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COMMERCIAL AVIATION

26th August 1919, Page 20
26th August 1919
Page 20
Page 20, 26th August 1919 — COMMERCIAL AVIATION
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Some Topical Notes and Comments.

How False Impressions are Created.

IT IS A well known fact that certain recent flying events, which might have done Much to establish the world-wide reputation of British 'aeroplanes and engines, were rob-bed of practically all their interest and utility by restrictive action in official quarters. It is obvious enough that, if we are to have big races, the results of which are widely reported in the world's Press, the consequences will be positively detrimental if the results obtained fall far below those which other countries are able to show. The aircraft industry has, until recently, been necessarily very closely, tied up to the Government, but there is, now, no longer any excuse for official interference of a kind calculated to make it impossible for the fastest machines to take part in a race which is naturally expected to show a winning timereally representative of the best that we can do._ The Value of Competitions.

There is no doubt about the value of races and kindred competitions, from the point or view of commercial aviation. Many years ago, it was proved beyond question that motorcar racing helped to find out the Weak spots and to accelerate progress in design. Its effect upon the development of the commercial vehicle was, of course, somewhat indirect, but none the less it -existed. Moreover, the two cases are somewhat. different. Thee is no Class of service to which the ceinmercial vehicle is put in which high speed is the first consideration. In commercial aviation, on the other hand, we must depend primarily upon speed for most of the earliest developments. The most obvious uses of the flying machine_are those in which it can save time as compared with other means of locomotion, and the more time that can be saved the stronger our case becomes. Speed is not, of course, the only desirable quality In other spheres, weight:carrying capacity, durability and economy of operation-are the main points to be sought after. Consequently, the speed test is net. the only desirable form of trial.

We want also events more comparable to the 1907 trial of commercial motor vehicles. An event of this kind would involve daily flights' of only moderate duration. Speed would count for little. Load-carrying capacity and cost per ton mile would count for much. At various important eenfres and perhaps at every landing point, participating machines would farm a sort of small exhibition. ' The performance of each machine would be independently observed and the cause of failures noted. Petrol and oil consumption would be carefully recorded. At the conclusion of the trial,*all parts subject to wear or liable to any form of depreciation would be thoroughly examined. The results would not only be valuable to those successful in obtaining the highest awards, but would he of very great utility to the entire aircraft indystry and to the publics since they would form a reliable basis upon which to frame estimates of the running cost of aeroplanes in actual regular cervices for the carriage of goods or of considerable • numbers of passengers.

Experimental Services.

For the purpose of proving our whole case, and not only encouraging desirable developments hut discouraging those that are undesirable, the best thing E4/3 of all would be the establishment of experimental services, preferably financed and supervised by the industry as a -whole. The alternative to this last arrangement would be for the individual services to be financed by individual firms, but for the whole to be supervised by a responsible central committee representative partly of manufacturers and partly of business experts. The firm. responsible for each service, vould, of course, have the right to publish proved figures of operating costs. The supervisory committee would have no such right, but would be charged with the duty of considering the operating costs ofall the services established and deriving from the figures thus collected really reliable estimates, inclusive of every conceivable item,. such as establishment charges, depreciation, and so on. The possession of such figures would be an enormous asset, because the finaneial Soundness of any venture subsequently propose&would then be only in doubt so far as concerned the receipts. The expenditure, presuming the service to be properly run, would-be known in advance.

Even as regards receipts, the experimental service would form a useful guide with the help of which traffic experts ought to be able to get very near the mark. Promoters of new aerial concerns would be able to, and really ought to be obliged to, submit the estimates forming the basis of -their prosPectuses to the central 'committee foe corroboration of the .soundness Of their calculations;. • The 'committee would be able to give a, sort of certificate to the effect that the proposed'venture appeared to be a reasonable proposition, having regard to the accumulated data available. , This certificate would be most useful to the public, 'since it would form a reliable guide for investors and would prevent iil-advised speculations, the results of which are otherwise liable to discredit commercial' aviation in its early stages.

Aerial Photography.

It is evident that aerial photography is going to cut some figure in peace as well as in war. I observe that already one firm is professing its willingness to undertake this class of work for clients. There is, unquestionably, a good field for the aerial photographer and cmemetograph operator, particularly, perhaps, in countries that are not -yet in a highly developed stage. Aerial films. would, for example, be very valuable as an assistance in the work of preliminary survey before the construction of road cr railway. At home the business of the aerial photographer is likely to be interfered with by Jaw. We cannot allow aeroplanes to travel constantly at low altitudes over dense crowds in order to take records of popular events. The risk of serious loss of life is one which should not be taken at the present Stage. Moreover, there are many events the principal performers in which would be considerably embarrassed by„ such attention. The leading exponents of sports such as cricket, golf and so -on would certainly not eleome the efforts of the aerial photographer to portray a bird's-eye view of their particular styles at a critical stage of the game. , My own idea is that, so far as civilised 6onntnes are concerned, the most useful connection between the aeroplane and the camera will be that the former will provide an extraordinarily rapid means of conveying the productions of the latter to the newspaper offices for reproduction while interest in the subject illustrated is still red-hot.

BEMBRIDGE.

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