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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 1116.PDF
• [jym DECEMBER 30, 1911. THE PROGRESS OF FLIGHT IN 1911. THE penning of a review of the happenings in the aerial world during the year which ends to-morrow, is a far more difficult undertaking than we had realised before we embarked upon it. So much has happened, so much progress has been made, that it is hard to decide what is and what is not worthy of passing mention. Some events which were, in their time, of major importance must of necessity be mentioned once again, but the trouble is that happenings and performances which would have been of the first importance twelve months ago are merely common-place now; so far have we travelled along the path of progress. For one thing we can be thankful and that is that in reviewing the year we have not to look back upon a record of sadness such as fell to our lot at this time last year. True, the air has continued to exact its toll of human life, and will probably still do so until such time as it has given up all its secrets to the daring humans who essay to learn them, but the toll is a proportionately decreasing one, and while we look back with sorrow upon the fate of those who have gone from among us, we have not the same keen sense of personal loss as 1910 inflicted upon us. While we deplore the loss of human life which has been incidental to the progress of flight, we can do the dead at least the justice of believing that they have offered themselves as sacrifices on what they conceived to be their duty to science. • • * The Year ^e ^rst notaD*e event of 1911 was in Detail. Mr. Sopwith's flight from Brooklands to Windsor, not a very wonderful perform ance in itself, but remarkable for the fact that the King manifested so great an interest in the feat that he received the pilot in person on his arrival in the castle grounds. It was a graceful act, and a tactful one, which set the Royal seal of approbation to the movement, arid was fraught with encouragement for the future. In February the first really remarkable long-distance flight of the year was accomplished by Capt. Bellenger, a French military aviator, who flew from Paris to Bordeaux, a distance of 690 kiloms., in the magnificent net time of 5 hrs. 10 mins., beating the fastest express train by a handsome margin. His time, in fact, was three minutes faster than that of Gabriel in the Paris-Madrid motor-race, of unhappy memory. February was also remarkable for the fact that during this month the aeroplane was first used during actual war; an American airman, Mr. Hamilton, having flown over the town of Ciudad Juarez while fighting was in progress between the Mexican rebels and loyalist troops, returning successfully with a report of the situation in the town. March again was an eventful month, the principal event from the standpoint of those concerned with the movement in Britain being the thorough overhauling of the constitution of the Aeronautical Society—the oldest body of its kind in the world—and the ultimate placing of its affairs on a sound basis, whereby an extremely useful institution, which had become practically moribund, was saved to do useful work for the cause of progress. In this month were issued the regulations for the competition for the second Daily Mail prize of ,£10,000, which regulations were received without the slightest criticism from responsible persons or associations. April produced one of the finest flights of the year—or, for that matter, in all the history of aviation—in the shape of Prier's non-stop flight from Hendon to Paris. The distance is only 250 miles, which has been exceeded many times in cross-country flying, but there is a senti- mental interest attaching to a flight between the two capitals which is not present in the case of the ordinary place-to-place flight. Something of a sensation Was caused by the visit of quite a fleet of aeroplanes to the Thames on boat-race day. Though nothing untoward happened in connection with what was undoubtedly a daring experiment, it gave rise to a good deal of drastic criticism by a certain section of the public, and was not a little responsible for the repressive legislation which ensued at a later date, and which we shall touch upon presently. At Easter the French military authorities carried out some very successful aviation manoeuvres, from which valuable lessons were learned. Naturally our own authorities did nothing for themselves, and were not even represented officially in France. May opened with the Brooklands-Brighton race, which had to be postponed several times on account of bad weather. This was a bad month, for in France the Minister of War, M. Berteaux, was killed by an aeroplane which got out of control at the start of the Paris-Madrid race, the Premier being seriously injured at the same time. In spite of this terrible occurrence the race was carried through at the express desire of the Premier, and resulted in a win for Vedrines, who was flying a Morane-Borel machine. In England the Morning Post Lebaudy brought its ill-starred career to an end by wrecking itself through colliding with a cottage, since when we have heard nothing of her or of her consort the Clement-Bayard. In this month also took place the demonstration at Hendon provided by the Parliamentary Aerial Defence Committee for the benefit of the War Office officials, who up to that time may be presumed to have been ignorant of the fact that such a thing as a practical flying machine had any existence. On this occasion Mr. A. J. Balfour ascended for a short flight with Mr. Grahame-White. In June the Government brought in and passed the first piece of special legislation dealing with aerial craft, this naturally being of a repressive nature, and providing all sorts of penalties for real and imaginary offences against the public safety. .It was rushed through hurriedly on account of the allegation that if some provision of the sort were not made there would undoubtedly be aviators flying over the Coronation processions, to the danger of the lieges. It was pointed out by ourselves, as well as others, that there was no need for panic legislation, for the simple reason that the Royal Aero Club possessed far more drastic powers of punishment than even the State itself, but protest was of no avail, and the Bill duly reached the Statute Book. In the world of competition the principal event of the month was the European Circuit, promoted by the Standard, in conjunction with various Continental journals. The race consisted of nine stages, British interest being concentrated on that from Calais to Hendon, and back. Of 21 competitors who started from Paris on the first stage of the journey, 10 survived to reach the end of the seventh at Hendon, among them being a solitary British aviator, Mr. Valentine, flying a Deperdussin monoplane. The race was eventually won by " Beaumont," who was later to achieve further fame by winning the Daily Mail ^10,000 prize for the flight round Britain. On July 1 st was held the race for the Gordon-Bennett 1124
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