Evening star., 1949-11-05

ID W eet d JOp at my age, would exert every
effort to make good. F. w. JULIAN.
Says Lack of Subsidies Is Not the Cause
OF U. S. Lag in Jet Transport Progress
To the Editor of The Star:
Whoever wrote your editorial of October
10 on Eve Lag in Jet Airliners" and the edi-
tors note to readers letter citing the Octo-
ber "a report of Aviation Week on the Comet,
has some fuzzy ideas on what is going on
in both British and American aviation.
First. the fact that the British government
has spent millions on developing jet engines
is offered as proof of subsidy. You will find
that the United States Government has also
spent millions on jet engine development
and the only United States jet engines now
available fer airline use were developed
under military contracts. The only Jet
engines likely to be available in the future
will come from the same source. In this
respect United States and British policy are
Identical
Second. the British government has not
guaranteed De Havilland profitable market
for its Comets. 1t has ordered 16 which any
United States manufacturer can tell YOU
guarantees nothing but a loss on the project.
incidentally. your editorial cited orders for
50 which simply don't exist at the present
time and would not be sufficient to make the
Comet profitable if they did. De Havilland
Will nave to sell many more than so Comets
to break even on the deal.
Where Subsidies Have Gone.
The British government has subsidized
development of number of transports and
the costs Of those may well run beyond the
$100, 100000 your writer suggests. The point
is that the British government subsidized
bet IN the future transatlantic competition
is the eight-engined Brabazon which cost
the British taxpayer $42,O0O,O00 whereas
the privately financed gamble on the future
is the jet Comet Not even the British can
see any commercial future for the Brabazon
while 1t is generally agreed that the Comet
is blazing the trail for a new type transport.
The whole point Of the British experience
Is that the government program has pro-
duced white elephant while the privately
enterprised Comet has a good chance to be
winner. The fear Of having to build trans
ports to specifications laid down by aviation
politicians instead of by their own crack
design teams Is one Of the fears that has
kept our own transport builders from sup
porting the transport development financing
legislation now before Congress. The British
experience with the Brabazon and the
Comet seems to support the wisdom Of their
choice.
y. >. obstacles Cited.
There are number OF government STUN
bling blocks to jet transport development
that need to be cleared without any further
outpouring of Federal funds.
l. The Civil Aeronautics Administration
has no regulations for eertification of jet
transport for civil use and until these regu-
lations are developed, it win be hard for
manufacturer to build commercial Jet
transport. He now faces the prospect that
by the time his Jet transport is ready for
flight tests, CAA will have regulations on
jets that may not fit his plane
2. The military are exceedingly slow in
making the next to the best jet engines
available for commercial use. The only two
United States Jet engines released for COM
mercial use are too old for use in any trans
port OF the future. There must be better
arrangement worked out On this score so
that designers are not hamstrung by de-.
signing the transport Of tomorrow with the
engine power of yesterday.
There is no doubt that we need some
action on American jet transports but the
question OF subsidy has little to do with the
real issues at stake. The British can make
out fair case for the subsidized" American
transport industry, citing the DEVELOPMENT
OF the DC-4, Constellation and Stratocruiser
under military contracts that absorbed most
OF the development costs. However, if the
United States Air Force and the CAA will
knock down some Of the technical hurdles
now facing United States jet transport de-
signers. the British will have tough time
holding their current lead Nobody who is
familiar with the ability and ingenuity of
the American aircraft industry believes that
Government subsidy offers any sound solu-
ton to its jet transport problem.
ROBERT B. HOTZ.
News Editor. Aviation Week.
" '~
Speaks Up For Wives
OF Disabled Retired Men
To the Editor Of The Star:
An article in The Star for Octnher 20