COBHAM LOOKS INTO THE FUTURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18938, 7 December 1929, Page 10

COBHAM LOOKS INTO THE FUTURE.

(Written for the “ Star 99 by

SIR ALAN COBHAM.

K.B.E. V A.F.C.).

Fifteen years ago flying ceased to be the hobby of cranks, and has passed successively through a time of war, a period when it was a pursuit for the rich, and now has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Our trade and prosperity in future depend upon it. With designers, engineers, and pilots second to none in the world, we are nevertheless lagging behind in one very important respect, and that is the provision of landing grounds. Aviation is a new industry which already employs hundreds of thousands of people throughout the w T or’d, and its development has been most marked in those countries where the air sense of the people has been stimulated by the fact that flying has been brought to their doorsteps. Germany and the United States use aircraft for sport and business as a matter of course. Their countries are intersected by air lines between all the principal towns, which have provided, at thei»* own expense, landing grounds to cater for passengers and merchandise by air. Every Town an Airport. There is no reason why every town in this country should not become an airport. Few places exist which have i no flat land in their vicinity, and the mere obstacles of hedges, ditches and trees can soon be removed. All that is needed is an area of more than 80 acres; the more the better, of course, to allow for development which will bring revenue in later years. The site must be chosen with care, as the future prosperity of each town depends on its choice of an aerodrome Business men and tourists may alight, but no regular air line will choore as a stopping place a town where the airport is badly situated or unsuitably laid out. Choose Your Ground To-day. Land bought to-day will be worth many times as much in a few years’ time. And what an opportunity for the true sportsman who has the ideal site in the neighbourhood! Its preparation gives work for the unemployed, and the site will be a lasting monument to the foresight of the donor, or whoever is instrumental in bringing it about. Situation is Everything. I should like to mention briefly a point which is often forgotten. The usefulness of an aerodrome depends on its situation with regard to the town which it serves, and it is quite useless to have one beyond the .suburbs. Thinking in terms of future de\*e!opment, it should be the object ->f every public authority to earmark its aerodrome in the* local town planning scheme with the idea of havi -g it as near the centre as possible. Otherwise, in years to come, the town which neglects its present opportunity will find itself off the map, just as to day any town without a railway station is considered out in the blue. An aerodrome will remain permanently an open space, a lung from which fresh, air is constantly circulating. Aeroplanes will become as quiet as a RollsRoyce, and will cause no danger or nuisance to those who have prepared for their reception a parking place with proper facilities for alight'ng and taking off. Stemming the Tide. You might as well try like Canute to stem the tide as to prevent the free passage of aircraft, which by law can proceed anywhere, provided tha f a reasonable height is maintained. But no pilot has a right to land on anything but a licensed aerodrome, and, speaking from experience, I can say that a forced landing is never made except in an emergency, and it must

always be attended by a certain amount of anxiety. To land-owner* and farmers who write to me, complaining that pi’otc have landed in their fields, I always point this out, but I add that their complaint is not so much against the pilot, but against the iocal authority, which has failed to provide a safe landing ground. All landing grounds must be licensed by the Air Ministry, and are like seaports in that no captain of a ship would be unaware of their proximity in case of need.

The Cost of an Aerodrome. One of the reasons that sea transport is so much cheaper than that by land is because a ship needs no highway. Similar conditions prevail ior air transport, and the status of being classed as an airport can be secured bv any town without the expense of maintaining a highway. A landing ground for aircraft need not*cost much more than the price of the land. No buildings are necessary in the first instance, and in any case these may be erected by private enterprise on the payment of a rental to the corporation concerned. It is essential, however, that any aerodrome site be chosen by someone competent to judge its comparative merits with other sites in the neighbourhood, and after a license has been obtained the ground should be marked with the name of the town, a wind vane should be erected, a telephone installed, and a man put in charge.

Trade by Air. It is vital for this country to extend its markets throughout the world and retain its position as a nation of transporters, from which much of our prosperity has been secured in the past. The air age has arrived, and unless we are equipped to take advantage of its possibilities we shall become second-rate. Given the machines, the engines and the pilots which lead the world in quality, what is there to prevent us from flying out of our rut of post-war depression? Nothing except the stimulus at home and the demand within this country for trade by air. On my tour of the British Isles this summer I hope to be of some assistance at every place. I land, by pointing out the obvious position for an airport to any of those responsible for local affairs who care to make a flight with me. With the slogan, “A Thousand Landing Grounds for Britain,” there seems no reason why this number should not be reached in a year’s time. Other countries are ahead of us already. We have no time to lose! (Anglo-American N.S. Copyright).