tho Allies, on brow], questions of principle! A bureau in aid of research into the. technical improvement' of aircraft and such matters as meteorology should be established immediately. .■'■■"■.

"We consider, also, that it is a matter of urgent necessity to establish a system of propaganda throughout the Empire, in order to convince tho wholo nation of the vast importance and possibilities of aerial transport and to familiarise th(> Governments and local authorities with the eubiecti There is evidence of the initiation of such a system in enemy countries.". ■

To carry out these... Teoommendations the committee advised that a epeoial branch, "commencing on ouite a. modest scale," should be formed at once under the Air Ministry, "to ensure that all necessary preliminary aotion be taken without delay, definite responsibility being imposed upon the Air Council"; and they suggested that an advisory panel of experts should be formed to assist the new branch.

Meanness Fatal. It is hardly reassuring (saya "Tho Times") to find that the Controller of _ Civilian Aviation, General Sykes,' has ' apparently been considerably hampered by, official neglect to provide him with the elementary necessities for tho work of his Department. There 's a very simple test of the possible officienoy of tho Department which' is to control civil flying. It must have euloient funds. On ■ this point an outspoken passage from ii special report mude to the committee by Mr. S, G. Woils, who was chairman of tho sub-committee which dealt with Labour questions in connecti?£',i_w#i • c^v i l ' flyinsr ' i 9 worth - noti«eihe'Bntish Islands ore email.islands, and our jeople numerically a little people; their only claim to world importance depends on their courage and enterprise, and a people who will not stand up to the necessity of an air service planned on a world scale and taking over .tboU' sands of aeroplanes and thousands of , men from the very onset of peace has no business to pretend to anything more than a. second-rate position in the world. Wo cannot-be both Imperial and mean." In a supplementary report tho sub-coin-mitteo summarised its conclusions in the following forcible phrases :—"Cost what it may, this country must lead the world in civil aerial transport. . . . Put shortly, we may say, 'it must lie done." Approaching the question, therefore, from this point of view it tecomes evident that, if civil aerial transport is 80 necessary to national interests, overy step possible must.be taken by this country and the Empire to foster the rapid development of this form, of aerial power, and by it the power of production in this country.

AIR POLICY FOR CANADA. ... ~ ~ ' Ottawa, March S. The Canadian Government haa decided to appoint an Aorinl Board to investigate the possibilities of commercial flying in Canada. Dr. Thompson, member for the Yukon, who will bo ono of the member*, speaking in the Houso of Commons, advocated the establishment of a regular aeroplane service "between Dawson City and Edmonton. Aeroplanes also could bo used to explore the vast country bn tween the Hudson Bay and the Alaskar. boundary, now almost unknown, and which \b likely to be filled with minerals. Canadians, he said, had proved to bo thi best flyors in the world, eo that hundred* of trained men woro available. He alsso advocated (he uso of aeroplanes by the Mounted Police for patrol and exploration work. . . CAPE TO CAIRO ROUTE. Johannesburg, February 28. Major Court Treatt, the oflicer ir» charge of tho Southern Survey of the aerial route from Cairo to Cape Town, stated to-day in the course of on inteiview that all the sites for aerodromes from Abercorn southwards wore now being surveyed preparatory to the erection of the aerodromes.' In the meantime, supplies ot petrol, oil, dtettlled water,

and other necessaries have been got together at Pretoria for distribution. The distance between the sites- is from 300 to MO miles. With a large Handley Pnge machine tho 5300 miles from Cairo to Cape Town should be accomplished, Major Treatt says, in about 50 flying hours. The survey of the region fiom Victoria Nyanza to Abercorn lias been entrusted to Major Eminett, a South African officer, who lauded at Mombasa about the middle of January.

AERIAL LEAGUE OF NATIONS. New York, March 5. An "Aerial League of Nations," to cooperate in the development of aviation, is advocated by Generals L. B. O. Charlton and G. Livingston, both of the British Royal Air Force. • General Charlton is the first air attache to be appointed, by any Government to one of its foreign-Embassies. 'General Livingston has just completed an important special aviation mission in tho United States for the British Governinout. General Charlton said:— "It is the intention of my Government to co-operate with those identified with aviation in the United States to the fullest possible extent. I havo been appointed to tills new post by tho British Government not only in a military capacity, but also in a commercial endeavour, Co-operation should be the keynote of all aviation development. In the immediate future the greatest development will be in the line- of commercial ondeavour." General Livingston predicted a transatlantic flight within three months, and added; — ~ "I would not attempt) to predi'ct whether tho first inachino to cross would be an aeroplane or. a dirigible, but there aro in existence, specimens of both types which, with necessary luck, could make tho passage."

FIRST FLIGHT OF R33. THREE HOTJES' CRUISE OVER * '■ YORKSHIRE. ' The giant airship, the R33, built for tho Eoyal Air Force by Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth, and Co., at tho Barlow aviation works, had a splendid trial .trip on March 6, writes a correspondent of the London "Times." The day broke bright and frosty, and the mist over the plain was not bad enough to hinder flying. . A different sort of weather wa3 reported to be on the way, but there was an ■ interval of several hours, in which the ship was taken out and testod and made snug again. She is renorted to have behaved thoroughly wofl in all respects. '

Tho moment for lotting £,0 all holds had come ; Bells rang from the commander's car into tho other gondolas. A buglo sounded. All hands uprang away, and the ship, her own mistress at last, ro3e gently and drifted away heartily cheered. The engines were started, and tho airship was brought under tho pilot's control. It sailed into tho west at a height of a thousand feet, and olearly outlined against the sky were the head and shoulders of a man in tho aft gun position. Ho was there to observe continuously the aotion of the rudder and the tail planes as they were operated by the commander 670 ft. away. The doors of tho shed hud been opened by 10.35. The ship was free in the air exaotly at 11. The tranquillity of her flight—for tho noise of the engines eoomed no part of her, but something detached—was wonderfully beautiful, but as 6he sailed there, a dark shadow against the overhanging blue, it came into remembrance that it was craft like this that so often caiiio from .".cross the sea for murder by night. The ship remained in the air almost three hours, moving in a circle betwoon Dbncaeter, Leeds, and Tork, and covering altogether a distance of about 125 miles. She was in wireless telephonic communication with the ground oil.the time, and about 1 o'clock received a message that the wind was likely to increase. The nspeot of the,sky had already begun to change. Heavy clouds were coming along and the wind was freshening a little. . ■ . • ■

• Passing over Barlow en her third circuit, the airship flashed the (signal that she was going to land. The electric dote and dashes shone, like pins on a blnckcushion of cloud, which the ship herself ran into arid was lost for a tirno. While she turned in order to urriye on the aviation.ground, with! her head to the wind she reappeared, and gradually assumed her proper shape and proportions, slanting down with just enough way on to prevent the wind turning her broadside on,' and sometimes drifting backwards to gain an extra bit of epace for her manoeuvres. She came gently' to within a hundred feet of the ground, aud then threw ouit ropes to the landing party. Tho stronger breeze rippled along her covering, and under the restraint of the ropes she gracefully rose and dipped. Gradually she was' hauled lower, till men could grasp the handrails at the bottom of the. fore and the aft gondolas, and as ehe continued bowing in tho wind these men were sometimes lifted in the air, and sometimes brought to their bonded knees. The entry into the shed was. made in the reverse way to the exit; tho ship was backed in tail first, and, without difficulty, ,aa it seemed, she was brought safely into her harbour. The trial is'eaid to have been satisfactory on all points. Colonel Hicks wag the trial flight commander. Major Thomas, the captain of the ship, was also on board, along with Captain , Lotham, Lieutenant Hooley, and Second Lieutenant James, i;he chief engineer. The number of the crew was 23.

The only passenger was Mr. H. H. Golightly, the manager of the Barlow works, who said afterwards that if overy* "thing had been favourable the ship would hare kept the air for throe hours so that tii© change in the weather had only shortened the flight by 15 minutes. "We rare," he added, "to a thousand feet, and went ahead at about three-quarters <)p,eed, making between 45 to '50 miles ari hour. We had a full-speed trial when Hearing York, and then'l think we veto going well over 60 mile 9 an hour at an altitude of 2000 feet. I think it will bo found that tho cruising speed vail be somewhere about GO knots. The vessol answers, her rudders and eleva,tore beautifully. Tho machinery, the steering gear, the different controls, and the trimming of the ship were all tested, and the results were quite up to our expectations,"