PLANES. FOR DOMINIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1934, Page 3

PLANES. FOR DOMINIONS

SUGGESTION FROM BRITAIN GIFT OF SUPERSEDED MACHINES. AID TO EMPIRE'S DEFENCE. Re-equipment of the air forces of the Dominions with machines from the Royal Air Force that are being replaced by faster types, instead of the various countries each buying their own machines, and using them until they are obsolete, is suggested by Mr. C. G. Grey, editor of “The Aeroplane,” who is convinced that the scheme is workable and would result in much greater efficiency in the Dominion air forces. “So far as we in Britain can gather,” he says, “the difficulty about raising an adequate air force in each of the Dominions is lack of money with which to buy new machines and motors—which naturally represent the bulk of the capital outlay. We in Great Britain, on the other hand, are always wanting new aeroplanes and new types of motors. And I gather that one of the minor reasons for delay in re-equipping our squadrons with new and up-to-date types is the wasteful expense of scrapping the old types. “Why should we not, just to show our goodwill to the Dominions, make what in these days is abominably called a ‘gesture’ and hand over t the Dominions the complete equipment of those squadrons which are being re-armed in this country with the latest types of aeroplanes? That would surely be better economy than pulling old machines to pieces and selling them as scrap metal by weight. POSITION IN THE DOMINIONS. “The air forces of all the Dominions began with equipment which was handed over to them free of charge as a gift from Great Britain in 1919. It was all surplus war stuff, most of it was terribly bad material, but built, fortunately, under the rigid inspection of the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate. Quite a lot of that original surplus war stock was still in use only ttvo or three years-ago. In fact, there may be some the old D.H. 9A’s still flying. “The Royal Canadian Air Force today consists of about half a dozen Arip-strong-Whitworth Siskins of somewhere about the 1924-25 type, from which the machine-guns have been removed so that they may fly more easily. Surely we can present to Canada three or four complete squadrons of Bulldogs when the latertype Bulldog replaces them and is issued to squadrons. ' “If we do not, probably the Canadian Government will re-arr.. with American fighters and trainers after they have seen at the Toronto Centennial Celebrations a skyful of American aeroplanes and only three or four exceTent British machines, so outnumbered as to be unnoticeable. GIFT FOR AUSTRALIA? “A year or two ago the Royal Australian Air Force with, great difficulty scraped together enough money 1 from its Government- to buy itself a few Wapitis. The Government spent nearly all its money on a couple of perfectly- useless inferior cruisers for the Australian Navy, when the money would have equipped a real air force. “Most of our Wapiti squadrons have now been re-armed with Harts, so surely we could present several squadrons of Wapitis to the -Australians? “Even the South African Air Force, not yet Royal, would scarcely object to receiving material from the Royal Air Force free of all charge. The existing Air Force was trained on Imperial gift aeroplanes until two or three years ago. And as Mr. Pirow can hardly hope for a gift of squadrons of fighting machines from the Junkers company in Germany he might tell the SA.A.F. to accept British aeroplanes. “If the Dominions were not too proud to accept an Imperial gift 15 years ago, they need not be too proud to accept another to-day, as a step toward an Imperial Air Force. The scheme ought to suit our aircraft industry very well, because, although the trade might lose a few orders from those Dominions, the Royal Air Force itself would get rid of old stock and more machines of new types would be ordered. “And to-day, in spite of the small number of people who are in civil aviation in the Dominions, the number of New Zealanders in particular who are thoroughly reliable, intelligent and . safe pilots in the R.A.F. and in British civil aviation; is utterly out of proportion to the population of those islands. “Quite seriously, I commend,to the Air Ministry this step toward/forming something like an Imperial Air Force. Let us rejequip all our own squadrons with the very latest aeroplanes and engines, and then, instead of breaking up the obsolete machines and selling them for scrap as we do at present, let us give them to the Dominions, so that they can keep more pilots in training.”