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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0010.PDF
rp.ic"Ti others, as Chevaliers of the Legion d'Honneur, of which M. Surcouf (President «f the Societe Astra) was simul taneously made an Officier. The historic concours daviation at Rheims marked out the month of August, for not only was that meeting the first of its' kind, but even up to the present it has proved to be by far the most successful that has been held. As we have had occasion to remark before, the Rheims meeting commenced the run of " circuses," and the much qualified success of all its successors may be regarded as beneficial in its effect of checking the mis placed and very undesirable enterprise which otherwise might have become not only painfully evident but burdensome to the new industry, by its substitution of paid trick riding in place of legitimate sport and of healthy competition. Possible operations in this direc tion have been further nullified by the adjudications of the Commission Aerienne Mixte, when, later in the year, it was ruled that any surplus profits of any aviation meeting shall be directly applied to the advancement of aviation. In plain English, the result is that no meeting designed for the financial benefit of the promoters will ever again be authorised by the representative bodies. But once again we have wandered from the strict order of events, and after the conclusion of the Rheims meeting the flight of over an hour by Mr. Cody, constituting a world's cross-country record, although not officially observed, was at that time decidedly the best performance that had been made in Britain. The Brescia, Spa, Berlin, Cologne and Boulogne meetings followed closely upon one another during September, while within the month Lefebvre was killed at Juvisy, Captain Ferber at Boulogne, and the "Republique" dashed her crew to the ground through the dislocation of her propeller-blade, and the consequent rupture of the envelope. News of the last-mentioned disaster, coming within two days of the death of Fetber, was conveyed to the French Presi dent while he was in the act of opening the second aeronautical salon in Paris, and naturally it threw a gloom over the event. At a meeting of the Aerial League to elect Lord Esher as president, on September 30th, Mr. Patrick Y. Alexander announced that he had decided to offer a prize of ,£1,000 for a 20-h.p. British aerial engine which, under certain conditions, would run continuously for 24 hours. Little need be said of the Blackpool, Doncaster, and Juvisy meetings, or of the action of the JANUARY I, 1910. Aero Club, and its subsequent complete justification in regard to the first two. Of greater historical and picturesque interest was the flight of the Comte de Lambert from Juvisy to Paris and back, in the course of which he circled around the Eiffel Tower; the four- mile flight of the Baronne de la Roche—the fust lady pilot—at Chalons, and the circular mile flight by Mr. J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, at Shellbeach, which won the Daily Mail prize of _^i,ooo. Farman's latest world's record was made on October 27 th, at Chalons, when he was officially credited with having flown 137^ miles in rather more than 4^ hours. On the last day of October Herr Grade, in his monoplane, won a ^2,000 prize offered to the first German to fly in a figure-of-eight round two posts placed one kilometre apart; while Paulhan secured the British height and circular mile records at Sandown Park on November 6th, after having given a series of demonstration flights at the new Brook- lands " aerodrome." It was a happy idea that suggested itself to Mr. Moore- Brabazon as a variation to the monotony of prize-winning to prove that pigs can fly by carrying one of those despised quadrupeds with him on his machine at Sheppey. Latham's 20-mile trip to the shoot of the Marquis de Polignac was probably dictated by similar motives. On the strictly serious side of aviation, however, Latham had been far from inactive, for after alternate rivalry between himself and Paulhan, he succeeded on December 1st in carrying the height record to 475 metres, or 1,550 ft., in spite of a wind blowing some 36 miles an hour. Five days later, news was received of the death of Fernandez at Nice through the breaking of his elevator-controlling cord. The year was practically concluded by the Aero Club's annual dinner on December 15th, when the Duke of Argyll presided. Altogether it has been a year of intense and constant activity on the part of Governments, organisations, and individuals ; and the results of this activity have been manifested in every direction. So far as England is concerned, the coming year will see the formation of the nucleus of an aerial fleet—thanks largely to the energy of the Morning Post—while the aeroplane experiments that are being carried out at Brooklands and at Shell- beach, as well as in secrecy elsewhere, may be expected to place England in a considerably better position than that in which she finds herself to-day. " Flight" Copyright Photo. Mr. A. V. Roe, on his triplane, flying at Wembley on Friday of last week.—Our photograph was taken during the first flight.
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