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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0921.PDF
Flight, August 30, 1913. ^ G First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 244. (No. 35, Vol. V.)] AUGUST 30, 1913. ["Registered at the G.P.O.T I" Weekly, Price Sd. L as a Newspaper. J L Post Free, Sid. Flight. Editorial Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegrams: Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... is*, ad. Abroad 201. ad. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: The Great Sea Flight Men of Moment in the World of Flight: Mr. Sidney V. Sippe Flying at Hendon The "Eta" From the British Flying Grounds Round Britain Waterplane Flight Paris-Deauville Waterplane Contest Armchair Reflections. By The Dreamer Foreign Aviation News The Austro-Daimler Aero Engine .. The Theory of the Dunne Aeroplane Models. Edited by V. E. Johnson, M.A Correspondence I'AGE • 947 • 943 . 950 • 953 • 955 • 959 . 961 . 962 • 963 . 966 . 968 • 97° • 972 EDITORIAL COMMENT. In writing of such a magnificent feat— Great *°r ** *s a magmncent feat> in spite of the Sea Flight, unfortunate failure which prevented the full accomplishment of the task under taken—as that achieved by the combination of machine, engine and pilot represented by the Sopwith seaplane, Green engine and Mr. Hawker in the Round Britain Race for the Daily Mail prize of ^5,000, it is more than a little difficult to know what to say. On the one hand, to do adequate justice to such a performance entails almost of necessity a lapse into fulsome compliment, which is as dis tasteful to those concerned to read as to us to pen. On the other, to dismiss it in a few lines of common-place plati tudes is to utterly fail to do justice to the subject. But so epoch-making an occurrence can hardly be allowed to pass without due comment, if only because it constitutes in itself one of the milestones in the progress of flight, and in particular in the story of British aviation. Moreover, it possesses a distinct character of its own so far as British history is concerned, in that it at once marks the point at which the native designer and constructor of the aeroplane and the British engine- builder have beyond all doubt or question overtaken—if not actually passed—their rivals from abroad. Even so recently as a week ago, there would have been found many, whose interest in aviation is of an active character, to have said that there is not an aviation motor designed or produced within the British Isles which is the equal of the best-known foreign engines. To-day there is for answer the concrete record of this wonderful flight accom plished by a British engine ! And not only accomplished, but accomplished to all intents and purposes without the least hitch or trouble ! True, according to the newspaper reports of the flight, Mr. Hawker's descent at Seaham Harbour was due to engine trouble, and that he fell somewhat behind his intended schedule on the second day was ascribed to a similar course, while the same trouble was reported on Wednesday, when Mr. Hawker's flight met such an unfortunate termination, but when we come to examine the matter in detail we find that this so-called " engine trouble " was simply the consequence of loss of water due to the burning through of rubber connec tions by a hot exhaust pipe, and was thus not due to any sort of trouble in the motor itself. Therefore, we main tain that we are strictly correct in saying that there was no engine trouble from beginning to end, and our Editorial remarks with regard to the Green motor, published in last week's issue of FLIGHT, have been shown to be fully justified in the result. What this means to the British industry needs little perspicacity to realise. No longer need there be any doubt as to the ability of the British engine designer to produce a motor which is fully the equal of the best of those which have their origin in other countries. It might be argued that as one swallow does not make a summer, so one engine does not make an industry, but already there are several British engines which in the not far-distant future will be heard of, and there can be no doubt that the success of this Green motor will produce a sort of reflex effect on the whole industry by concentrating atten tion on the actual achievement, and thus engendering a spirit of further emulation which cannot fail of producing the very best results. We feel that we should be doing less than is due to the makers of the Green engine did we not tender them not only our congratulations upon their really wonderful motor, but thank them at the same time, in the name of the whole British aerial move ment, for the service they have rendered to it by thus directing attention to the possibilities of the native industry. Then, what is to be said of the Sopwith machine—a machine designed and built out of the lessons of
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