Flying British

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25769, 2 April 1949, Page 6

Flying British

In the last few days encouraging news has come from Britain about the progress of the civil aviation industry. Part of it was drawn by Mr Nash, who, when the British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines’ DC6 service was inaugurated a few weeks ago, appeared to cast doubt on the ability of the British aircraft industry to overtake the long lead established by American builders during the war. To this the director of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (Mr E. C. Bowyer) has replied with a vigour that truly reflects the energy and enterprise of the British industry to-day. Too much has been heard outside Britain of the unhappy story of the Tudors and of the necessarily slow and painstaking work on the huge Brabazon landplanes and SaundersRoe flying-boats, which in the opinion of many experts are no more than an aviation gamble with reasonable chances of winning a great success. Too little has been heard about the striking results shown by the early trials of the more orthodox aircraft types listed by Mr Bowyer and about the very significant developments in gas-tur-bine and turbo-jet engine design. Mr Bowyer had good authority for saying that the American aircraft industry has a healthy respect for its British competitors. Not long ago, Senator Owen Brewster, chairman of the United States Congressional Aviation Policy Board, declared:

The British aircraft industry is making such technical progress that it will eventually be selling planes to American airlines. British designers and engineers are planning and producing planes which will outstrip American models.

Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, apparently was deeply impressed by this prospect on a recent visit to the United States. He

is reported to have said on his return that if encouragement were given to the British manufacturers of jet-engined civil aircraft—presumably by the Government and the Government air corporations— Britain could capture the American market and the aircraft markets of the whole world.

It is a good thing that the recent solid achievements of the British aircraft industry and its far greater promise for the early future should be made known in New Zealand, and especially to the New Zealand Government. Before very long it will be necessary to re-equip the internal and external airlines, which are State-owned, with new aircraft; and it is to be hoped that, very soon, there will be a new trans-Tas-man service to be equipped with landplanes. The choice of aircraft must not be influenced by preconceived ideas. If repeated often enough, the argument that the British aircraft manufacturers cannot catch up op their American rivals may become a fixed belief. There is reason to believe that it has already moved the Governments concerned to one bad decision—the reequipment of Tasman Empire Airways with flying-boats, in the belief that American landplanes were the only practicable alternative. It seems now that the new flying-boats will go into service only a little earlier than some of the new British landplanes which seem suitable in every way. No doubt the New Zealand Government will be consoled by the belief, which no aviation experts share, that the flying-boats will be more economical than landplanes. It has repeated that fiction often enough to have convinced itself, however sceptically air travellers may search for the proof in ■ a promise of lower fares. !