October 21, 1920] 



NATURE 



259 



learned societies, to representatives of various Govern- 

 ment Departments, and to the secretaries of the 

 Transport Workers' Federation and of the United 

 \ ehicle Workers. 



Turning now to the details of the meetinc, the first 

 day was devoted to civil aviation and air services 

 and to the operation of civil aircraft in relation to 

 the constructor. 



Major-Gen. Sir Frederick H. Sykes, Controller- 

 General of Civil .Aviation, was ithe author of the first 

 paper. He dealt in detail with the growth and present 

 position of air-mail goods jind passenger services 

 (a) in the I'nited Kingdom, (fc) between London and 

 the Continent, (c) in foreign countries, and (d) in the 

 British Dominions and Colonies. Under (fc) he gave 

 .1 most valuable series of statistical tables, showing 

 the amount and type of the general traffic, the number 

 of arrivals in and departures from the United King- 

 dom, the number of letters carried, customs returns, 

 ;md the number of accidents. Details as to the last 

 were very striking; the dangers of air traffic are quite 

 >mall, and it was stated during one of the discussions 

 that all the accidents for some time, so far as could 

 be known, had originated in the failure of the engine 

 iir of one of the engine accessories. 



A large map brought clearly before the eyes of all 

 the routes actual and projected, and information was 

 given with regard to the proposed services from Paris 

 to Prague, Warsaw, and the Balkan States, and from 

 London to Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Scandinavia. 

 The importance of Egypt to the Imperial routes to 

 Africa and the East was verv clearlv shown. This 

 point was stressed later by Sir Hugh Trenchard in 

 his paper. 



The second part of Sir F. Sykes's paper dealt with 

 the factors contributing to successful air services, and 

 the author concluded a most valuable contribution 

 with suggestions for the future development of those 

 ■services. Referring to the recommendations of Lord 

 Weir's Advisory Committee on Civil .\viation, he said 

 that the more experience he obtained and the more 

 he considered the case in regard to the scheme of 

 subsidies which Lord Weir's Committee recom- 

 mended, the more clear he was that those recom- 

 mendations were sound. He appreciated the 

 argument in favour of allowing industry to stand 

 on its own feet, but he was strongly of opinion 

 that civil aviation must not be allowed to die for 

 lack of direct assistance, the need for which would 

 only be temporary, that was to say, during the period 

 — three to five years — during which old material was 

 being used up, and while new and really suitable types 

 were being evolved. Without this small stimulus it 

 would be very diflficult for transport concerns to show 

 enterprise and vigour, even if thev could live during 

 the next year or two. 



The conference was greatly indebted to Mr. While 

 Smith, the able and energetic chairman of the Society 

 of British .\ircraft Constructors, for his paper in the 

 afternoon. .After discussing the present lack of 

 financial success in operating air services and its 

 main causes, and emphasising the need for improved 

 trustworthiness, while pointing out the high standard 

 already attained. Mr. Smith proceeded to give a series 

 of most important statistics as to the costs of operating 

 commrrrial air service.s, showing the capital expendi- 

 ture involved in the use of various types of aircraft, the 

 operating costs, and the necessity of improved design 

 nc shown by the operating costs. 



The tables which accompanied the paper will, no 

 "uht, be published in full. ,ind. while they may need 



rrection in some details Mr. Hnndley Page in the 

 'urse of the discussion did criticise some of the 



ures relating to one of his machines- they form a 

 'ist valuable mine of information and must prove of 

 NO. 2660. VOL. io6l 



immense service. The economic advantage of the 

 large high-powered machine is very clearly brought 

 out. 



The second day was devoted to research. Between 

 the morning and afternoon sessions on that day a 

 most interesting visit was paid to the Croydon .Aero- 

 drome to see the arrangements for the departure and 

 arrival of aircraft to and from the Continent and to 

 learn something of the working of an air-port. A 

 large number of the most modern types of machine 

 were on view, and many members had their first 

 flight. 



Lord Weir was in the chair, as was specially fitting, 

 for during his tenure of office as President of the 

 .Air Council he appointed a Committee on Education 

 and Research, and thus led up to the scheme connected 

 with the Zaharoff professorship which is now being 

 developed at the Imperial College. 



.Air Vice-.Marshal L. L. Ellington's paper gave a full 

 account of the present position of aircraft research 

 and contemplated developments — questions which, as 

 Director-General of .Supply and Research, he was 

 specially qualified to discuss. He dealt in the case 

 of aircraft heavier than air with trustworthiness, con- 

 trollability, performance, safety and comfort, and 

 cheapness. Particulars were also given as to airships 

 and kite-balloons. 



Capt. Barnwell, in the afternoon, dealt very fully 

 with the technical aspects of Service and civil avia- 

 tion. In the course of the discussion reference was 

 made to the important work carried out during the 

 war by the scientific staffs of the Royal .Aircraft 

 Establishment and the National Physical Laboratory, 

 and the fear was expressed lest the reductions which h.id 

 taken place at Farnborough were on such a scale as 

 to impair the efficiency of the research work. It was 

 also pointed out by several speakers that, in addition 

 to a research stafif in the scientific establishment, ft 

 is essential that builders of aircraft should be in a 

 position to retain the services of a staff of skilled 

 designers, whose work is necessary before the results 

 of research can be made use of in improved machines. 



During the afternoon session two resolutions 

 were moved and carried nem. con. The first, 

 moved by Major-Gen. Sir R. Ruck, was to 

 the effect "That the Air Conference of jqzo desires 

 to record its emphatic opinion that the rapid develop- 

 ment of civil aerial transport is vital to the interests 

 of the Empire, not only as a means of developing its 

 communications, but also as an essential element in 

 its defence, and the conference endorses the recom- 

 mendations of Lord Weir's .Advisory Committee on 

 Civil .Aviation and urges their adoption by the Govern- 

 ment " ; while the second, moved by Prof. Bnirstow. 

 urged that sufficient means for researches, both in 

 the Government establishments and elsewhere, should 

 be provided, and that steps should be taken to 

 enable constructors to retain the services of a number 

 of skilled designers. 



On the first day a resolution had been carried 

 urging that certain mails should be conveyed bv air. 



The work of the third day was no loss interesting 

 and important. In the morning Air-Marshal Sir 

 H. M. Trenchard, Chief of the .Air Staff, spoke on 

 the aspects of Service aviation, the problem of war 

 in the air. He discussed at some length the prospects 

 of young officers in the Force, pointing out that all 

 cannot be taken on permanently, and suggesting that 

 in some cases four years in the Force might take the 

 place of the university. In conclusion, he said that 

 the power of aircraft to cover great distances at high 

 speed, their instant readiness for action, their inde- 

 pondrnce of physical communications, their indiffer- 

 cnce to obstacles, and the inability of an enemy un- 

 provided with an Air Service to counter their attack, 



