BUILDING AIRCRAFT

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 March 1939, Page 4

BUILDING AIRCRAFT

AUSTRALIAN PLAN. The closing weeks of 1938 were notable for two important announcements affecting Empire defence, says ... writer in the “Sydney Morning Herald.” The first was made by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr Neville Chamberlain, in his last address to the House of Commons before the recess. His speech was important because it contained the first public declaration that had war come as a result of the Czechoslovakian crisis, Britain would have been involved against Japan, as well as against Italy and Germany.

The significance of this announcement was not lost on Australia, and may have had some definite bearing on the second announcement —that of the decision to send a. special Air Mission to Australia to study the question of manufacturing the latest types of British military aircraft in Australian factories. The first hint that the Government was considering such a scheme was given in the House of Representatives early in November when the Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) admitted to Mr Schofield (U.A.P., Vic.), that the matter was receiving consideration. An agreement with the British Government, however, prevented Mr Lyons from explaining the plans fully until cable messages from London gave the public its first intimation of the proposal. The possibility of producing British war planes in Australia has been under consideration for at least three years, but the heavy demands of the Royal Air Force, following on Britain’s unprecedented air expansion scheme, resulted in each proposal being deferred'. On February 21, 1936, a notice appeared in the Commonwealth Gazette announcing that the rights for the manufacture in Australia of aircraft for the Defence Department had been conferred on the British firm of A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd., of Manchester, manufacturers of the well-known Avro Anson reconnaissance machines and other types.

It was stated at the time that, the Governor-in-Council had approved of an agreement between the Commonwealth Government and the company, under which manufacture would be undertaken in Australia, and for a time it appeared as if some definite action would be taken, but, as with subsequent proposals associated with other British firms, the matter was allowed to drop. The subject again came up for discussion last June by the Australian Ministers who were then in London. The feeling at the time was that instead of building a British reconnaissance plane of the Avro Anson type, with comparatively short range, the Federal Government should seek the manufacturing rights of a long-range type. INFLUENCE OF U.S.A. Difficulties arose, and it was not until the Australian authorities decided to order 50 Lockheed bombers from America, and began to consider seriously the possibility of manufacturing this type in the Commonwealth, that British interests put their proposal for the production of English machines in Australia on a concrete basis.

Significantly the proposal to send a British air mission to Australia to discuss plans for the manufacture of the latest types of war planes was not made until after at least two important foreign companies had announced tentative plans for Opening factories in the Commonwealth. The Lockheed Corporation announced plans for the establishment of an assembly works for twin-engined American transports, capable of con'version into military types, and this was followed in October by the decision of the DoU(glas Company to open a factory within twelve months for the production of Douglas and Northrop bombers for export to India, New Zealand, and New Guinea. Thus the definite prospect of losing the Australian aircraft market completely possibly influenced the British Government to some extent in its belated decision to strengthen the Pacific defences of the Empire by building war planes in this country. Some highly-placed air authorities in Australia still have a preference for American planes with ranges up to. 2000 miles, but they are prepared to give their strongest support to the British proposal, provided that the machine eventually chosen for manufacture in Australia is a high-powered

twin-engined type, fitted for longrange reconnaisance, patrol, and convoy work, bombing and torpedo dropping. They are reinforced in their views by the opinion of Wing-Commander 0. R. Gayford, commanding officer of the R.A.F. Long-rangd Development Unit, which recently broke the world’s long-distance record. Commander Gayford stated that the most suitable type for Australian conditions would be a medium twinengined bomber capable of carrying a large load for a long distance at not less than 2000 miles an hour. In England, it is considered that the only types likely to be acceptable to the Dominions are Hawker, Bristol, or Vickers machines, and of the various planes available the advanced model of the Bristol Blenheim bomber is universally regarded as the logical choice for Australian production. This machine has a speed of more than 300 miles an hour, and there is every probability that it will eventually be manufactured in the Commonwealth.

SUBSIDIARY INDUSTRIES. The large-scale production of modern war planes in the Commonwealth will automaticaly result in the introduction of valuable subsidiary industries. The necessary steels are already obtainable here, but magnesium and aluminium are not made in Australia, although they will be essential in any self-contained scheme. Another problem to be faced will arise from the present shortage of precision machine tools for aircraft production, and the need for a standards laboratory. Officials would have to be quite certain that parts of aircraft manufactured, say, in Newcastle, could be easily assembled in Melbourne.

Hie latter problem has already been tackled by the Commonwealth Government, which recently decided to establish an aeronautical research lal.oratcrj’ in Melbourne, under the control of Mr L. P. Coombes, who, since 1930, has been senior scientific officer of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. In view of the latest announcement of the Brit- 1

ish Air Mission to Australia, it would seem that the decision to provide a standards laboratory was made to pave the way for the manufacture of the British machines. Mr Cpombes was chosen out of nine applicants for the position of supervisor, because of his special knowledge of British machines.

Another matter that must engage the attention of the authorities will bo the selection of a suitable site for any aircraft factory decided upon. As Melbourne already has its factory at Fisherman’s Bend, the principle of decentralisation would indicate the wisdom of locating the second factory .in New South Wales. Certain fundamental factors will naturally be taken into consideration, such as the need' for the site to be adjacent to a suitable aerodrome and other engineering industries which employ large numbers of skilled mechanics of the type required for aircraft and engine manufacture; and the vital necessity for it to be beyond the range of naval guns which might conceivably be trained on it from invading warships off the coast. Quite a number of suitable sites could be found in the industrial belt extending from Newcastle to Port Kembla. The Royal Air Force mission to Australia will be welcomed by all interested in Australian defence, which can never be adequate until the Commonwealth manufactures its own planes and provides full opportunities for the training of a strong reserve of pilots.