BRITAIN WILL LEAD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21604, 5 January 1945, Page 4

BRITAIN WILL LEAD

POST-WAR AIR LINES WHAT AMERICANS LACK “We shall beat the American in the air without the slightest doubt, declared Brigadier-General A. C. Critchlev, Director-General of the British Overseas Air Corporation, at a discussion arranged by the Royal Aeronautical Society on civil aviation at the Institute of "Mechanical Engineers in London recently. Lord Brabazon of Tara presided. “We shall beat him.” General Critchley went on, “because we know how to look after our customers better than he does, and we have the men to do it. There is not that particular class in the American make-up —they all want to be President after selling newspapers.” Service meant leadership, and that had to be hammered home to all airline personnel if Great Britain were to lead the world, as it well could in civil aviation. In America service meant servility, and they had no real •clea of service to the passenger as we mderstood it. Best Pilots and Crews

"We have,” he said, “the best civil pilots and air crews in the world, and f am determined, through recruitment ind training, to bring our organisation up to their standard in order that as one combined happy working _ team we can lead the world in aviation as Great Britain has always done in things that really count.’’ Recruits were wanted for pilots and air crews, mechanics and ground crews. They must come from the R.A.F., as largely would traffic and administrative personnel and station managers. “It takes more than ? year,” he said, “to transform even the best operational pilot, with thousands ox hours of combat flying to his credit, into a fully qualified civil airline captain.” Station managers, however, were rather a race apart. These had to represent the 8.0.A.C. in their areas and meet kings, ambassadors, governors, and even American business men. As to the training, generally, this could not be carried out except by the creation of a first-class civil aviation school. The R.A.F. larger establishments, with all their good flying and other facilities, should be taken over. All-weather Punctuality

Major Thornton said that allweather punctuality was one of the biggest problems in the aeroplane as a public vehicle. The institution of an all-weather service was of tremendous importance. Although the aeroplane had nothing or little to steal from other merchandise carriers, it would create a new traffic, which should take the form of a daily delivery of the articles wanted fresh and daily, such as newspapers, mail or Cornish cream. Trout, could be brought fresh from Switzerland. _ It was ridiculous to say that_ air transport must always be subsidised. Assuming there were subsidies, they should be such, as to leave all operators on a common competitive level.