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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0979.PDF
«( FLIGHT" PRIZES OF MERIT. FOR reasons that we have explained in one of our leading articles elsewhere, we have decided to offer the encouragement of small money prizes to be awarded for especially meritorious contributions to the Model Section of FLIGHT. We have no intention of making a pretentious competition of the scheme, and in fact there will be absolutely no rules, and no competition in the strict sense of the word. Whenever the Editor considers that a reader has sent in an especially interesting and carefully prepared communication, which may be either in the form of a letter or an article, he will recommend the award of a prize, and the correspondent will receive a little certificate of merit accompanied by a cheque for 5s. It should not be difficult for any student of model aeronautics to win one of these prizes, but it will not be so easy that anyone can pick them up by merely writing a hasty note. They are prizes of merit and we have no intention of awarding them unless the communication is meri toriously above the average. To be meritorious it is not necessary that the communication should be either lengthy or complicated, but it is necessary that it should show real serious thought, an under standing of the subject written about, and be a good attempt to lucidly express the information in a way that can readily be under stood by others. Some subjects are adequately dealt with by a letter, others are better suited to a short article, while, with others again, the merit of the information may lie in the neatness and accuracy of a set of sketches, drawings, or photographs that illustrate how one may ® ® make something that is worth while making. A set of dimensioned sketches illustrating a number of different paper gliders that can be cut from a half-sheet of notepaper and ballasted by a pen-nib or some simple object that is always ready to hand, would be a most interesting communication, but it would be quite worthless unless the sketches were made as the result of actual experiment with the models they represented. To make those experiments would take some little time, and would be exceedingly interesting and instructive to whomsoever undertook the work. We cite this as an example, because we wish to emphasise a point that is often overlooked, namely, that it is the simple things that are often the most interesting. A model that can quickly be cut from half a sheet of notepaper is a model that anyone can prepare at a moment's notice in order to illustrate some of the principles of flight to a friend who has not hitherto taken an interest in the subject. Some of the paper models that have been sent to this office for inspection and criticism have been almost as complicated as a scale model of a full-sized machine, and not really at all ingenious, seeing that the makers of them have lost sight of the fact that ingenuity in this matter consists in making use of materials that are likely to be available anywhere. With these remarks, therefore, we must leave our readers to exercise their own minds as to how they may best help themselves to win a FLIGHT certificate of merit and a prize or two, which, apart from redounding to their credit, will have the practical utility of diminishing the cost of their subscription to FLIGHT. ® ® Edited by V. E. Model Glider Competition. " A MODEL ENTHUSIAST" writes us as follows:— " I was glad to see from this week's FLIGHT (letter 1649) that I am not alone in thinking that there are still many valuable lessons to be learnt from the behaviour of paper gliders. " It has often occurred to me that if a competition was held for paper gliders a very large number of interesting models, of types both old and new, would be brought together, and that it would prove a splendid opportunity for observing and comparing the behaviour of different types. " The competition could be held in any medium-sized hall, and marks given for gliding-angle, stability, power of recovery when launched nearly upside down, &c. The winter, of course, is just the time for such a meeting, and, if rules respecting size of models, &c., were carefully drawn up, I do not see how it would fail to be both popular and instructive." We quite agree with our correspondent's view, and shall be pleased to do anything that we can to further such a competition. Perhaps the secretary of the K. and M.A.A. (presuming he is not too busy with other matters) will bring the matter before his council with a view to organising such a competition. As our correspondent says—there are still many valuable lessons JOHNSON, M.A. to be learnt from these simple models. A vast variety of such can be cut from so simple a thing as a sheet of notepaper and ballasted with a pen nib, a drop of sealing-wax, a wax vesta, a small piece of cane, a darning needle, &c, things that are always ready to hand. We shall be pleased to receive from our readers really successful examples of such for reproduction. Mr. G. M. L. Goodall's Model. We give, this week, four illustrations of this model, two showing it as a r.o.g. model and two others as a hydro-aeroplane. As will be seen from the photographs, the model is of considerable size and weight, the motor is a C02 Cetonia motor (previously fully described and illustrated in these pages), of ro3-h.p., driving a 33 in. diameter propeller. The total weight of the machine as a hydro-aeroplane being about 27*5 lbs. As a r.o.g. machine it is about 24 lbs., the total area of the wings and tail being only some 12 sq. ft., it at once follows that its soaring velocity is (for a model) extremely high. The writer worked it out as 35 m.p.h., Mr. T. W. K. Clarke about 33, if we remember correctly. Generally speaking models do not carry much more than 8 ozs. per sq. ft., Mr. H. H. Groves' carry 1 lb. per sq. ft., the writer's steam model about 12 ozs. per sq. ft. (he is, however, now building one to carry 8 ozi. per sq. ft.), whereas Mr. Goodall's, as a r.o.g., carried 2 lbs. Mr Goodall's model, showing the bird-like form of wing surface, &c. On the right the mod .1 is seen as am r.o.g., showing, engine, propeller, and landing chassis clearly. In the photo the wheels look somewnat large, but are not so pronounced on the model itself. 979
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