An opinion exists, more felt than written or spoken, that safety standards in air transport do not keep pace with technical progress. The facts belie this and, given a united effort by all concerned, there should be opening up a period of increased safety.

A simple comparison of the characteristics of say, the Ensign class with more modern aircraft, cannot reveal progress, and might even show the reverse. Commercial competition, operational demands, and public expectations have taken us beyond the stage when we can think in terms of the aeroplane alone and have led to the present state when air safety can only be examined in terms of the aircraft associated with ground equipment and airline organisation.