FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0591.PDF
JULY 8, 1911. ••VALKYRIES" AND WITH remarkable generosity Mr. H. Barber, in his presentation to the British nation of four of his military monoplanes, has, in a practical way, come to the rescue »f the British nation in making it possible for practical work now to proceed in the Navy in addition to the very circumscribed work which is at present being carried on by the Army. Nothing but contempt can be felt by Britishers in general at the state of things which at present exists in connection with the grant of funds by the Government for the purpose of placing our Army and Navy upon equal footing with aerial weapons of offence with other nations ; a state of things which throws the executive upon the "charity" of such patriotic men as Mr. Barber and a host of officers who have expended time and their own cash in large amounts. By this means they have provided what in any other country would unhesitatingly have been voted to ensure the position which a first-class nation like Great Britain should maintain without possibility of challenge. Mr. Barber is a scientific enthusiast, who for the past two and a half years has been to great expense in designing and experimenting with aeroplanes, with the result that his Valkyrie military machine has been evolved. Not the slightest official recognition has been given to him during all his labours, and although the admirable work which he has carried through and the complete success with which he has established the efficiency of his monoplane, especially for military purposes, has been common knowledge, an opportunity has not even been given him to demonstrate the capabilities of his machines to the higher military officials. It is to men like Mr. Barber, who help forward the British industry by designing and constructing entirely British machines, that special credit and recognition should be given. When one sees the titles and honours which are showered upon absolute nonentities, and in many cases worse, for the purpose of serving very questionable political ends, it gives one to think very strongly as to whether it is not time that a revision should be brought about in the methods of deciding as to who should be honoured (?) in the distribution of such empty honours which many of the best men think it better to be without. It is to be hoped that in the gift of these four Valkyries such practical work will be immediately forthcoming that even our close- fisted Government may be induced to see the error of their ways and be a little more generous in acquiring machines, especially of British construction, which will help towards obtaining for Great Britain the supremacy of the air even as she now holds the command of the sea. The machines presented by Mr. Barber are as follows :— 1. One Valkyrie military monoplane fitted with 30-h.p. Green engine. Carries one person. Speed 45 miles per hour. Built especially strong, and particularly adapted for the use of beginners. In flying order. 2. One Valkyrie military monoplane, to carry pilot and passenger (or two light passengers). Fitted with 60-80-h.p. Green engine. Speed 40-50 miles per hour. Especially suitable for pupil pas senger work. In flying order. 3. One Valkyrie military monoplane, to carry one person. Latest design of this type. Fitted with 40-50-h.p. Green engine. Speed 45 miles per hour. In flying order. ® @ BRITISH NOTES Graham Gilmour Circles St. Paul's, ALTHOHGH at the present stage of aviation it is to be regretted that a flight over London, even if only a very small portion, should be attempted, it is impossible but to admire the feat performed by Mr. Graham Gilmour on a Bristol biplane on Wednesday evening la>t. In flying down the Thames to St. Paul's possibly there was little harm, and if he had omitted the circling of Sir Christopher Wren's noble pile he would have still scored heavily. However, as he followed with a similar exhibition round the Houses of Parliament, to the great admiration of the Members, it is possible his transgres sion in other respects may be lightly dealt with. Mr. Grahame-White in Manxland. ON Tuesday the Isle of Man had its first experience of aviation. At three o'clock, although the weather was gusty, Mr. Grahame- White had his Farman biplane brought out and made a circular flight, and later in the afternoon made two other trips. On Wednesday he was to have raced the steamer " Ben-my-Chree" round the Island, but after circling round the boat in the course of a quarter of an hour's flight, he returned to his starting point. A Manchester Aerodrome. AN aerodrome has now been started at Manchester, a suitable site having been found in Trafford Park, about five minutes from [/yam] THE GOVERNMENT. 4. One Valkyrie military monoplane. Latest passenger-carrying; type. Built to carry a 50-h.p. Gnome engine. Speed 50-55 milefr per hour. Just finished. On Sunday evening, before handing over to the Government, the new 30-h.p. Green-engined model was taken straight off the stocks, and so standardised has the Valkyrie type become, that she Straight away rose with ease in the air, Mr. Barber executing right and left- hand turns without a falter, being up for fifty minutes, and finishing with a fine vol plane. In respect to the Gnome-engined machine trials have been made with this since its issue from the workshop, and on Monday not only did she give a good account of herself under Mr. Barber's solo guidance, but she also carried several passengers at heights varying from i,oco to 2,000 ft., in one instance transporting a useful load of no less than 28 stone. These are facts which speak for themselves, and we must congratulate the services, especially the Navy, upon the acquisition of such fine specimens of British work. Not only has Mr. Barber presented these machines to the British nation, but he has also offered his services as a designer, constructor and pilot to the Government as far as his time permits. Although no conditions were attached to the gift, he suggested that two machines might be allotted to the Navy, as they are particularly adapted to being fitted with combination floats and wheels to allow them to rise from or descend upon either land or water. This suggestion was, we understand, accepted, and two accordingly will be allotted to the Navy. Mr. Barber, who is thirty-six years of age and of independent means, became imbued nearly three years ago with the idea that aviation was bound to become an indispensable factor in warfare, and since then he has devoted his entire time to inven ing and con structing aeroplanes designed for naval and military purposes. For two years he built numerous machines, and carried out many costly experiments on Salisbury Plain, but lately his work has been trans ferred to Hendon. He has built twelve machines, and taught numerous men to fly, including several Army Officers. His work has cost him up to the present nearly ;£ 10,000. His latest Valkyrie type of military monoplane has the engine and propeller behind the pilot, thus securing an unobstructed view, whilst the under-carriage permits the machine to descend safely upon extremely rough ground. The machine is light, though strong, and can be folded up in a few minutes for transportation by road. Mr. Barber intends to continue devoting his time to aeronautical research and experiments, and he is now commencing another and improved type of military monoplane in which his object is to secure automatic lateral stability equal to the longitudinal stability he has been so successful in finding. During the past six months Mr. Barber has made some attempt to augment his resources for carrying on such expensive work by entering the commercial field, but he intends to abandon this now as it encroaches too much upon his time ; which he wishes to devote exclusively to research work and practical experiments connected with improved types of aerial craft. His company, the Aeronautical Syndicate, will, however, continue as before except that Mr. W. R. Prentice, who is a certificated pilot of the Royal Aero Club, will now take over the entire management. ® © OF THE WEEK. Trafford Park Hotel, to which there is a car service. The area of the ground is about 91 acres, and it is rapidly being cleared and prepared for flying. The ground has been selected as 1 he official alighting place for the competitors in the Daily Mail Piize Com petition. The directors are prepared to let spaces on the ground for the purpose of erecting hangirs to any flying men who wish to use the aerodrome. The address is 22, Booth Street, Manchester. The Dunne Aeroplane. IN our full-page drawing 01 the Dunne aeroplane which appeared last week, a draughtsman's error may be noticed in the plan form of the V wings, the tips of which are set 3 ft. too far back according to scale. It is unnecessary to publish a new drawing, as it would hardly be possible to detect any difference in the appearance, but we draw attention to the mistake in order to avoid confusion, although even this is not likely to occur, as the dimension is correctly given on the drawing, and it is, of course, a rule that dimensions, where given, always take precedence over the scale. A Model Club for Macclesfield. THERE are a good many enthusiastic model aeroplane makers and flyers in the neighbourhood of Macclesfield, and some have expressed a desire to form a club. All those interested in the proposal are asked to communicate with Mr. C. C. Hornerv Blakelow, Macclesfield. S93
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
