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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0331.PDF
• MARCH 22, 1913. ROYAL AERO THE annual dinner of the Royal Aero Club was held at the Royal Automobile Club last week under the chairmanship of Sir Chas. D. Rose, Bart., M.P. The guest of the evening was Col. Seely, M.P., Secretary of State for War, whose presence gave a peculiar interest to the occasion in view of the possibility of a momentous utterance from him on the subject of the aerial defence of the British Isles. Many distinguished members and guests were present, among whom may be mentioned Mr. H. J. Tennant, M.P., Mr. H. T. Baker, M.P., Mr. W. Joynson-Hicks, M.P., Mr. Davison Dalziel, M.P., Maj.-Gen. R. M. Ruck, Brig.-Gen. D. Henderson, D.S.O., Capt. G. M. Paine, R.N., Col. H. C. L. Holden, Mr. T. Marlowe, Professor J. H. Biles, Professor A. K. Huntington, Mr. A. Mortimer Singer, Mr. Mervyn O'Gorman, Mr. J. W. Orde, Mr. C. F. Pollock, Sir John Shelley, Bt., the Hon. Lady Shelley, Col. J. E. Capper, Lieut.-Col. K. R. Campbell, Commander C. R. Samson, R.N., Major B. Baden-Powell, Major F. Lindsay Lloyd, Capt. J. Boyd-Carpenter, Capt. B. D. Corbet, Lieut. Lawrence, Messrs. E. C. Bucknall, S. F. Cody, F. K. McClean, Moore Brabazon, T. O. M. Sopwith, Holt Thomas, J. E. Hutton, F. R. Simms, Dr. W. J. S. Lockyer, Alec Ogilvie, F. Handley Page, Warwick J. Wright, Howard T. Wright, Stenson Cooke, H. A. Blackie, T. F. Woodfine, John Cates, G. Hamcl, James Valentine, and Harold E. Perrin, secretary. In proposing the toast of "The Club," the chairman made reference to the honour paid to the club by the King's gracious patronage, which was yet another expression of the interest shown by His Majesty in the legitimate aspirations and ambitions of his subjects. Continuing, he said the club was now in a highly prosperous condition, the membership being over 1,400. It was hoped shortly that they would be able to acquire new premises for the adequate accommodation of their members. During the past year they had to deplore the loss of 14 members, whose deaths were caused by accidents whilst flying. Up to the present 446 certificates had been granted to aviators, and of this number 270 had been issued during the past year. No fewer than 230 aviators were on the active list of His Majesty's forces. The Secretary of State for War's deep interest in the subject of aviation was a source of great satisfaction to them, and with the assurance of the public's support a fleet of aerial vessels adequate to the requirements of our national defences would, he hoped, in a reasonable time be an accomplished fact. Col. Holden proposed the toast of" The Guests," and in response, Col. Seely said that on Wednesday next he contemplated making a statement in the House of Commons upon the progress made in the newest of arts and sciences. He could not anticipate that statement. It was to the flying members of the Club that Great Britain looked to enable her to keep in the fore front in aerial competition. He believed that the progress made, admitting that we started far behind other nations, was iar greater than that in any other country in one year, and justified them in feeling sanguine as to the future. All the money that he (Col. Seely) and the First Lord of the Admiralty had asked for had been granted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Confirming the figures given by the chairman of the number of aviators on the active list, Col. Seely went on to say, that although ® ® AIRSHIP A Long Cruise by "Beta." BOTH the " Beta " and " Gamma " were cruising at Aldershot last week, and on the 12th the former made a record run of 8£ hours' continuous travelling to Folkestone and back. Afterwards a tour was made round Aldershot, and the next day the dirigible carried out some altitude tests. The German Airship Manoeuvres. A START was made with the oft postponed airship manoeuvres at Cologne on the 12th inst., when both the P II and the ZII were out for an hour. While the former was landing, a soldier approached too near one of the still revolving propellers, and received injuries to which he succumbed later. A Zeppelin at Ghent. IN connection with the International Exhibition at Ghent arrangements have been made for a regular service by a Zeppelin airship from Dusseldorf to Ghent during August, September and October. The fare for the journey of 130 miles has been fixed at /14. Firing from Top of Zeppelins. AT Friedrichshafen on Sunday some 500 rounds of ammuni- «== CLUB DINNER. they were not so great as he could wish, a large increase would take place in the near future. •*V) 4 It was diiiicuh to set a standard in the matter of aviation. -'To take as a standard the number of guns and regiments we had would be wholly insufficient. They must aim at a higher standard than thai. We had the skill and brains. There were men in this club who in the science of aeronautics had taught the whole world technical details which might not other wise have been known, and there were men who by theit innate genius and fortitude had overcome seemingly insuperable difficulties, and had done so in a far greater measure than the men of foreign countries. In the International Competition, the first prize went toameml>er of the club present that night, and had it Iwen possible for the Government's scientific advisers to enter a machine for competition they might not only have shown the way to foreign countries, but also have run the winner wry fine. Col. Seely paid a eulogy to the mem tiers who had died through accidents, and said that they had died as truly in the service of their country as if they had fallen on the field of battle, in trying to conquer the secrets of the air which might yet prove a necessity to our imperial and national existence. Victory would go to the most courageous race, and he believed we should not be found wanting in that essential quality. Fatal accidents had no effect whatever in diminishing the determination of the Royal Flying Corps to fly. The immediate future of aviatian rested with the armies and navies of the various countries ,to a greater extent than in its civilian application, and he believedl that that would be the case for some time to come. Paying a generous appreciation to the members of the Aero Club, to which His Majesty's forces owed so much, Col. Seely suggested that they should endeavour to secure greater safety for aeroplanes, for not only would that be of incalculable benefit to the Army and Navy but to the industry itself. It would not be all on the side of the aviator when the guns began to shoot, and he emphasised that this question of defending aeroplanes from the guns was of paramount importance. In conclusion, he wished to publicly acknowledge the great services rendered to the Government by the club. Mr. Joynson-IIicks also replied on behalf of the guests, and his speech came in the nature of an anti-climax. Judging from the enthusiasm aroused among the guests, his pointed remarks were greatly appreciated. Twice he was interrupted by prolonged applause. He described Col. Seely's speech as an excellent essay in " skating." He added that quite outside the realm of party politics, the position of this country in regard to military and naval aviation did not redound to the honour of Great Britain. He hoped the Secretary of State for War would be able to announce on Wednesday that within the next 12 months our aerial forces would be brought up to the level of Germany. The British Empire Michelin Trophy No. 1, and cash prize of ,£500 was them formally presented to Mr. H. G. Hawker, in whose absence Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith made response ; and the British Empire Michelin Trophy No. 2 and cash prize of ,£600 to Mr. S. F. Cody, who responded in a vigorous and characteristic speech. An enjoyable musical programme concluded the occasion. ® ® NEWS. tion were fired from a quick-firing gun mounted on the top of the rigid framework of the "Zeppelin IV." A New German Dirigible. AT Dusseldorf, a new Vech dirigible of the semi-rigid type is being constructed. The envelope is 78 metres long, and the capacity 8,000 metres. The various parts of the airship are so designed as to be easily dismountable, and wherever possible the framework is made of steel. The car is 46 metres long and 1 metre wide, and weighs 1,640 kilogs. It carries two 4-cylinder motors of 125-h.p., each of which drives two wooden propellers of 4 metres diam. A Trial by the " Fleurus." THE dirigible " Fleurus," built in the French Army factory, made a cruise on the 12th from St. Cyr to Issy. New Astra Airship for Russia. THE new dirigible built by the Astra firm for the Russian Government made her first ascent on the nth, when with; nine persons on board she cruised in the neighbourhood of Issy for twenty-five minutes. 337
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