CIVIL AVIATION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13240, 16 January 1941, Page 6

CIVIL AVIATION

expected to follow the WAR Canberra. Dec. 28. ‘ There should be an immense advance in civil aviation after the war. and the progress made during tie war will provide for that advance said the Director-General or Cimi Aviation (Mr Corbett) in the department’s annual report, made available to-day. Aircraft would cost less, and commercial aviation would become a more profitable undertaking. When the war was won Australia would be among the first-class air Powers of the world. Apart from a huge increase in pilots, ground engineers, and aa ai aiicraft there would be many additional aircraft available for commercial services. Possibly many war machines might be convertible for civil use. Many new aerodromes would be available, and air navigation aids, would be greatly increased. Progress had been made in spite of the war —it might be said because of it. even if the demands of the war effort might have masked the actual value of some of the progress. Australian air services in 19 3 9-40 carried 847,9601 b. gross weight of air mails on Empire and internal services, which was 551.2441 b. less than in the previous year.

Empire and foreign mails originating in Australia totalled 8 4,3 791 b. and that addressed to Australia 150,5131 b.

Internal mails not surcharged weighed 350,6541 b., and surcharged mail 189,3901 b.

The services flew 49,110,975 passenger miles, carrying 106,135 passengers and 2,003,6921 b. of freight. Mr Corbett revealed that plans were being made to extend the radio beam path for civil air lines from Adelaide to Perth, from Adelaide to Darwin, and from Brisbane to Daly Waters —an additional 470 0 miles within another year.

The radio beam path already extended 2000 miles from Brisbane to Adelaide, and from Melbourne to Tasmania.

Few airline-companies earned sufficient from passenger and freight revenue to pay operating costs, largely because of the high cost of aircraft and petrol, but as air routes developed a stage would >be reached —and had been reached by one company—wheh payment for carriage of mails on a straight-out pound mile basis was all the assistance necessary to ensure operation.

Since the Avar began the department and airline companies, AA’orking in close co-operation, had done many valuable services for the Na\’y, Army and Air Force.

Air transport services ■ had been used extensively for the transport of troops and key personnel of defence services. These movements in some cases had necessitated several companies co-operating in a ■ series of special trips, arranged to interfere as little as possible Avith regular airline schedules. Main internal trunk line seiwices and the Empire air service had been used for rapid conA r eyance of service men. Large numbers of workmen required for defence works had been transported by regular and special trips.