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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0380.PDF
FOREIGN AVIATION NEWS. The National Fund in France. At the end of last week the total amount received in connection with the National Fund for the purchase of aeroplanes for France •was 1,600,779 francs, of which 500,000 has already been placed at the disposal of the Minister of War for the purchase of 33 machines. One of the latest contributors is Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, who d in the costume of l'Aiglon, has consistently visited among the audience at her theatre and collected the sum of ^800. The aeroplane to be purchased with this money will be appropriately named " I'Aiitlon." The Mystery of Verrept's Death. A LOVE affair was apparently at the back of the mysterious fatality at Chateaufort, on Wednesday of last week, when John Verrept, the well-known Belgian aviator and chief pilot at the Borel School, dived down from a height of between 200 and 300 metres to his death. On the morning in question he went up on the machine, and after he had flown round and round for three quarters of an hour, the spectators were horrified to see the machine suddenly dij> and rush to earth, with the machine almost in a vertical position and with the engine still running. When about 80 metres above the ground, one of the wings broke, and the machine and pilot fell in a heap, a mass of wreckage. The aviator was still breathing, and was taken at once to the Versailles hospital, but expired a few minutes alter his admission. This incident has been widely referred to as the " Fir>t suicide by aeroplane.*' French Military Flyers and Physical Fitness- 'I'm: number of accidents which have recently occurred to French military flyers, has lead the Minister of War to issue a special Army order, pointing out that officers and men selected for aviation work must be physically tit, and in particular, must have excellent eyesight. Attention is also drawn to the necessity of special examination of the various parts of the machines to see that every thing is in order, while, should the state of the weather entail any risk, no flying is to be attempted. Henry Farman takes his Monoplane Across Country. HAVING found complete satisfaction in the results of his tests with his monoplane at Chalons, Mr. Henry Farman on the 20th inst., decided to further try its capabilities by taking a trip to his brother's worksat Bue. Accompanied by his foreman,de Ram—a featherweight of 14 stone—and with enough oil and petrol for three hours, making a total load of 220 kilogs, he left Chalons at half-past four in the afternoon. The two hundred kiloms. were accomplished in an hour and a-half, and considering the motor was only a 50-h.p. Gnome, the speed of a little under 140 kiloms. an hour gives promise to the new type not being much of a laggard. Probably the main reason for the steady advance of the Farman machines is the fact that the Farman brothers are among the few constructors in France who consistently themselves test and fly the machines they build, inci dentally, also, emphasising their faith in their own products. Pekin to Paris Race, IT has been decided now that the Pekin to Paris race shall be held next September, instead of August, and that the route shall be across the Gobi Desert and along Lake Baikal. Tetard has entered for the race. The International Michelin Cup. THE Aero Club of France has fixed the six periods of five days each during which attempts may be made in France for the Inter national Michelin Cup. The dates are May 28th to June 1st, July 1st to 5th, July 22nd to 26th, August 5th to 9th, September 2nd to 6th and September 16th to 20th, all dates mentioned being inclusive. At the Deperdussin School. LEAVING the Deperdussin school at Courcy Bctheny at a quarter past four on the afternoon of Saturday last, Lieut. Bruncher made a fas! trip to Epinal, covering the 290 kiloms. in 2 hrs. 45 mins., and (lying most of the way at a height of 1,000 metres. On Monday a flight was made by Lieut. Benoist, who was up for an hour-and-a- half, and rose to a height of 1,800 metres. English Flyer at Nieuport School. ON Sunday last, at Pau, Capt. Gerrard, R.N., one of the naval aviators from Eastchurch, made a splendid cross-country flight on a Nieuport monoplane with a two-cylinder Nieupon engine. Sergeant Canal, on a similar machine, finished the three tests for a superior Arevet and Sergeant Beauwens made a duration flight of two hours. Lieut, de Villepin also indulged in some scouting practice from Pau •to Qrthez and back. More Farman Superior Pilots. AT BUC on the 19th inst., on an M. Farman biplane, Lieut. Beausure de Seysel passed his second test for a superior brevet, and on the next day he made the third flight. Also on the 19th, but at Rheims, Lieuts. Prat and Frugier, each on an H. Farman biplane, made the third tests for a superior certificate. The latter officer made his second test on the previous evening. Cavalry-Sergeant Hurard, Lieut. Bordage, and the Marquis de Lanenty-Tholozan each made their third tests at Etampeson the 17th inst. More Tests with the Tubavion. SOME further tests were carried out by Marcel Goffin with the Tubavion machine on Monday. Several flights were made at a height of 150 metres. In some the pilot was alone, and in others he took a passenger, his mother being one to be so favoured. A Good Voyagj on a Morane. SPLENDID as was Tabuteau's 175 kilom. trip on his Morane monoplane from Mailly to Juvisy, it was bettered, on Saturday last, by Liger, who went irom Villacoublay to Avranches without a stop, taking 2 hrs. 25 mins. to traverse the distance of 285 kiloms. A Silent Breguet Biplane. A FINE trip was made by Bregi on the 18th inst. on his Breguet biplane, the Salmson engine of which had been fitted with a special silencer. For the first test for a special certificate Bregi took the machine from Mailly Camp to Rheims and back, covering the 125 kiloms. in 1 hour 15 mins. A. New Fast Hanriot Monoplane. ANDRE FREY has been carrying out, at the Hanriot School at Rheims, some tests with a new Hanriot monoplane built for speed. After a cross-country trip on the 13th inst., the machine was timed to cover a kilometre in 25 seconds, giving a speed of 138 k.p.h. Juvlsy to Lunevilie in an Aeroplane. A MAURICE FARMAN biplane, piloted by Verrier and carrying Capt. Bertrand, flew from Juvisy to Lunevilie on Sunday last, stops being made at Chalons and Bar le Due. The Cosmopolitan Nieuport School at Pau. SEVERAL of the French flying schools have officers of different nationalities training side by side, and a typical instance is at the Nieuport School at Pau, where on Sunday, Capt. Gerrard of the English, Capt. Herrera of the Spanish, Lieut. Vanpoiat of the Swedish, and Lieuts. Cassabella, Puseaux, Resio, and Count Brunetta of the Italian Armies, were all being initiated into the art of manipulating the Nieuport monoplane. This, of course, in addition to the large number of French officers who are undergoing training. Marcel Hanriot a Superior Pilot. ON the 18th inst. Marcel Hanriot completed his qualifying flights in order to obtain a French superior brevet. Leaving the Betheny ground at Rheims at 6.7 p.m. he turned at Vitry-le- Francois at 6.44 and was back at Rheims at 7.23 p.m. During the outward journey he was at a height of 1,500 metres and coming back his speed was well over 120 k.p.h. He had made a similar flight on the previous day. The Michelin Target Prizes. AT last, the first of the competitions for the Michelin Aero- Cible prizes have been held, but the results are not very satisfactory. There were four entrants—Lieuts. Mailfert and Bosquet on Farman machines, Lafon on a Sommer biplane, and Gaubert on an Astra- Wright biplane. The latter two did not compete, as their machines were not ready. The trials took place at Chalons Camp on Sunday, and Lieut. Bosquet, who started first, found the fifteen dummy shells (each weighing 15 lbs.) too much for his little machine. He, therefore, left six of them behind, and although he did not succeed in placing any of the remaining nine on the target they were not a great way off. Lieut. Mailfert, who was accom panied by Capt. Couade, the inventor of the sighting apparatus used, then went up with fourteen bombs, but only two of them found their way on to the target. Lieut. Bosquet was up for 47 minutes, and Lieut. Mailfert for 38 minutes. In the afternoon Lieut. Mailfert made another 39 minutes' trial, but did not succeed in getting any bombs on to the target. Buc to Etampis and Back. MAURICE FARMAN'S little trips from Buc to Etampes and back are getting quite commonplace now. On the 19th inst. he made the trip with Tancrede on a biplane fitted with a bonnet. 380
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