ABSTRACT
At the end of the First World War the Royal Air Force was the most powerful and modern air force in the world. It not only bore witness to the immense progress that had been made in aviation during the years of war, but also pointed to the great possibilities which lay in the future. Both the Air Minister, Lord Weir, and the Chief of the Air Staff, General Sykes, recognized the great potential of aviation, especially in the virtually untried field of civil transport, and were conscious of the need for immediate and decisive Government action if Britain was to maintain her lead in the air. During the second half of 1918 they gave considerable thought to the needs of aviation in the post-war era, and at the end of the year presented comprehensive but realistic plans for both service and civil aviation.
