British Aviation's best friends—and sometimes, recently, there have appeared to be very few of them— could hardly claim that the image of the industry, both manufacturing and operating, civil and military, has been anything but dismal during the past few years. However bad that image may be, it has been largely brought upon itself by, what an observer on Mars—or in America—might consider has been a carefully co-ordinated series of inept blunders on the part of those running successive Governments, the manufacturing industry, the airlines, the Service requirements, the administrative machine and by the Press and politicians (of all parties) as well. All are to blame—many for making wrong decisions, most for making no decisions at all.