§ 10. Mr. George Wardasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation whether he has any statement to make about the recommendations of the Brabazon Committee which examined the relative responsibilities of the pilot of a civil airliner and the ground control in conditions of very low visibility.
§ Mr. BeswickLord Brabazon's report was published yesterday. His Majesty's Government accept in principle this valuable Report, including the main recommendation that the operator, and not the State, should continue to be responsible for laying down weather minima to be observed by the pilots of aircraft in landing at, and taking off from, aerodromes. The Report contains a number of suggestions for detailed safeguards, of which the most significant is that arrangements should be made for the measurement of "runway visual range" in conditions of poor visibility; these suggestions are receiving intensive study in my Department.
§ Mr. WardIs the Minister aware that the whole country, and particularly the flying public, will be most grateful to Lord Brabazon for undertaking this investigation and for his valuable Report, which will give rise to a great deal of confidence? Has his attention been drawn to paragraph 15 of the Report, and does this mean that F.I.D.O. will be installed at Heathrow, as the Opposition have recommended for a long time?
§ Mr. BeswickI thoroughly agree with what the hon. Gentleman has said in the first part of his supplementary question. We accept the particular recommendation to which he calls attention, and it is, except in one small detail, applied at the present time.
§ Mr. KeelingWould the hon. Gentleman explain the expression "weather minima"?
§ Mr. WardDoes the hon. Gentleman, in reply to my supplementary question, mean that visual landing aids are to be installed at Manston or that F.I.D.O. is to be installed at Heathrow?
§ Mr. BeswickI mean that full landing aids, with the exception of I.L.S., are already available at Manston.