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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0825.PDF
THE AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY. A SPECIAL meeting of this Society will be held at 8 p.m. on Mon day next at the Royal Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, for the purpose of passing a complete set of new rules and electing a new Council. It is, therefore, of the utmost consequence that every member of the Society should make a special effort to attend in order to record his vote. It will be remembered that a special meeting was held a little while ago to receive the report of the Committee of Inquiry that was appointed at the last annual general meeting. On that occasion the only useful business accomplished was the acceptance of the four main principles that the Committee put forward as the basis of their report. These principles were as follows :— i. That it is necessary to the financial welfare of the Society that the Society should attract the support of all those interested in aeronautics, irrespective of their technical qualifications. 2. But that it is equally necessary to the standing of the Society as the officially recognised body dealing with the science of aeronautics, that the constitution of the Society should include a technical side, to which none but those qualified in the science of aeronautics shall be eligible, and admission to which would, therefore, automatically confer a technical status on those elected. 3. That the governing body of the Society shall be elected by a postal ballot taken in accordance with the methods adopted by modern institutions. 4. That provision should be made for limiting the liabilities of members to amounts that shall be covered by their subscriptions. This report of the Committee of Enquiry was accompanied by a memorandum containing proposed new rules drawn up with a view to giving effect to the above principles, and after the meeting a joint conference of the Council and the Committee of Enquiry was held to discuss these details. An agreement was arrived at on all essential points, so the rules about to be put before the Society are, therefore, to all intents and purposes identical with those submitted to members individually prior to the last special meeting. Since they are now to be presented under the double regis of the existing Council and the Committee that may be said to voice the opinions of the reform party, it is to be hoped that individual members will not baulk this attempt to restore the welfare of this ancient institu tion by standing in the way of their adoption. It is absolutely essential that the Society should have these new rules, for any attempt to patch those already in existence would inevitably lead to hopeless confusion and ultimate dissatisfaction. The truth of the matter is that the existing rules, like the existing Council, are hereditary. Under the proposed new rules, provision is made for the proper nomination of members of Council, and their election by postal ballot, by which means a thoroughly representative control is ensured. Moreover, the Society is in future to be so constituted as to differentiate between its technical and lay membership, and its government will rest jointly in the hands of a Council drawn from both sections. The proportionate representation on this Council is the sole detail on which the conference of the existing Council with the Committee of Enquiry failed to agree, and this point, really of minor importance, is to be put before the meeting on Monday. The Council itself, it is proposed, should number sixteen in addition to the President, and it is merely a question as to how many of the sixteen shall represent the technical side. The Committee of Enquiry recommend that the representation should be equal. For the time being it is, however, more important to obtain a properly elected council than to trouble about its detail constitution, and in any case the technical side in the Society has yet to be created. For this reason it is proposed to elect a new Council at the meeting on Monday from a list of nominations made in advance in accordance with a notice duly given to members. The creation of the technical side of the Society is a move that should be fraught with the greatest importance to the whole pro fession and industry of aeronautics, for it is intended that the new titles ot Fellow and Associate Fellow should only be conferred o» those who have attained to a considerable eminence or to an acknow ledged position in the science. Another very important and especially desirable move is the encouragement of serious study in aeronautics among the rising generation by the creation of a students' section, which is to be reserved for those who are receiving technical training such as will fit them in due course to become Associate Fellows. The lay membership of the Society remains in principle as it is at present, but has been extended to admit Associate Members at reduced fees. The Aeronautical Society has always been a lay body, notwithstanding the attainments of some of its members, for election has in no sense been intended to confer a technical status as it does in the case of most of the leading institutions that seek to foster the interests of recognised professions. It is very essential that the membership of the Aeronautical Society should continue and grow apace, for without such support it is impossible that the Society can exist, far less do good work. But, considering that the Aeronautical Society is 45 years old and has such honoured and historic associations with the past, it ought not to be asking too much of the public that they should show some practical interest in maintaining its dignity to the credit not only of Great Britain, but of those great men in the past who had the courage of their convictions that flying, as we now know it, would some day come to pass. (& ® PROGRESS OF FLIGHT ABOUT THE COUNTRY. NOTE—Addresses, temporary or permanent, follow in each case the names of the clubs, where communications of our readers can be addressed direct to the Secretary. We would ask Club Secretaries in future to see that the notes regarding their Clubs reach the Editor of FLIGHT, 44, St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C., by first post Tuesday at latest. Birmingham Aero Club (62, ALBION STREET). THE Rt. Hon. Lord Norton has accepted the Vice-Presidency of the club with the intention of developing exhibition flights at Billesley Farm, and forcing aviation more to the front in the Mid lands. On the 16th at the usual weekly competitions for models, Mr. E. Trykle with a large 6-oz. mode! succeeded in getting a flight of 84 seconds' duration. The time was carefully recorded by Mr. B. W. Beeby in the presence of other officials. East London College Ae. Research Soc. (MILE END ROAD, E.). OWING to the generosity of Mr. P. Y. Alexander and of the Governors of the East London College, the Aerodynamical Laboratory in that college will again be open during the winter for experimental research. The Council of the Aeronautical Research Society would gladly welcome a few gentlemen desirous of experimenting. Application for admission to the Society should be made to the honorary secretary. Leicester Aero Club. SIR SAMUEL FAIRE presided at a meeting of the general committee of the club at the Grand Hotel on the 8th inst. Quite a large amount of interest in aviation matters has been aroused in the locality as a result of the passage of the competitors in the Daffy Mail Circuit of Britain. Several members are actively engaged in building full-sized machines as well as models, and it is hoped that exhibition flights will shortly be made on a locally-built machine by a member. The details regarding these flights will be discussed at another committee meeting to be held shortly. Parksfde Aero Club (2, EDBROOKE ROAD, PADDINGTON). THERE are still a few vacancies for members, but those intending to join this club should note that only workers are required, the members being banded together with the very definite object of studying aviation problems, and this is the only subject which is discussed at meetings. The glider and lull-sized machine will be at the members' disposal next week at the club's private ground, and further particulars can be obtained from the secretary. Model makers would be welcomed in any numbers to join the new Paddington Model Aero Club, which is quite distinct from the Parkside Aero Club. They should apply to the Model Secretary. MODEL CLUBS. Aero Models Association. THE A.M. Association are holding the following open model flying competitions :— Sept. 30th.—Northern Branch. 3 p.m., at Messrs. Vivers and Sons, Lodge Dairy Farm, Bishop's Avenue, E. Finchley. Latest date for entries, Sept. 29th. Oct. 7th.—S.E. Branch. 3 p.m. on the Golf Links, Mitcham, Surrey. Latest date for entries, Oct. 6th. Full particulars may be obtained upon application to the A. A. and M.U., Caxton House, Westminster. Blackheath Aero Club. THE above club held two very successful meetings this week, when the majority of the members brought their models and some splendid flying was witnessed. The Steering Competition resulted in a win for Mr. Clark with Mr. Rippon a good second. 827
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