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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0262.PDF
/DGES APRIL 2, 1910. CORRESPONDENCE:. The name and address of the mritet not necessarily for publication) MUST in all cases accompany letters intended for insertion, or containing queries. C correspondents asking questions relating to articles which they have read in FLIGHT, would much facilitate our work of reference by giving the number of the letter. NOTE.—Owing to the great mass of valuable and interesting corre spondence which we receive., immediate publication is impossible, but each letter will appear practically in sequence and at the earliest possible moment. AERONAUTICS FOR THE NAVY. [429] Surely your correspondent, Mr. Harold Ingersoll, in his letter on the above subject, published on March 19th, has treated the aeroplane somewhat harshly. In the first place, scouting duties, if performed by air " vessels," should consist of a succession of short, quick passages for observa tion purposes only over the enemy's fleet or ports, a return being made to the parent fleet as soon as possible in order to keep this fleet constantly in touch with the enemy's movements. Such being the case, the aeroplane would appear to be much more suited for this purpose, firstly, on account of its speed, and, secondly, on account of its smaller bulk in connection with detection pur poses. Only under most exceptional circumstances would these scouts be "employed if a gale were expected, and then, owing to its speed, and consequent quickness of return, the aeroplane should be favoured. We must, therefore, for all practical purposes, dismiss from our mind's eye the vivid picture your correspondent presents, re " green tumbling seas and clouds of stinging spray flying mast high, &c." How does Mr. Ingersoll propose to supply the deficit of " reserve buoyancy " in an aeroplane, i.e., a machine heavier than air ? For fleet work there would appear to be no advantage in a dirigible being able to contain its gas for ten days, as at the end of this period this must be replenished, presumably by one of the parent ships, whereas, of course, this is unnecessary with an aero plane. Would not increased horse-power of the dirigible's engines reduce its susceptibilities to making leeway, as, if it were only a question of increasing its speed, this might be done by so altering its shape or form as to reduce its resistance, but probably at the expense of its buoyancy, i.e., weight-lifting and gas-holding capacities ? A. SYDNEY GUSH, Engineer-Lieutenant, Royal Navy. [43O] In the discussion, " Aeronautics for the Navy,'' why should not each ship have a biplane glider, which could be flown as a kite, with one or two men in it ? The machine could be fitted with a double canoe instead of skids, so that it would float if it came down in the sea. If it was made like my machine it could rise straight off the deck, and would be worked with a rope ; if a steady pull was kept on the rope it would go on rising, and if the rope was slacked off the machine would glide down. The " Mayfly" is built in three sections, and can either be taken to pieces, leaving three box girders, in which case it can be stowed away in a space 15 ft. by 10 ft., or else by loosening the wire strainers all the stanchions can be slipped out, and one plane laid flat on the top of the other, and the spars, fore and aft, are quickly taken off. This would be a cheap and efficient way of taking observations from a height. Perhaps it has already been done. LILIAN E. BLAND. L43I] A PERFECT MODEL. Enclosed herewith are three photos of a Weight approximately 7A ounces. The planes are made of wood, body is braced up with wire, and chassis is provided with sufficient elastic to absorb shock on alighting. After giving the elastic motor sufficient turns it will run along a smooth floor at a furious rate for about 20 It., and then will grace fully rise into the air. The preliminary trials, which took place the other day, proved highly satisfactory, and the machine behaved splendidly. We are now fitting another tractor screw, of original design, from lengthy experiments, and it promises, by recent bench tests, to give really wonderful results. Hoping the three enclosures may be of interest to your readers, should you decide to reproduce them in your invaluable journal, FLIGHT. Lowestoft. R. AND L. RICHARDS. ANEMOMETERS. [432] With reference to the letters of Mr. Norman Bowater, and the later one of A. C. H. (421), the form of gauge proposed by Mr. Bowater will certainly be liable to give erroneous results without certain precautions. The second opening being situated behind a plate will be in a region of reduced pressure—the amount of which will depend on the size of the plate and the position of the tube with regard to it, as well as by the velocity ; if the plate should not be quite squarely facing the wind other effects will arise which will render the readings of no value whatever. I do not think A. C. H. 's proposed ferrule would effect any useful result, but the addition of a flange would—in the absence of plate—be of some use, but even with this the results will be misleading if the direction of the air-current is not exactly at right angles to the aperture. Probably A. C. H.'s sug gestion of turning the second tube in the opposite diiection to the pressure-tube will be best, and with no plate or shield on either. In this case the reduction of pressure in the second tube will assist the pressure on facing tube, and give a more open scale. I should suggest the use of any fluid rather than water in the gauge ; paraffin, or glycerine and water, would be better, as owing to its high surface tension pure water is a most annoying fluid to work with. A slightly viscous fluid would be an advantage, as it would tend to damp out the oscillations which occur. The pivoted gauge suggested by A. C. H. is practically identical with Lind's anemometer, the use of which is now, I believe, almost obsolete, and which in any case would not be very convenient for use with low air velocities. The most convenient form of portable instrument now on the market is probably Dine's portable pressure- tube, and Dine's head is the pattern in general use for stationary purposes. In this the pressure-tube is attached to a vane so that it always faces the wind, and the second limb of the gauge is con nected to a tube which is drilled with a ring of siiall holes—so that the effect is the same whatever the direction of the wind. The question as to the means to be adopted for accurately reading the pressures—referred to by A. C. H.—is another matter, and would be too lengthy to deal with here. Bath. B. ROBERTS. scale model Bleriot (c.c. type) monoplane which we have just completed. OLYMPIA AND FINALITY IN DESIGN. [433] May I, from a position of " greater freedom and less responsibility," endorse your remarks on the very disappointing character of the recent "Show." I am one of those whose imagination was fired by the " freaks " in last year's Exhibition, when a long smouldering interest and much study of the new science were brought to the point of actual constructional experi- Messrs. R. and L. Richards' perfect model. 260
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