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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0622.PDF
and stays, it will be perfectly sound, will fill a useful purpose, and be thoroughly practical. But why " Automatic versus Inherent Stability," or manual versus either, it is this impression that Automatic or Inherent Stability necessarily means lack of other stability that is so difficult to overcome. When it is understood that it is an additional and not an alternate means of safety, we may make some progress in construction. Worthing. FRANK W. B. HAMBLING. [J592] The desirability or otherwise of an arrangement for providing an aeroplane with absolute automatic stability, has long been a question which has burned in the minds of all technicians and •designers interested in the evolution of the flying machine. It is, however, in my opinion, and most authorities agree with me, & matter which can best be decided by the aviator himself. It is all very well for theoreticians to evolve elaborate schemes for providing and fitting gyroscopic arrangements to aeroplanes for the purpose of assuring lateral stability. It is undoubtedly the practical man who knows best what is really wanted, although I do not for a moment suggest that he is always the man to supply the want; but I do suggest that if the theoretical investigator will only concentrate his energies to working upon the data offered by the practical flying man, something exceptional and definite in the matter of improve ment in design might be reasonably expected. I am convinced, and I am not alone in this conviction, that the actual development of aeroplanes will prove to lie almost entirely in the simplification of working parts, and that the perfect aeroplane will only result from the first evolution of a machine, which, owing to its peculiarities of design, will have embodied in it a maximum measure of natural automatic stability, without the aid of any supplementary mechanical device whatever. I speak, of course, taking into account the present apparent limits of the aeroplane, but if in time to come it is found possible to so develop the flying machine as to make the building of large aerial lines a subject worthy of expert discussion, (and I am sanguine enough to believe in the practicability of development to such an extent, though naturally, I do not think this position of progress will be reached for some years yet), then I might admit to thinking that the fitting of some automatic device will be necessary for the purpose of •controlling such a mammoth machine. Whether the gyroscope will be the controlling medium, or whether the machine will be controlled by the pilot through some hydraulic apparatus, is a •question which time and investigation alone will settle, although personally I believe development will lie along the latter direction. In the meanwhile I and my fellow designers will continue to concentrate our attentions upon the improvement and practical evolution of the pure and simple aeroplane. We have long recognised that any sort of supplementary apparatus for auto matically stabilising a well-designed machine is at all times entirely unwarranted and unnecessary, and unless some genius invents some •absolutely new method of adaption of mechanical principles which will make a practical proposition of a class of heavier-than-air flying machine other than the aeroplane, when the fitting of such a device might prove advantageous, the advocate or inventor of such automatic fitments will, I am afraid, receive very little encourage ment from the aviation fraternity as a whole. Chiswick. ERNEST WARDE-FOX. [r593] Being personally interested in the subject of automatic control apparatus, I was glad to see the views of an experienced pilot on the question of *' Automatic v. Inherent" stability, even though these views were not favourable to such apparatus. It appears to me that Mr. Ovington is basing his opinions upon one preconceived notion. He writes as follows concerning the parts of such mechanisms, " there is a possibility of their being deranged, and in such case sure death would be the result," and later, " I would hate personally to get into a machine and realise that if a certain automatic device did not operate I should surely be killed." Now this latter statement equally expresses my own opinion (and probably of all sane people) so much so, that my very first consideration in designing such apparatus is that the action of the hand control shall not be in the least interfered with, but shall be capable of being operated independent of the fact whether the automatic control is in operation or not. The means to this end in the particular apparatus with which I am associated, which is the only one for which I can personally answer, does not involve extra complication, as can be seen from the description in the last Aeronautical Journal (June, 1912). I might say that this particular apparatus was designed to order for a foreign machine, and a well-known aviator has arranged to pilot the machine during it trials. I look upon automatic apparatus as not so much a means of com pletely relieving the pilot of the responsibility of the (say) lateral control as giving him something which can perform for him the greater portion of the physical effort involved, thus conserving his energy, and leaving him more prepared to meet circumstances (such as the deep chasm of Mr. Ovington) requiring extra steadiness of mind and body. Even with complete failure of the apparatus, such an automatically controlled machine becomes merely an ordinary hand- operated one ; and I think, if in this light Mr. Ovington propounds his question as to which of two bicycle wheels (automatically controlled or hand controlled) would be preferable with negotiating a long and arduous journey, then the majority would prefer that machine which could give them some help during their prolonged effort. Personally I am not opposed to " inherent " stability machines, but it is, I believe, recognised that they have disadvantages in stormy weather, and the less inherent stability they have the easier is their control in such cases. This is evidenced by the modern tend of construction, and the comparison of the lateral control of a Wright biplane with that of a similar machine possessing more " inherent stability." T. W. K. CLARKE AND CO. Will H. J. N., of Levenshulme, kindly send his address to the Editor, as he would prefer to answer the request by letter ? ® ® ® ® Next Year's Gordon Bennett Race. ONE of the subjects discussed at the recent conference of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale at Vienna was the course for next year's Gordon Bennett race, and it was decided that it should be a cross-country one. An extraordinary meeting of the Federation will be held in January to ratify this change in the conditions. Our British clubs endeavoured to get this ruling for last year's event, but voles were against them. It was bound to come, however. War Office Adopts " Cellon." WE understand from the Cellon Co., 49, Queen Victoria Street, that the War Office has adopted Cellon for use on some of the Army aeroplanes. Messrs. S. F. Cody, A. V. Roe, and L. Howard Flanders have all commented favourably upon the dope, which it is claimed tightens the fabric, and makes it proof against air, water, petrol, and oil, and impervious to atmospheric changes. ® ® ® ® Aeronautical Patents Published. Applied for In 1911. Published July ^th, 1912. 15,206. L. C, BR£GUET. Aeroplanes. 22,503. C. NAVARO. Aeroplanes. Applied for In I ins. Published July $ih, 1912. 3t*3*- J* LAMANT. Route indicator for aerial machines. 12,386. W. FISCHER. Hangars for dirigible balloons. PRINCIPAL CONTENTS. • Editorial Comment The Advisory Committee's Report. The Freedom of the Air. The Maurice Farman Biplane (with scale drawings) Marriage of Mr. Claude Grahame-White Wilbur Wright. By Griffith Brewer Flight Technology—Wires and Their Fastenings Midsummer Meeting, Hendon ... ... Royal Aero Club. Official Notices From the British Flying Grounds Military Aeroplane Competition Air Eddies. By " Oiseau Bleu" Foreign Aviation News Airship News Models. Conducted by V. E. Johnson, M.A Progress of Flight about the Country Correspondence , PA<1K ... 602 ... ' ... 603 608 609 ... 610 611 612 613 6i5 615 616 617 618 ... 620 ... ... 621 FLIGHT. 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegraphic address : Truditur, London. Telephone : 1828 Gerrard. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. FLIGHT will be forwarded, post free to any part of the world at the following rates:— UNITED KINGDOM. ABROAD. s. d. s. d. 3 Months, Post Free ... 1 8 3 Months, Post Free... 2 9 6 „ „ •••3 3 6 ,„ „ ... 5 6 12 „ „ ... 6 6 12 „ „ ... 11 o Clieques and Post Office Orders should be made payable to the Proprietors of FLIGHT, 44, St. Martin's Lane, W.C., and crossed JLondon County and Westminster Bank, otherwise no responsibility will be accepted. Should any difficulty be experienced in procuring FLIGHT from local newsvendors, intending readers can obtain each issue direct from the Publishing Office, by forwarding remittance as above.
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