Airclues
17th Aug 2010, 20:55
In 1928 my father worked for Thomas.H.Mawson & Son, Town Planning Consultants. During a recent loft clearing session I discovered a document that he helped produce. It was a feasability study, produced for the council, into the building of an aerodrome at Weston-super-Mare. It is 24 pages so can't copy it all, but I thought that the readers of this forum might be interested in the introduction.
If anyone is interested then I could copy some more extracts.
The whole question has recently become very prominent in two ways. In the first place, aeronautics have now got to the point where the experimental and dangerous state of development is definitely passed and the use of this form of transport by the public for either business or pleasure is eminently feasible as an everyday affair, and, as soon as the prejudice against flying, which past failures and accidents wear off, we shall take flying as much for granted as an ordinary way of getting about rapidly as we take for granted other recent inventions like wireless or the cinematograph. Aeronautics will become as much a part of our lives as either of these other two innovations are.
It is possible that this statement may appear a little exaggerated, or anyway premature, to some people who have not had occasion to look thoroughly into this matter, but the following facts will amply substantiate it and could be added to many times over.
and, towards the end;
Finally, before closing, we ought perhaps to mention one alternative which presents itself, but which we feel would only solve the provision of a flying ground in a very temporary and unsatisfactory manner.
We believe that, in one or two cases, flying clubs have arranged with golf clubs for the occasional use of a portion of the course as a taking off and landing ground.
One obvious objection to this arrangement is that such a large portion of the fairway would have to be kept free from bunkers and other obstructions as to lessen the sporting nature of the course. Another is that, someday, sooner or later, as flying develops one thing or the other would have to give way, either the flying or the golf and the ground be used for one purpose only, and meanwhile the opportunity to zone other suitable land somewhere else might be gone forever.
Dave
If anyone is interested then I could copy some more extracts.
The whole question has recently become very prominent in two ways. In the first place, aeronautics have now got to the point where the experimental and dangerous state of development is definitely passed and the use of this form of transport by the public for either business or pleasure is eminently feasible as an everyday affair, and, as soon as the prejudice against flying, which past failures and accidents wear off, we shall take flying as much for granted as an ordinary way of getting about rapidly as we take for granted other recent inventions like wireless or the cinematograph. Aeronautics will become as much a part of our lives as either of these other two innovations are.
It is possible that this statement may appear a little exaggerated, or anyway premature, to some people who have not had occasion to look thoroughly into this matter, but the following facts will amply substantiate it and could be added to many times over.
and, towards the end;
Finally, before closing, we ought perhaps to mention one alternative which presents itself, but which we feel would only solve the provision of a flying ground in a very temporary and unsatisfactory manner.
We believe that, in one or two cases, flying clubs have arranged with golf clubs for the occasional use of a portion of the course as a taking off and landing ground.
One obvious objection to this arrangement is that such a large portion of the fairway would have to be kept free from bunkers and other obstructions as to lessen the sporting nature of the course. Another is that, someday, sooner or later, as flying develops one thing or the other would have to give way, either the flying or the golf and the ground be used for one purpose only, and meanwhile the opportunity to zone other suitable land somewhere else might be gone forever.
Dave