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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0848.PDF
JQGHT] "Gamma" at Salisbury. ON September 22nd last the Army airship " Gamma " made a successful flight from Farnborough to Salisbury Plain, via Basing stoke and Andover. Piloted by Capt. Broke-Smith and Capt. Maitland, with a crew of six, including Mr. Mervyn O'Gorman, a halt was made in front of the hangars on Lark Hill, Salisbury Plain, for lunch. Starting again at two o'clock, the return journey was made in \\ hrs., the outward journey having taken 15 mins. longer. The total distance covered during the flight was 110 miles. A Glider at Aberdeen. SOME good sport has recently been obtained with a glider built at Aberdeen by Messrs. W. Anderson and Fred Singer. The span of the biplane is 24 ft., and it is fitted with an elevator in front and ailerons behind the main plane. The total area of the main planes and elevator is 288 sq. ft. Experiments were carried out in a field near the Bridge of Dee, and at first the machine declined to leave the ground, but was later induced to do so for a couple of hops • ® AIR ] ALTHOUGH still a prisoner in the National Hospital, Ridley Prentice, who is now managing the Aeronautical Syndicate, is rapidly recovering irom the effects of a heavy landing he made a fortnight or so ago. That he saw poor Lieut. Cammell's fatal accident from his bedroom window overlooking the aerodrome must have done little to improve his condition, for he admits that, though he has led a seafaring life and become used to all manner of happenings, the sight completely knocked him over. However, I'm really glad to see him so much better and to hear him say he hopes to be flying again in about three weeks time. • • • I hear that Grapperon, who was for a considerable time connected with Mr. Grahame-White as directeur of the latter's aviation school at Pau, and later as chief mechanic to him during his attempts on the London-Manchester prize, is forsaking aviation and returning to his old love, the racing motor cycle. Before takiog up aviation, Grapperon had several world's records to his credit, ,won for the most part on a motor cycle equipped with a 25-h.p. three - cylindered Anzani motor, genre traversie de la Mancht. • • • Talking of motor cycles, reminds me that Gordon Bell, instructor at the Deperdussin school, does quite a lot of amateur racing round the track on his 7-9-h.p. twin Indian " Grey-bird." Last Saturday he was running in the 100 mile race at Brooklands, and doing laps at 72 miles an hour, when a broken valve put him hors de combat. He, incidentally, had designs on lowering the hour record for a twin, which, I believe* is at present standing in the neighbourhood of 65 miles. • • • I wonder what has become of the Indian aeroplane motor that the Hendee Manufacturing Co. brought out some time since. If was a rotary engine modelled on Gnome lines, and one would have thought with all their experience with air-cooled motors that some thing would have been heard of it ere now. The Triumph motor cycle firm ought to do well at producing an aeroplane motor of this type, but at present they have got their hands too full at keeping pace with the demand for their present goods to allow of any new undertaking. • • • Now that the aerial mail has run its course, we shall all be awaiting with considerable interest the publication of the balance sheet, in order to discover how many communications have been sent, and the amount that will be handed over to charity. A propos the latter, what charity is more deserving, or should meet with more general approval, than that of poor Hubert, who, with the interests of the scheme at heart, so pluckily attempted to maintain the service, even though he knew full well that an attempt under those conditions would entail considerable risk ? Who, amongst those who follow aviation, are not at one with Hamel in his action for ensuring compensation to the one who is at present lying in hospital with two broken legs as the result of his loyalty to the project ? • • • Rumours are current at Hendon that Clement Greswell is going to give up flying. Let us hope that there is little truth in the report, for otherwise aviation in England would lose one of its cleverest and most consistent pilots of the junior school. Although SEPTEMBER 30, 19x1. between 15 ft. and 20 ft. As the result of the trials on Saturday week it was decided to rebuild the glider more upon Voisin lines and to carry out further experiments. A Sale and Exchange Bureau. IN order to meet a demand, the Weston Hurlin Co. have organised a sale and exchange bureau which promises to be con siderably appreciated by those building or flying full-sized machines. They have a number of different aeroplanes and parts for sale, and inquiries should be addressed to them at the P.F. Building, 13, Milford Lane, Strand, W.C. New Model Making List. FROM Messrs. T. W. K. Clarke and Co., Crown Works, High Street, Kingston-on-Thames, we have received a copy of their latest list, giving full particulars of the large and varied stock of requisites for models and model makers which they hold. m « BBIES. not yet of age, he is equally master of both Farman and Bleriot machines, and one could not wish to find a more steady flyer in a wind. • • • The Deperdussin school at Brooklands have added another machine to their fleet, a passenger-carrying model. The new machine is constructed on very pleasing lines, and, with its excellent record, should prove a great incentive to those who contemplate joining the school. As may be expected, Gordon Bell is very happy at its arrival. • • « I am sorry to see that one of the oldest institutions at Brooklands —to wit, the Hanriot School—will soon be closing its doors, at least under the present management. Whether or no it will undergo resurrection is a doubtful, matter. Since its inception—and the school has by no means been lax about turning out pilots—all tuition has been carried out on the same trusty " bus," the one that Wagner flew at the Bournemouth meeting last year. Keith Davies was the first to win his certificate in England on the libellule, and among the many that have qualified since then on the same machine are Fisher, Gordon Bell, and Petre. Rumour has it that Rippen has bought the machine, and although this report is supported by the observations of many of my accomplices on the tiack, Rippen himself stoutly denies the fact. • * * Mr. Richard T. Gates, the general manager of the Grahame-White Aviation Co., is taking up flying. Although he had only had three previous lessons on the E.N.V.-Farman at the Hendon School, he was out last Tuesday morning making straight flights across the ground in a none too pleasant side-wind. • * • Besides Mrs. Maurice Hewlett, of Brooklands, the only other lady pilot who is doing much real flying in England is Mrs. de Beauvoir Stocks, of the Grahame-White School. She has reached the circuit stage of her tuition, and really shows a remarkable grasp of the whole subject. « • • E. F. Driver, who has done so much good work on a Farman at Hendon, and who recently acted as one of the aerial postmen between that aerodrome and Windsor, is proposing to take up monoplaning at the Bleriot School. He will shortly be returning to his native country, South Africa, where he intends giving exhibitions on both types of machine. * * * Champel, at Juvisy, was last Sunday carrying out experiments with a new method of maintaining lateral balance without the use of wing-warping or ailerons, the operation of which functions necessitates the use of the rudder to counteract their braking effect on the wing-tips. This new method of stabilising, the invention of the engineer, Bronislawski, seems to be one which does not infringe the Wright Brothers' patents, for it consists of fixed planes rotating around vertical axes situated at the ends of the mam supporting surfaces. Further experiments were made on the following day by the same aviator, both with and without passengers, and it is reported that this new method of balancing has proved most satis factory. " OISEAU BLEU." 850
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