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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0829.PDF
DECEMBER 25, 1909 THROUGH THE SUN IN AN AIRSHIP.* By JOHN MASTIN, S.R.A.Scot. JUST at the present time, when those who have -school-boy acquaintances are racking their brains fur an -acceptable Christmas gift, it may be as well to draw attention to Mr. John Mastin's book, " Through the Sun in an Airship." This is an ideal gift for a boy with an imaginative mind, especially if he has in addition a turn for aeronautics. As may be gathered from the title, it is a tale of a wonderful airship, in which, among other exploits, its owner pays a visit to Old Sol himself—nay, •even has the temerity to venture inside him. It is a book after a boy's own heart, and is written on the lines •of Jules Verne's and H. G. Wells' imaginative and •scientific stories. Conceive an airship that possesses within itself the power not only to overcome gravity but also to contol its own gravity and that of other bodies—-an airship that can attract planets out of their orbit, or repulse them with equal force. Add to this that the owner and his two friends discover how to •make the "Regina" (for that is the airship's name) invulnerable to the fiercest heat, and some idea may be gathered of the exciting adventures which, under the guiding hand of Mr. Mastin, are revealed to the reader. To whizz round Earth and back again to the starting point in but a few minutes ; to hold communication with Earth from any point of space (even from the middle of the sun) by means of telepathy; to carry sufficient luggage and food for several months in one's waistcoat pocket; and to photograph a planet's life-history by means of its lightrays travelling through the void; these * Griffin and Co., Ltd., 6s. are a few of the extraordinary doings of the owner of " Regina" and his friends, which perhaps read with a fantastic unreality to an unimaginative mind. Visits are paid to the various planets, and the vistas of infinite space as seen from this wonder of man's invention as she spins through the ether swiftly and silently, are vividly described. Then when all is ready our adventurers head for the sun, marooning a few mutineers en raute on a planetoid conveniently near. What they find upon Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Luna and in the Sun we must leave to the prospective reader to discover; suffice it to say that as the author unfolds marvel upon marvel, one's breath is almost taken away by the chapter of events. It is perhaps somewhat disappointing to be completely left in the dark as to the principle of working and the source of the power possessed by this mysterious airship. But the vagueness of the description of the actual machine will detract in no way from its fascination for boys, and as the story is evidently intended for inclusion among juvenile literature, it certainly fulfils its purpose. The author is a clever scientist, with a profound knowledge of physics, chemistry, and astronomy, and it is therefore hardly necessary for us to lay stress on the interest and fascination such a book will have for the young idea, and the knowledge incidentally gained in its perusal. The present book is a companion story to " The Stolen Planet " by the same author, the history of the marvellous " Regina " being continued in " Through the Sun in an Airship." REVIEWS OF BOOKS. Laboratoire d'Essais Aerodynamiques. I By S. DRZBWIECKI. • Paris: L. Vivien.) THIS little pamphlet was written in order to draw attention to the necessity of establishing a flight laboratory for the purpose of furnishing aviators with the data necessary for the construction of their flyers, and concludes with a brief summary of the author's opinions as to what should be the initial work of that laboratory. Monographies d'Aviation. By A. BRACKS. (Paris : L. Vivien. 75 c.) IN this series of small pamphlets M. Bracke treats miscellaneous subjects in such manner as it appears to him to most suitably cover the ground. In some cases he collects machines of the same type together, as for instance when dealing with flapping flight, and on other occasions he takes one make at a time, as for instance when describing the Comu helicopter. The Bleriot and the Wright flyers naturally have a pamphlet each. Des Helices Aeriennes. By S. DKZEWIECKI. (Paris: L. Vivien. 2 fr. 50c.) THOSE seeking mathematical investigation of the under- lying principles of bhe aerial propeller should obtain M. Drzewiectei's work, for it goes into the subject with considerable detail, although, being essentially a mathematical analysis, it is perhaps hardly to be recom- mended to those wanting an elementary explanation of how a propeller works. The scarcity of books on the aerial propeller enhances the value of that which Messrs. Vivien have published. Force Portante de l'Aeroplane. By FARAUD. Paris : L. Vivien. 1 fr. 50 c.) IN this brief pamphlet Major Faraud investigates a formula for the lift of aeroplanes, which he applies to a practical machine by sub-dividing the treatment of his subject into separate sections, as follow : resistance of air, weight of the planes, weight of the engine, weight of the mechanism, speed of the propeller, angle of incidence, useful load. L'Aeroplane des Freres Wright. (Paris: Berger-Levraitlt. 1 fr.) THIS little work, which is more in the nature of a pamphlet, relates to the early experiments of the brothers Wright, and also deals with their patents. In the text are given a miscellaneous collection of dimensions relating to one of their actual machines, and at the end of the book there is a sheet containing drawings of a diagrammatic character which have been prepared from a patent. •831
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