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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0051.PDF
Hand-lannched Off ground ... Hydro, off water 477 yards. 89 sees. 332 yards. 51 sees. 35 sees. 84 yards. 32 sees. JANUARY 11, 1913. KITE AND MODEL AEROPLANE ASSOCIATION. Official Notices. British Model Records. (Distance ... A. E. Woollard ' (. Duration ... A. F. Houlberg /Distance ... G.Rowlands... • I Duration ... A. F. Houlberg . Duration ... G. P. Bragg-Smith Single-tractor screw, (Distance ... H. R. Weston hand-launcbed ...(Duration ... F. W. Jannaway . International Aero Exhibition, Olympia, February 14th to 22nd inclusive.- All members and friends who intend exhibiting in the model section should at once iniorm the hon. sec, stating what class, &c„ they intend exhibiting in if they cannot send the official form. This is particularly requested so that space can be reserved for them, and in class 3, viz., hydroplanes, so that the tank can be proceeded with. Club secretaries are requested to send in their club's official forms, giving number in each class, though the individual forms, giving details of machines can follow, but all forms should be sent by end of month. The following clubs have applied for club stands which have been reserved for them, viz. : The Aero Models Association (Northern Branch), The Bath and Somerset Aero Club, North-East London Aero Club, Reigate, Redhill and District Aero Club, Leytonstone and District Aero Club, Paddington and District Aero Club, The Windsor Model Aero Club. Any other club wishing to avail themselves of having a stand at the special reduced rate must apply at once. Annual Subscription Dinner.—It has been suggested tbat an annual sub scription dinner would give a good opportunity of meeting old competitors and fellow workers in aviation, and the hon. sec. would be glad to know if members and friends favour the idea and would be likely to attend. It would be held at a London Hotel on a convenient date in March preferably, say, in the second or third week. _ It must be understood that it all depends upon the members if one is _ held or not, although the attendance promised this year suggests that the institution of an annual dinner would meet with success, but unless other members who have no special engagement on then, make an effort to attend on the first occasion, the outlook for future meetings might be gloomy. If the idea is generally taken up, dinners would on future occasions include the officers and men of the War Kite Squadron. f/TiCHTl War Kite Squadron.—The appeal for funds for the equipment of the 1st War Kite Squadron does not meet with the success it deserves. Will any wealthy jpatriotic reader send such a donation as would make it possible for the kite section to be proceeded with at once, for once having got the first section subscriptions for the wireless and gun sections would be forthcoming. Official Trials.—To-day, Saturday, January nth, on the grounds of the Aero Models Association (Northern Branch) Finchley, at 3 o'clock. 37, Victory Road, Wimbledon, S.W. W. H. AKEHURST, Hon. Sec. ®> ® ® ® MODEL CLUB DIARY AND REPORTS. CLUB reports of chief work done will be published monthly for the future. Secretaries' reports, to be included, must reach the Editor on the last Monday in each month. Aero-Models Assoc. (N. Branch) (15, HIGHGATR AVENUE, N.). JAN. IITH. The K. and M.A.A. trials for records at Finchley. All entries for the December trials hold good, and it is hoped that some new records will fall to the lot of this club. Paddington and Districts (77, SWINDERBY ROAD, WEMBLEY). JAN. IITH. Lecture on "Meteorology" by the secretary. Jan. iSth. Annual general meeting. Every member should attend for the purpose of electing officers and committee for the ensuing year, receiving the report and balance sheet, and arranging the procedure for the coming season. Sheffield Model Aero Club (35, PBNRHYN ROAD, SHEFFIELD). JAN. HTH. Hand-launched "duration " contest, postponed from Jan. 41I1, as announced in last week's FLIGHT, at " The Standhouse Aerodrome." Intake 3 o'clock prompt. S. Eastern Model Ae.C. (i, RAILWAY APPROACH, BROCKLEY). FLYING at week-end as usual at Kidbrooke, Blackheath, Woolwich, Milch.1111, South Norwood, and at Chislehurst (by members of the Chislehurst and District Aero Club). Yorkshire Ae C. 1 Model Sec) (53. WEST STREET, LEEDS). JAN. IITH. Woodhouse Moor. ® ® ® ® CORRESPONDENCE,. Thejiame and address oj the writer not necessarily jot publication) MUST in all cases accompany letters intended >or insertion, or containing queries. Correspondents communicating with regard to letters which have appeared in FLIGHT, would much facilitate ready reference by quoting the number of each letter. Guns on Aeroplanes. [1704] In discussing the arming of aeroplanes in your issue of the 7th December, you have fallen into error through being unaware of the fact that it is a commonplace with guns in fixed positions to fit stops limiting elevation and traverse. Had the possibilities you allude to existed, I should not have suggested arming the Cody machine as I did some time back. Every effort should be made to dispose of struts and stays, so as to give the guns as much play as possible, when designing an armed aeroplane, but stops must be fitted in any case to protect the machine from injury. I trust you will publish this, in case any designer should be disturbed in mind by your article. R.A. (Retired). [The solution of the problem, we think, is not to handicap the gun by fitting stops to suit the limitations of existing machines, but to design aeroplanes on which guns can be used over an angle of, say, 1200 or more. Stops would then be no more than a reasonable precaution, and should not sensibly interfere with the effective action of the gunner.—ED.] Stream-line Bodies. [1705] Owing to the answers I have received on stream-line bodies, I should like to comment on them, and should be pleased if you would publish the following article in your columns. Referring to Mr. Macdonald's letter (1680), I was surprised to hear of the shape of the modern Whitehead torpedo, but consider the term blunt nose rather vague, and I shall be pleased if he could furnish me with more partic ulars of their shape, and, if possible, sketches. Turning to Mr. Ferguson's letter (1684), I am afraid that in his figures (ii and iv) the air is certainly deflected from its course very much, and also, perhaps, in my Fig. II (1671), but not nearly so pronouncedly. By drawing a figure as his Fig. I, and inserting a slight curve instead of a point (Fig. A), the deflection can be brought to a minimum, and one gets a section as in Fig. B. I now turn to Mr. F. Robinson's and Mr. Keller's letter (1685), and I am afraid that they wander completely off the point in saying that a pin, according to my argument, ought to have a curved end. Surely they must know that the properties of air are not the same as cloth, for instance, with which a pin comes in contact. They might also know that the bows of battleships are not a sharp point, as it were, but slightly curved. They furthermore say it has been proved that a pointed front offers less resistance in water. I think they would do well to look at Mr. Macdonald's letter (1671), and if they do not believe his statements, they will, no doubt, after careful investigation, find that he is correct. To finish up, how do they account for the shape of the Deperdussin monocoque, the end of the warping lever on the Bristol, as in C, the Breguet wing struts, and the shape of the fuselage of the armoured Borel and Breguet, not to mention many other examples. W. Folkestone. M. ROBINSON. [1706] The subject of stream-line bodies raised by Mr. M. L. Robinson (1671) is certainly very interesting, especially as there seems such a diversity of opinion. I should like to state that I am in favour of the blunt or spherical head, and not the pointed or cone-shaped, for reasons which seem to me obvious. If we draw a perpendicular line through the widest part of the body, as near the head as possible, we find that the cone or pointed head has a greater surface than the spherical head, for one thing, and all surface in front of the perpendicular line presents head resistance. I think the " air current " lines shown in Mr. Robinson's diagram a little misleading ; perhaps they should be shown thus : — ^ 'ro'wiwei& Taking Fig. I, we take first the current meeting the point; it is divided by the point, and travels along the surface of the cone. The body is still meeting more air currents at all parts of the surface of the cone ; but they are added to those which are divided by the point, addition taking place on the surface of the cone, the whole making great head resistance. Now take Fig. 2, the body travels forward ; there is no point, therefore no division of air currents in the same way as in Fig. I. The air is smashed, as it were, by the foremost part of the spherical head, sprayed in all directions, breaking and partly carrying off currents which would meet the other part of surface of the head, therefore making less head resistance. The same applies to struts made in these sections. Referring to bullets mentioned by Mr. Fergusson (1684), I do not think they can be compared to stream-line bodies as, I believe, they spin as they travel through the air, and are designed to enter a denser element at the end of their journey. 51
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