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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0482.PDF
—.•I »l (AiJiL iixr. i, 1912. EDITORIAL COMMENT. ,-.... It is with the deepest regret that we have ^grt t0 record the death of Mn Wilbur Wright from typhoid fever. His passing hardly comes as a surprise, for it has been fairly obvious from the cabled reports of his illness that there was very little hope of his recovery from the first. Mr. Wilbur Wright, in conjunction with his brother Orville, may very justly be said to have been the father of dynamic flight. It is true that there were contemporary workers who achieved a fair measure of success, but it is to the brothers Wright that we owe flight as we now know it. In the face of every discouragement, and despite the plain-spoken accusations of departure from the truth when they allowed certain news of their achievements in flight to become known, they persevered with their self-imposed work of wresting the secrets of the air from Nature until they were ready to come out into the light and demonstrate that at last, after centuries of vain striving, man was able to emulate the birds and actually to fly. Wilbur Wright was of the type of which pioneers are made. Strong, insistent and possessed of that infinite capacity for taking pains, which has been defined as genius, he set himself out for the solution of a problem— and solved it. It is characteristic of the man and his brother that during the time they were engaged upon its solution they said little and denied or confirmed nothing until they were ready. It was due to this secretiveness that the impression got abroad that by the inspiration of sensational accounts of their doings they were mere seekers after advertisement, and a greater injustice was never done to sincere workers in the cause of progress than by this impression. However, that is all past and done with, and when the time came for the brothers to demonstrate to an astonished world the full fruits of years of patient labour and research, they were accorded the full credit due to their marvellous discoveries in the realms of flight and took their places as the acknowledged leaders of aviation. Unlike too many pioneers of new industries, they, fortunately, were able to reap the reward of success, but how far that same success led to the premature death of Wilbur Wright we shall probably never know. The worry of continuous litigation in the endeavour to up hold the patent rights must have had its effect on a constitution which Was never too strong. But it scarcely matters now; all we are concerned with at the moment is the tribute to a brilliant genius who has been taken from among us just at a time when he should have been able to settle down to enjoy his reward. His death is in the sense of a personal loss to all who have any con nection at all with aviation. To his family and personal connections we tender our most sincere condolences with their grievous loss. • • • The one thing that stands out clearly in Dangerous connection with the recent accident at Flying Amesbury, which involved the death of a Grounds, boy and injuries to other people is the necessity for some power of control over the sight-seeing crowds who visit flying grounds. At the inquest all the evidence went to show that the accident was due to no other cause than that of the crowd insisting on getting so close to landing aeroplanes as to be dangerous to themselves and to the aviators operating the machines. Lieut. Burchardt- Ashton, who was piloting the biplane which was involved in this particular accident, 482 said that people constantly ran in front of landing machines, and the flying school officials had a great deal of trouble in keeping the crowds from trespassing on the landing approach. Mr. Pizey followed with evidence to the same effect. But everyone whose business it is to frequent flying grounds knows of the difficulty which was spoken to—the trouble is to find a remedy. In his summing-up the coroner said that if the proprietors of flying grounds had no power to keep people off, they ought to be given it. That is well enough in its way, but short of a cordon of police or soldiers it is a little difficult to see how the power is to be enforced even after it has been conferred. The only remedy seems to lie with the public, which must learn that danger must be regarded as lurking in the way of machines taking off or landing. • • * K.Y E O D A couPie of years aS° a11 Britisn motordom ' was started wondering by the appearance of certain mysterious advertisements which simply consisted of the letters " K.Y.E.O.P." When the mystery was elucidated it was discovered that these letters simply meant "Keep your eye on Paisley." Why the advice was given does not matter now, but the style of the advertisement is brought to our mind now by the constantly recurring thought of possible developments in dirigible construction. A little time since we counselled that the military advisers of the Government should not altogether ignore the possibilities of the lighter-than-air craft and recent happenings—again in France—lead us to emphasise that advice. " Keep your eye on dirigibles " is an excellent maxim at the moment when the success of the aeroplane threatens to dwarf the splendid work which is being done by the rival type. On the occasion of the aerial review the French military dirigible Capitaine Ferber voyaged from Issy-les-Moulineux to Toul, 300 kiloms. in 5| hours. This is a remarkable flight when it is con sidered that it was made practically to a time-table and was effected absolutely without incident of untoward character. Compared with performances standing to the credit of aeroplanes, neither the distance nor the time occupied is startling, but it must not be forgotten that the functions of each type are distinct and their separate performances tend to balance the merits of each. Then again the height record of " Clement-Bayard III " last month when she reached 9,513 ft. is another step forward in practical politics for the dirigible. ® ® ® ® An Interesting Ceremony at Hendon. AT the Hendon Aerodrome on Sunday last, General Arbuthnot, on behalf of the Aerial League of the British Empire, presented the Gold Medal of the League to the Green Engine Co. for the per- formance of a 60-h.p. Green engine in winning the Alexander Motor Competition. While emphasising the need for silent engines the General's speech was interrupted by the noise from a passing French machine, thus adding point to his remarks. Mr. Fred May, in returning thanks to the League on behalf of the Green Engine Co., expressed the hope that the day was now approaching when the British manufacturer would cease to go abroad for his engines. He thanked Mr. Cody for flying over from Farnborough specially to demonstrate the capabilities of the Green engine, and also thanked Mr. Grahame-White for kindly placing the aerodrome at the disposal of the League for the purpose of the presentation. Mr. Cody, in his inimitable way, started to propose a vote of thanks to Gen. Arbuthnot, but apparently forgot his purpose, and treated his hearers to an account of the Michelin prizes the Green engine had helped him to win. Reminded of his purpose, he apologised for his digression, and proposed a vote of thanks to Gen. Arbuthnot, which was heartily accorded. Mr. Cody then gave a practical demon- strationof the capabilities of the Green engine by flying severalcircuits.
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