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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0266.PDF
l/ycfiTj MARCH 23, 1912. BB1ES. IN regard to the " Aeroplane" mystery, we have had a visit from a gentleman who informs us that he is the subject of our paragraph in last week's Eddies, wherein we referred to the mysterious aerial performance that took place in the neighbour hood of Tunbridge Wells recently. He confirms the story in its essential details, which are that he fell out of the machine after he had ascended and that the machine flew away on its own, and has not since been recovered, although a reward has been offered for information as to its whereabouts. More remarkable still, this flying machine has neither gas vessel nor wings and is not a helicopter. It contains an engine, and that is all we are at liberty to say at present, but the information that the inventor com municated to us in strict confidence is without question of the most startling character. Whether we shall be in a position to divulge further particulars or not it is impossible at the moment to say, because our informant tells us that the matter is just now in the hands of the Government and that his patent is likely to receive secret protection and, therefore, to be withheld from the usual channels of the Patent Office. Certainly, it is as well to have an open mind these days : and " wait and see." I hear that the Avro works at Manchester are pushing well ahead with the three biplanes for which they have received orders from the War Office. These are to be much the same type as the new 60-h.p. K.N.V. model, which has shown itself excellent in its preliminary trials, under the direction of Lieut. Wilfred Parke, at Brooklands. It is tremendously fast; the average of the various speeds estimated by observers is somewhere near 66 miles an hour. The new military machines will be equipped with 50-h.p. Gnome engines. • • • Continuing their progression from triplane to biplane, the Avro firm have now nearly completed a monoplane. This new machine, about which much interest centres, will probably emerge from their works next week. • • • Quite a flying family are the Lewins, especially the younger representative of the family, officially known as Stanley Guy Lewin, called by the Daily Mail " the air-boy," and known locally at the aerodrome as "The Winkle." Grahame-White and this young enthusiast frequently take trips together. "Claude" turns round, and, finding the youngster always ready, says—" Come on, sports man ! Where shall we go?" And they fly off to find some new ?pot around Hendon. " Winkle " and his pilot are well portrayed in our photograph this week. * • • Next to the pleasure of having established such a good time record on his flight from London to Paris, Salmet's chief delight is of Mr. Claude Lcwln, ano Grahame-White and a favourite passenger of his, Master S, Guy ther promising aviation son of Mr. F. Guy Lewin, so well known In the motor world. 266 having " discovered" a hitherto little-known propeller, the Levasseur. Not only does it give him an increase of speed of some eight kiloms. an hour, but it never develops a flutter when the machine is turning, a failing to which many other types of propellers are prone. The blade resembles, more than anything, the blade of a scythe, cutting point first, and this fact earned for Salniet at the time when he was first testing it, the temporary pseudonym of the " chaff-cutter." I understand that the Admiralty have placed with the British representatives of the Deperdussin firm an order for one of their new two-seater monoplanes. Mr. Lawrence Santoni is at the present time in Paris making arrangements for its delivery. • • • Mr. C. F. M. Chambers, who, it will be recalled, obtained his certificate on the Valkyrie monoplane, has now joined the Avro school as pilot instructor. » • • Gordon Bell is expecting to return to England from Buc early in April when, if he can get a " 'bus " in tim°, he will no doubt treat us, in connection with the new Brooklands competition, to some of the exploits he has been doing at the R.E.P. establishment for the past few months. The other day he made an exceptionally good flight, flying on the new 90-h.p. seven-cylinder two-seater R.E.P., with a passenger to the review at Vincennes. Returning to headquarters he flew over the centre of Paris, where he discovered that the remons, as he expressed it, " knocked spots off the renowned sewage farm remous at Brooklands." Reports are floating round to the effect that the Wright Brothers are busy at their works at Dayton on a new biplane. Wings of Nieuport-type cross-section are, I believe, going to be used on this- latest machine. Practical experiments should soon be resumed on the portly Piggott monoplane, as the damage that the machine recently suffered has now been rectified. The landing chassis has been strengthened, and new shock absorbers fitted, for these were the source of its previous trouble, they breaking and letting the machine at a high speed down on to its skids, with a result that could only be expected. When Mr. Parr, who recently earned his ticket at the Bleriot school, and who is responsible for its design, gets the machine to fly, it will undoubtedly be an exceptionally fast machine. An 8oh.p. Vivinus engine is installed. A pleasing little ceremony happened on Tuesday evening last at the Aero Restaurant at Hendon when Salmet was presented with an aeroplane clock,, a Thermos flask, and a muffler, all useful accessories for cross-country flying, by his colleagues at Hendon,. in commemoration of his plucky Paris flight. • * • Hendon will soon have another Nieuport two- seater monoplane within its hangars, this making a total of three, one belonging to Mr. Robert Loraine, one belonging to Mr. Grahame-White, and the third, expected to arrive shortly, to the Ewen Flying School. This makes the third type of machine for instruction purposes at this school—its stable already includes Bleriot and Deperdussin monoplanes—and on it Mr. Ewen will be enabled to give his pupils personal instructions whilst flying. • • • From Russia comes a whisper of wonderful results which are claimed to have been obtained with a new monoplane, which can be used equally well over land, water or snow. The propeller is also of special design, and although small, is said to be remarkably efficient. Another feature is an automatic parachute weighing 6k kilogs., fitted over the pilot's seat. I understand that the machine has been built in St. Petersburg, under the surveillance of the au thorities, who are not very keen on giving: details. " OISEAU BLEU."
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