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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0590.PDF
IfLiGHf the machine has more than satisfied the expectations of her designer. By virtue of her speed, which is somewhere between 60 and 65 miles an hour, she is apparently oblivious to wind gustiness, while she is possessed of a remarkable " vif" in the matter of " get off" and climbing. Nothing occurred on Friday on account of the wind, which was persistent between 20 and 30 miles an hour. Saturday was more favourable, and tuition commenced early in the morning. Hubert flew for a circuit or two to test the machine, and then gave pas senger flights to the pupils. Driver made several laps, and Davies did some rolling. There was an unmistakable air of loneliness during the afternoon and evening at the aerodrome, as all the aviators, with the exception of Hubert, had departed for the Gordon- Bennett Race at Eastchurch. However, he made up for their absence by some really good work on the school Farman. Several passenger flights were given. Later on he climbed to a height of 2,000 It., and circled the neighbourhood, alighting by a long glide from that height. One could see his propeller come to rest while he was yet about 1,000 ft. up. No flight was made on Sunday until the evening, when Compton Paterson went out for a long flight on the "Baby." Circling until he had risen to 1,000 ft., he left the boundaries of the aerodrome and made a wide circle towards Cricklewood. Passing over Golders Green and Mill Hill he turned back towards the aerodrome and descended with a long vol plant. Monday was a day of intense excitement owing to the arrival of the competitors in the Circuit of Europe. Soon after the arrival of Vedrines, when the wind was blowing somewhere in the vicinity of 30 miles an hour, Paterson went out on the " Baby " and made a most exciting flight of a quarter of an hour's duration. During the delay between the arrivals of Beaumont and Garros, Mr. Grahame-White made a characteristic exhibition flight on the same machine, banking heavily on both right and left handed turns, and flying along the front of the enclosures at a colossal speed. Clement Greswell flew the " Baby " a little later and made an excellent show, although he has only flown this machine once previously and that several months ago. Throughout the afternoon Grahame-White, Paterson and Greswell gave many exhibitions on the Grahame-White biplane, while Hubert was busy with the school "bus." Paterson- and Hubert did a good deal of passenger carrying, the former taking 13 passengers one after another, and making several flights three up on the military Farman. Hubert's score was II, and among those he carried was his friend Gibert, the R.E.P. flyer, who was for some time mecanicien to Mr. Grahame-White while he had his first aviation school running at Pau, South of France. Tuesday was another good day. Greswell was out first on the "Baby" soon after 11 o'clock, and made a pretty flight of several laps. Paterson came out later, and flew very trickily, introducing many of the " stunts " he has apparently picked up since he settled at Hendon. Just before tea-time he started out on a long flight for the purpose of testing the capacity of the " Baby's " fuel tank. He kept at a height of 2,500 ft. for an hour and a half, flying in AT THE LIVERPOOL POLO GROUND.-A vol plane by Mr. H. G. Melly on his Bleriot. 592 JULY 8, 1911. circles of about four miles in diameter until his supply was exhausted* He descended en spirale, his vol plant lasting something like two minutes. Hubert then made several circuits on the school " bus,"' following which Paterson made several flights on the military machine with passengers. Salisbury Plain. ON Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week the aviators, were storm-bound and work had to be confined to the hangars. On Wednesday afternoon Major Bannerman, having arrived from Farnborough, the other officers of the Air Battalion paid a visit to the Bristol hangars and inspected a military machine fitted with a Renault engine. Much to the delight of the pupils the weather changed during Friday, and the Bristol School was soon hard at work. Messrs. Pizey, Jullerot and Fleming took up pupils for flights. Col. Smeaton, R.G.A., made a circuit of the ground and Capt. Fulton carried up a lady passenger. At 2 o'clock on Saturday morning Messrs. Pizey and Fleming were on the ground overhauling a machine, and at half-past three started off to fly to Eastchurch. They called at Brooklands for half an hour on the way, and after the pilots had changed places continued their journey. The strong winds in the neighbourhood of Rochester brought them down there, and they completed the journey to Eastchurch by motor car. During Saturday morning the Officers of the Air Battalion were out, Capt. Fulton and Lieut Conner putting in a deal of scouting practice while in the Bristol sheds the work of erecting the monoplane with a 50-h.p. Gnome engine was proceeded with. Both on Sunday and Monday the Air Battalion Officers were at work, and Capt. Fulton made a good flight on the extension biplane in a very strong wind. Capt. Burke's Farman has been returned from Oxford, and is now ready for the air again. Another Australian pupil, Mr. Watts, has joined the School, and although his time is very limited, the Bristol instructors have every confidence that he will qualify before he returns to Aus tralia. In the evening, Capts. Fulton, Burke, and Massy* and Lieut. Conner were all in the air indulging in scouting practice. The new Bristol monoplane was brought out for the first time, and, with M. Prier in charge, made a very fine flight of 55. minutes, during which a height of over 1,600 feet was reached. M. Prier made a beautiful landing by means of a vol plane, and explained that he had only come down owing to the petrol supply getting very low. The machine behaved very well, and appeared to be extremely fast. On Tuesday the Air Battalion Officers put in a good deal of practice, and Captain Massy was flying for half an hour. M. Tetard has now returned to Salisbury. Southport Aerodrome. ON the 3rd inst., after a week's enforced idleness due to squally weather, the Dines anemometer fell to 19 m.p.h., and Mr. Gaunt took out the " Baby " biplane he has made for a straight 2-mile trip, which subsequently he repeated, descending with a neat vol plant. Owing to some mischievous tampering by the crowd, half the elevator got bent 6 ins. out of normal, and Mr. Gaunt had a narrow escape on his next attempt, the machine quickly turning over, landing on the wing tip ; but this fortunately held together, and so saved a smash. On the 4th, Mr. Gaunt made several trial flights in the evening, after altering the adjustable inci dence of planes to do slow flights, and covered over 10 miles'with remarkable steadiness in the 12 m.p.h. wind. THE NEW ARMY BIPLANE. THE Army aeroplane to which we recently referred has several times lately been out for short trips under the pilotage of Mr. De Havilland, but so far has managed nothing better than straight trips up and down Laffan's Plain, no turns being attempted. The machine has been altered by the removal of the small pivoted shoes at the rear of the main skids* and instead a large single skid (pivoted and spring controlled) has been fixed up forward nearly under the elevator, as there was a distinct tendency for the machine to come down somewhat heavily forward. The outriggers carrying the rudders have been considerably shortened, and at present only a single seat is fitted. The main dimensions are :— Elevator, 16 ft. effective span by 4 ft. 6 in. chord ; top main plane, 38 ft. span by 6 ft. chord ; lower main plane, 36 ft. span by 6 ft. chord ; propeller 10 ft. 6 in. diameter ; speed, 800 r.p.m. ; 8 struts only between main planes; gap of main planes, about 6 ft.
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