Ministry of Civil Aviation and successors: Safety and General Group: Papers

BT 248

1927-1979

Files of the Safety and General Group of the Civil Aviation Department relating to all aspects of air safety pertaining to aeroplanes, helicopters and hovercraft with the exception of medical matters.

The subject matter of the files includes:

• United Kingdom participation in the International Civil Aviation Organisation
• the development of safety requirements for aircraft, including the Comet and Concorde
• aircraft testing and certification
• research into and testing of aircraft safety equipment
• flight time limitations
• ground facilities at airfields in the United Kingdom, Africa, Germany and the Middle East
• the Airbus project
• weather conditions and their impact on aviation safety

This series also contains policy and case files concerning aircrew training and licensing, and air accidents.

The Safety and General Divisions used the SG and SGG file series, the Regulations and General Division the ARG series; the Safety and Licensing Directorate (and from 1959 the Flight Safety Directorate) the JH series, and its Training and Licensing Branch the ATL series; and the Overseas Facilities Division the FA series.

Aviation Safety and General Division files in AVIA 113

Papers of the Air Transport Advisory Council are in BT 257

For further records of the Safety and General Group see DR 42

Papers of the Air Safety Board are in BT 256

Public Record(s)

English

• Board of Trade, Aviation Department, Safety and General Division, 1967-1970
• Ministry of Aviation, Safety and General Division, 1959-1967
• Ministry of Civil Aviation, Safety and General Group, 1945-1953
• Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Department, Safety and General Group, 1953-1959

512 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 1982 Department of Industry

Topics

Shipping

Europe and Russia

Air transport

Middle East

Series is accruing

Upon the formation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Safety and General Group was formed to deal with safety in the air and on the ground by means of training, licensing of aircraft and crew, and the control of operating standards. The Group also dealt with the registration of aircraft, the drafting of regulations and negotiations for suitable facilities abroad.

The Group was itself divided into four divisions: the Operation, Safety and Training Directorate, the Overseas Facilities Branch, the Regulations and Licensing Branch and the Medical Branch. On the formation of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, these were re-organised to form the Civil Aviation Overseas Facilities Division, the Civil Aviation Safety and Licensing Directorate, the Civil Aviation Regulations and General Division and the Civil Aviation Medical Branch. Following the creation of the Ministry of Aviation in 1959, a further reorganisation resulted in the creation of the Aviation Charters and General Branch, the Aviation Safety Directorate, the Flight Safety Directorate and the Aviation Medical Branch.