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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0370.PDF
(/ycHT] APKIL 29, 1911. MAY WEATHER-WHAT IT IS LIKELY TO BE. By T. F. MANNING. MAY is one of the four best months of the year for flying, as judged by the meteorological records. In this month we get very nearly a maximum of sunshine ; more, in and around London, than we get in June, and only a trifle less than in the top month, July. We also have very nearly a minimum for the year of gales, fogs, and snow, and the only adverse phenomena intensified are thunder storms and rainfall. But to these may be added a probable increased prevalence of east and north-east winds. This latter fact conflicts with the general belief that March is the month pre-eminently of easterly wind, and perhaps there will be less disappointment with the quality of May weather if it be realised that, while east and north winds begin in March, they become more common in April, and prevail still more in May. Gales fall almost to their lowest frequency for the year, and number only about one-third of the storms of January, the worst month. In one hundred years we have had only 97 gales during May, so that the odds against one gale in this whole month are IOO to 97. As this ought to be an important factor in fixing the dates of flying events, it may be said that the records show June to have the fewest gales of any month ; next come July and August, with equal numbers, then May, September, and April. The difference between these and the other six months of the year is very great, October showing an increase of 46 per cent, over September. Like April, this month (May) has very few calm days, the average being only IJ for the whole month. Fogs drop to nearly their lowest number, and the odds against a fog in May (London) are 4 to 3. Snow almost disappears. The chances against a snowfall in the first week are 10 to I, and during the remainder of the month 20 to 1. Hailstorms are only about half as frequent in May as in April. The chances against one during the whole month are 10 to 9, and towards the latter end hail becomes extremely rare. But thunderstorms become very much more frequent, showing an increase of 100 per cent, over April, and reaching just half the maximum for the year, which occurs in July. There is a considerable rise in temperature during May, the mean for the month, over a period of sixty-five years, being 6° higher than in April. The mean temperature for the last day of May is 7J0 higher than that for the first day. But we must look for a cofd period from the ninth to the fourteenth, and this usually affects not only England but the greater part of Europe. As in preceding articles, it may be interesting to compare this with the preceding month, and to see what progress we have made since January, the worst month of the year. The average number 38-6 47-3 75-8 S3-i 74-2 Mean temperature Degree of humidity ... Of overcast and very cloudy days there are an average of 13J in January, 9 in April, and only 8| in May. Taking all weather con ditions into account, or rather all that can be recorded in figures, May appears to be the third or fourth best flying month of the year. The appended table gives the number of weather events occurring on each day, in a period of one hundred years, so that the pro babilities against any event on a given day are as 100 to the figure in the table :— Day. 3 - 4 ... 5... 6... 7 ••• 1st week 13 ... 14 ... 2nd week 15... 16 ... 17 ... 18 ... 19 ... rents occurring in a period of ten years is as January. Ten years'gales 25 ,, snowfalls 39 n fogs 40 ,, dense fogs ... ... 8 ,, hailstorms ... ... 3\ ,, thunderstorms ... h, Hours of sunshine during the month (at Greenwich) ... 42 Rainy days ... 15 Average rainfall ... ... 1-88 in. follows: April. 12 12 15 if IS 149 12 1-57 in. — May. 10 t| 7i 1 8 13 201 124 1-91 in. 23 ... 24 ... 25 ... 26.. 27... 28 ... 4th w 29... 30... 31... Gales. Fogs. Snow. Hail. Thunder. 3rd week ... 26 25 25 7 3 5 3 6 5 S 34 Mean Temp. 49-2 49 "4 497 50-0 50-3 50'6 50-8 5i-« Si-2 5i "5 51-7 52-0 S2'3 52-6 52-8 S3"1 53-3 53'6 53'9 54-2 54-6 55 -o 55 "3 55-6 557 55 "9 56 -o 56-0 36 _- 7 56-2 2 56-5 3 56-8 " The Encyclopaedia of Sport." THIS is an age of encyclopaedias, and the time has been considered appropriate to issue a revised edition of the -"• Encyclopaedia of Sport and Games," which, under the editorship of the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, first made its appearance ten years ago. Since then, when the Editor hesitated as to including an article on cycling, the term sport has developed a much wider meaning, so that the new volumes are new not only in size and form but also in much of the matter contained in them. Everything that was in the original volumes has been either re-written or revised so as to bring it up to date, and full advantage has been taken of the great strides made in recent years in the art of illustration. Each volume contains on an average about 500 photographic illustrations, all excellently reproduced, besides a number of drawings and several coloured plates. Two volumes of the new series have so far made their appear ance, the first ranges from " A " to " Cricket," while the second continues from "Crocodile Shooting" to "Hound Breeding." Volume I, with appropriate up-to-dateness, opens with an article on aeronautics, written by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, while the subject of the coloured frontispiece is a charming representation of M. Louis Bleriot's historic cross-Channel flight. The article on " Aeronautics" is a lengthy one and the subject is well dealt with and illustrated by a comprehensive selection of photographs. After treating of aeronautics in a general way. Lord Montagu, in a succinct manner, gives the history of the development of flying up to date, and also discusses the essential details of various types of machines and the more notable examples of them. Dirigibles likewise come in for a good deal of attention, while balloons of the ordinary type are not forgotten. At the end of the article is a bibliography, from which we notice however, that, curiously. FLIGHT is omitted, but doubtless this will be put right in a future edition. There are also a good series of articles on automobilism by Lord Montagu and Mr. Alex. J. M. Gray. Generally speaking, aviators do not usually confine their attention to that science, and in this encyclopaedia they will find information on practically every branch of sport* All the articles have been written by experts in the various subjects, and are written in an enlightening style which is not too technical, so that the volumes form a very delightful addition to anyone's library* Bound in cloth, the volumes are published by William Heinemann at 10s, 6d. net. 372
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