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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0716.PDF
IfilGHT I also agree heartily with Mr. Ernest Warde-Fox when he states that simplicity is one of the greatest things in a flying machine. What I liked about my Bleriot system of control was that the wires ran straight from the control to the planes without diving into hollow spars or passing through a dozen or more pulleys. Simplify the aeroplane of the present day, improve the little constructional details, make the factor cf safety as uniform as possible, and then teach aviators that flying is not a circus performance, and aviation will come out all right in the long run. Newton Highlands, Mass. EARLE L. OVINGTON. © ® ® ® AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. Official Notices. Wilbur Wright Memorial Fund.—The following subscrip tions have been received:—Amount previously acknowledged, ^471 15^. 6d. ; J. G. Lorrain, Esq., £1 is. ; Harris Booth, Esq., £1 is.; W. R. Turnbull, Esq., £1 u. 5 John MacHaffie, Esq., IOJ-. 6d. ; Capt. W. J. P. Rodd, 10*. Total, £475 19s. ® ® © ® Models in Silver. THERE is considerable grace and artistic merit about the lines of a well-designed aeroplane, and we can imagine no more charming way of preserving their characteristics for the information of future generations than that present-day owners should have silver replicas in miniature of the machines they fly. Such work to be carried out properly needs the art of the expert silversmith, and it is a matter of considerable interest to learn that Messrs. Mappin and Webb are specialising in this as a branch of their factory at 158-162, Oxford Street. Mappin and Webb's workmanship holds a world reputa tion for excellence in any case, while the reputation of the firm is such as to be a guarantee that the great essential of accuracy in the reproduction of the design should be all that the most critical constructor could desire. Already Messrs. Mappin and Webb have secured several orders, and we have not the least doubt that they will obtain quite an influx of them when the idea becomes more generally known. Most pilots naturally have a regard for their aeroplane that is a little deeper and more enduring than that ordinarily associated with the possession of inanimate objects, and we can well believe that all, at any rate, who have achieved any thing of consequence in the way of a flight, would like to possess some simple memento of the occasion such as the Mappin and Webb scale model so admirably affords. These models, needless to say, can be made in any size. The larger, the greater amount of detail can be reproduced, of course ; but even in the smallest models accuracy of essential features and a likeness of the original machine is equally assured. A Remarkable Life-saving Jacket. Now that hydro-aeroplaning is getting so popular, the need for another accessory for flying arises. This is the life-saving jacket. It would be impossible to emphasise too much the importance of wearing such an appliance when flying with an ordinary aeroplane over tracts of water, for machines designed to support themselves in air will not always support themselves indefinitely in water, unless special provisions are taken. Even with hydro aeroplanes, sudden contact with the water might possibly so derange the floats that they would no longer give support. So it becomes evident that, as a wise precaution, the use of some form of appliance to keep the aviator afloat should he be thrown clear of the machine, or should he have to abandon it for any reason, is indispensable. Such makeshifts as an inflated inner tube or a football will not suffice. There are naturally many devices of this kind on the market, but none perhaps so suited to aeroplane use as the "Boddy" life-saving jacket, sold by the "Boddy" Life-Saving Jacket Co., 8, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C. This garment has been so designed that it gives the wearer all the free dom of movement necessary when flying. Its buoyancy is obtained from Kapok, an extremely light and silky form of vegetable fibre, which is derived from the pods of a tree, native to India. This fibre Kapok is sewn into pockets in different positions on the jacket. The dispo sition of these pockets is a more important feature of the jacket than would at first be supposed, for they have been so designed by Mr. G. M. AUGUST 3, 1912. Boddy that should the wearer .become unconscious in the water, he will be turned on his back and floated into a safe position, his head being supported and kept clear of the water by a cushion, stuffed with Kapok, high up on the back of the jacket. This special vegetable fibre has the advantage over cork, that it is much lighter, and infinitely warmer to wear, and that it does not lose its flotational power through water-logging. For flying purposes the warmth that the " Boddy " jacket affords will be readily appreciated. As for its safety qualities, it is interesting to know that the jacket has been approved by the Board of Trade after a series of exhaustive tests. Several well-known aviators, wide awake to any emergency that may arise, have equipped themselves with " Boddy " jackets. They have given them, we believe, every satisfaction in use. Compass Improvements. GEOGRAPHIA, LTD., of 33, Strand, W.C., are just introducing a new compass, for which they claim many advantages. Chief amongst these is that it may be adjusted by the aviator himself, so that he may not be put to the expense of engaging a qualified operator to do it for him. Another advantage is that the liquid container is completely sealed, thus eliminating the possibility of air-bubbles forming inside or of liquid escaping. The third important feature is that it is provided with a device by which it may be employed for keeping on a true course when flying in a side wind. We hope to be able to give further details in a future issue. The Transport of Aeroplanes. MESSRS. JOSEPH C. MOUNT & Co., who make a speciality of the transport of aeroplanes, have had charge of the packing and delivery of several of the British machines to Salisbury, while several foreign machines also passed through their hands. In our last issue there was a slight slip in the advertisement of this firm. It should be noted that the telephone number of their Grosvenor Road premises is 4654, Victoria. A Tool for Making Wire Loops. FROM Messrs. Rubery, Owen and Co., of Darlaston, South Staffs, we have received a little instrument which doubtless when it becomes further known will find a place in every air mechanic's kit. It consists of patent bending pliers, which render it quite unnecessary to heat wire or steel tape in order to form a loop. They are made in stamped black steel, and tests have shown that they will make a perfect loop in wire or steel tape 10 to 14 gauge in thickness. The firm will be pleased to send full particulars to anyone interested. ® ® ® ® Aeronautical Patents Published. 15,529-19.378. 28,918. Applied for In 1911. Published August 1st, 1912. J. S. STEPHENS. Aeroplanes. O. C. JONES. Aerial propellers. E. M. CHARPENTIER. Wooden parts for aerial navigation. PRINCIPAL CONTENTS. • Editorial Comment The War Office Trials. The,Million Shillings Fund. _ The Military Aeroplane Competition Royal Aero Club Official Notices From the British Flying Grounds British Notes of the Week Foreign Aviation News Resi-tance of Struts Models. Conducted by V. E. Johnson, M.A Kite and Model Aeroplane Association Progress of Flight about the Country Correspondence... PAGE . 692 603 705 706 709 710 712 713 715 7'5 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. 3 Months, Post Free .. 6 i, „ 2 >, ,, s. . l • 3 . 6 d. 8 3 6 3 Months, Post Free... 6 „ ,, 12 ,, ,, s. 2 5 11 a. 9 b 0 Cheques and Post Office Orders should be made payable 10 the Proprietors of FLIGHT, 44, St. Martin's Lane, W.C., and crossed London County and Westminster Bank, otherwise no responsibility will be accepted. Should any difficulty be experienced in procuring FLIGHT from local newsvenaors, intending readers can obtain each issue direct from the Publishing Office, bv forwarding remittance as above. 7l6
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