§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that an aeroplane flown by one pilot may be slightly damaged in landing so that it collapses when flown by another pilot, it is advisable that officers of the Royal Flying Corps other than those at the Central Flying School should in turn fly one and the same machine; and whether he will consider the desirability of arranging that each officer shall have a machine allotted specially to him for the welfare of which he alone is responsible?
§ Colonel SEELYIt is the general custom in the corps for an officer to fly the same machine, but it is not considered advisable to issue any hard and fast rule on the subject.
§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked(1)whether the Report of the Committee on Accidents to Monoplanes is ready to be issued; whether it will be available for the use of all those interested in the construction of aeroplanes; why, if it is not now ready, authorised or unauthorised copies of the Report have been placed in the possession of officers of the Royal Aircraft Factory and of officers of the Royal Flying Corps; and (2) whether the Committee on Accidents to Monoplanes has recommended that certain constructional alterations be made in monoplanes already in the possession of the Royal Flying Corps; and whether the expense of carrying out these alterations is to be borne by the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Aircraft Factory, or by the constructors of the machines?
§ Colonel SEELYThe Report has been received, and is now being considered by the Army Council. I propose to lay the Report in due course. Copies of the Report are in the possession of Members of the Committee.
§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked how many officers of the Royal Flying Corps who are classed as trained military aviators have had no opportunities of practising during the past six weeks owing to the 1697W fact that the machines belonging to the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps have been in use for the purpose of training officers recently appointed to the Flying Corps; and whether a number of these recently appointed officers have been appointed without having passed their course at the Central Flying School in accordance with the intentions expressed in the past by the Secretary of State for War?
§ Colonel SEELYThe answer to the first part of the question is none. With regard to the second part of the question, no officers have been recently appointed to the Military Wing without having graduated at the Central Flying School, but a number of officers who have been selected for the Royal Flying Corps and are on probation are doing their course with the Military Wing instead of at the Central Flying School. These officers will go to the Central Flying School in order to graduate, and will not be appointed finally until they have so graduated. This has been done in order to obtain the number of trained officers we require as expeditiously as possible.