FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0701.PDF
AUGUST 12, 1911. 01 IGHT THE FRITZ MONOPLANE. AN all-British machine that has recently been constructed by Messrs. Oylers, Ltd., of 35, New Cavendish Street, London, W., to the designs of Mr. Fritz Goetze, is illustrated by the accompayrng photographs and drawings. It calls to mind in some respects the Demoiselle of Santos Dumont fame, for it is of the light spidery variety albeit of much more substantial construction with regard to the under-carriage. It has, too, somewhat the same system of control, which includes pedals for wing warping and rotating hand wheels on either side of the pilot's seat for operating the elevator and the rudder. The main frame of the machine consists of three bamboo spars trussed by light steel triangular frames forming struts, and the usual system of diagonal wires. In the wings, there are also three spars, which are likewise of bamboo. The two principal spars therein have a diameter 2 ins. while that near the trailing edge has a diameter of I in. The largest spar in the body has a diameter of 2\ ins. and is in one piece 24 ft. long. The ribs of the wings are of bamboo and pegamoid is employed for covering the planes, which are double surfaced. An aluminium leading edge is introduced to give stiffness to the front of the wing and a steel wire is carried round the trailing extremities of the wing over which the surfacing fabric is laced. The under-carriage resembles in its outline the Bleriot system, and consists of a pair of neatly designed hinged diamond frames carrying the two landing wheels, which are braced together by a light steel axle that is itself reinforced by a disc in the centre, over which a series of steel wires are stretched between the extremities of the axle tube. The power plant includes a 40-h.p. E.N.V. engine direct coupled to a 7 ft. 10 in. propeller. The engine is located wholly in front of the wings and the propeller-shaft is practically in line with the chord at this point. The pilot's seat is under the wings. ® ® ® ® AN IRRESPONSIBLE LAW CONGRESS." Apropos a leading article which appeared in a recent issue of FLIGHT, we have received a letter which almost explains itself, from Mr. Edward S. M. Perowne, who describes himself " Vice-President Exterieur of the Comite, Directeur and Hon. Sec. of the British Section of the Comite Juridique International de 1'Aviation." All we can say is that Mr. Perowne's letter leaves us of the same opinions as those we expressed in our article to which he takes exception. Indeed, we are almost inclined to think, after perusing the letter and the " Statement" of the aims and objects of the International Legal Committee of Aviation, that this body is even more superfluous than our article would convey. The Committee appears to be far more French in its constitution than it is International, and in its latter aspect it certainly seems to aim at overlapping the functions of existing bodies. The following is the text of Mr. Perowne's communication:— "July nth, 1911. " I have just returned from Paris where my attention has bepn called to the article headed ' An Irresponsible Law Congress' in your issue of the 17th ultimo. " The writer of the article has apparently four points against the Congress. " 1. That it was not official. " 2. That it did not include technical experts in aviation. " 3. That it had no recognition from the Royal Aero Club. " 4. That it was useless. " On these several points I would like to make the following observations :— "The Congress in question was a Congress of an International Committee known as the Comite Juridique International de l'Avia- tion, formed in December, 1909, and of which the writer of the article never appears to have heard ; hence the general ignorance of the subject which he has exhibited. " It is the more extraordinary, as one of the members of our British Section of this Committee is one of the foremost members of the Royal Aero Club, whose official organ your journal is. " For your better information I enclose a copy of a statement I had printed in November last for the members of our British section, which will give you the aims and objects of the International Com mittee and the lines upon which it is worked. " The Comite makes an express point that it is not official, because a private character is indispensable in order to enable it to arrive at a useful result. " If the Comite were to include official representatives of Governments it would inevitably be drawn into a political rather than a legal work. On the other hand it would be difficult, owing to the divergence in views of the different States towards aerial locomotion, to find some common ground upon which to base articles for an international code. " The inconveniences attaching to an official organisation in this matter were clearly shown at the International Conference of Aerial Navigation held in Paris in May, 1910, which had to be dissolved without coming to any conclusion. " I may add that so far from ' keeping these material facts in the background' (i.e., as to the non-official character of the Congress) as stated by your correspondent, Mr. Millerand, in his opening speech at the Congress, laid stress on this very point in the following words. I translate from a report in the Journal des Debats of June 1st, 1911 (a copy of which I enclose):— " * No doubt when it is a question of making international laws in a matter so new and exposed to such sudden transformations, it is as well to advance with prudence and circumspection. But it is just here that the original and distinctive mark of your work shows itself. The Comite Juridique International de l'Aviation is a private undertaking; it is jealously tenacious of remaining so. It is right. In these questions where official delegates of Governments would have the right and duty to hesitate, you can go forward without scruple. You only involve yourselves. Your resolutions do not risk creating any diplomatic complication. You are, so to speak, the free-shooters of the international aerial law.' " You will, therefore, I am sure agree that there is no excuse for the Press at large to be ' labouring under the delusion' to which the article refers. "2. A reference to my statement will show that there is attached to the Comite a Technical Consultative Commission in each country which includes persons whom, I think, even the writer of the article would not dispute as being authorities, such as for example :— " In France—Messrs. BleViot, Br^guet, Commandant Renard, Painleve, Armingaud, &c. " In Germany—Messrs. Conrad von Frankenberg, Hildebrand, Martin ; and in England—Messrs. Moore-Brabazon, G. V. Roe, C. C. Turner, and S. A". Marples, all of which four latter gentlemen I myself asked to become members of the Technical Commission attached to the British Section of the Comite, and obtained their consent. These were all invited to the Congress. " In this connection I again quote from Mr. Millerand's opening speech at the Congress when he said:—' A Technical Consultative Commission lends you the enlightened co-operation of competent specialists indispensable for the examination of questions so particular.' " 3. In reply to this observation it suffices to say that at the time of the Paris Congress all the sporting societies of French aeronautics were represented at the Congress, and in particular La Ligue Nationale Aerienne, l'Aero Club de France, l'Automobile Club de France, La Chambre Syndicate des Industries Aeronautiques, and l'Aeronautique Club. These associations have sufficiently shown their interest in the work undertaken by the Congress by delegating to the Congress members specially authorised, and thus it was that La Ligue Nationale Aerienne and l'Aero Club de France were each represented by the president of their legal committee. " If, therefore, the Royal Aerc Club here thought proper to hold aloof, its attitude has not been followed in France at least; but I ought to point out that though we have members of the British section of the Comit£ who represent both the Royal Aero Club and the Aerial League (both of which associations accordingly know of our work) I did not when sending out notices of the Congress send any formal invitation to either of these bodies. "4. I again refer to Mr. Millerand's speech to show that the work which we have undertaken is not useless. Even if the Comite is not official it contains at any rate among its members several official representatives of certain Governments in official commissions. Consequently one may be sure that the views put forward at the Congress will have their influence when these official representatives are called upon to give their opinion upon any decision which their Government may wish to take. " In this connection Mr. Millerand said :—' By your initiative you are preparing the way where, behind you, will penetrate official conferences benefiting from your efforts. You do not satisfy your selves with preparing by > your local Committees of Doctrine the drafts, of which will be made to-morrow national legislations^and the International law of the air. The " ReVue Juridique International de la Locomotion Aerienne " publishes every month with the growing jurisprudence your studies and your works.' " May I say in conclusion that one regrets to see friends of aviation decrying the work of the Committee, one of whose aims is to defend the interests of aviation in the legal world, and so perhaps assist in modifying any existing jurisprudence adverse thereto." 703 \
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
