BACKWARDNESS IN CIVIL FLYING

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1928, Page 3

BACKWARDNESS IN CIVIL FLYING

'The backwardness ol 'iill tiring ill Britain is one ol the disquieting taels in the air position,” is the interesting fact brought out in the “ Daily Mail Year Book.” "Germany has numerous services (57 last year) operated with great success, and having flown t.OOtt,000 miles in the twelve months with one grave accident. "Civil flying in Germany is subsidised by the Reich government to the extent of £2,300,()()() a year, and the actual amount spent on it is said to he nearly £10,(100,000 annually. In this country the total amount ol aviation subsidies in 1027 was £2-17,000, and the only‘regular service run is one trom Croydon to Paris, with an■extension to Zurich.

•' One consequence of the absence of civil Hying is the inability of British aircraft construction to meet the needs of any sudden demand such as war would impose. ’I lie existing machines ol the Force would be used up in one month ol war, and there is not the plant in the country to replace them quickly. 11l 1917-18 we constructed 34,147 machines; m 192(1-7 under 1,000. '| lie total number of private aeroplanes in Great Britain was 59 in 1927 ; in the Unite I States it was over 5,000 ; and in Germane it is believed to be consider-

The number of crashes in the K.A.F. lias unfortunately been considerable. but no figures are available to ascertain what is the number of miles flown to each crash or death, though it is obvious that some such test is necessary to decide whether these accidents arc due to faulty machines or negligence. In the first seven months of 1927 the deaths were 39; in 1920 (twelve months}, 85.

•• These figures should tie compared with those published in July lor the United States Army Air Service, which are stated in tv; ins of fatal crashes i not deaths, though two or more have been killed in some ol the crashes). In 19211 the U.S. Army crashes numbered (it! with 57.012 miles llown per fatal crash. The loss was steadily brought down year by year (with one exception, 1922 1, till 1920, when there were only 28 crashes, and 523.757 miles flown per fatal crash.

••|n the United States naval air force for the year ending June 30. 1927. there were 10 crashes, which killed 25 persons, and it was claimed that the number of miles flown per fatality was larger than in any previous year, figures comparing miles flown with fatalities are not available lor other

foreign air services; but it does seem dear that the British death rate is heave for the smallness of the Forte.”