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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0936.PDF
(/USHT AUGUST 30, 1913, ARMCHAIR REFLECTIONS. By THE The Sopwith-Hawker-Green Combination. I REALLY cannot let this issue go to press without having a word to say about the topic which is on every body's lips ; the race round Britain. At the time of writing, H. G. Hawker has only reached Cromarty. I say " only," with regard to the full distance to be covered, and not as meaning I had expected him to have got further; and what a magnificent flight ! Southampton to near Berwick in a single day. I wonder what some of those who lived during the old coaching days would think could they know of the advance in modern travel; I wonder what the versatile Sam Weller would have said about a machine which could have delivered the venerable Pickwick safe and sound at Ipswich, whilst he, following in the coach, was changing horses at the " Castle " at Woodford. Mr. Sopwith has every reason to be proud of his machine. That he himself is a pilot of skill and great experience, experience gathered not only in this country, but abroad, is liable, if we are not careful, to slip one's mind for the moment, now that, as head of the Sopwith Aviation Co., he is placed in a position where his services are of far more value on the ground than in the air. A year ago and Tom Sopwith would have undoubtedly piloted his machine round personally. That his experience is now standing him in good stead as a constructor is proved by the splendid performances of the machines emanating from his works. When one considers the comparatively short time in which this company has been building, and then remembers that their machines hold all the altitude records—and good ones at that— for this country, together with the Michelin Cup No. 1, the Mortimer Singer prize for six flights, with alternating landings on land and water, and the splendid performance now being put up, the Sopwith machine must be rated as one of the very best. ® ® THE "WIGHT" THE following very interesting account, received from a corre spondent, ol the successful debut last week-end of the waterplane designed by Mr. Howard Wright, and built by M essrs. J. S. White and Co., will doubtless be read with interest. It will be remembered that the planes of this machine are peculiar in that they have a double curve. Our correspondent writes from Cowes under date August 24th :— " East Cowes, August 24th, 1913. "You will, I am sure, be interested (and pleased) to know that White's ' plane ' went for a fine ' fly' yesterday morning. They got Gordon England to come down, and, after having a look round the bearings at Osborne Bay from a motor boat on Thursday morning, England, in the afternoon, taxied out and got the ' hang ' of the machine, but did not attempt a flight as there was rather much wind. Friday blew hard all day, and yesterday morning about 9.30 he taxied out in the Roads and calmly lifted her (whilst going with the wind) and flew most perfectly out over Ryde Pier and back, planing down on the water most satisfactorily. Everyone is delighted j England says she is the best machine he has flown. He adjusted the ailerons when he rose, and did not touch them afterwards; she actually flew at 30 m.p.h., and he found that he had to throttle down his engine very much as she was so anxious to chmb, although he had 200 lbs. weight ballast in lieu of passenger. He also said that her lifting power was so great that she could have had much smaller planes. '* He now wants as near an absolute quiet windless day, in order that he may get certain data, inclination, &c, and he will then put her through an exhaustive series of trials ; but I think she is quite all right as she flew so perfectly steady in both right- and left-hand turns. " It would seem as though the cause of the two mishaps was her anxiety to climb with a full throttle, which, of course, turned her DREAMER. And what of the engine ? Surely no one will say after this that England cannot build a good aerial engine. Think for one moment of this engine, so light that it only weighs some three pounds per horse-power, pounding, away hour after hour, and asking nothing but to be kept well fed with petrol and oil. Have you ever seen the crank case of an engine, with the crank-shaft in position, having the bearings tested by a bench run, by power applied from without ? I have; and at top speed the cranks move so fast as to appear as one straight line of shining metal, and do not seem to be moving at all. Imagine this Green engine moving at this speed with the pistons in position, and induction, compression, explosion and exhaust taking place so rapidly, together with all that it means in the way of moving valves, and keeping this up for hours on end! It says something for construction. Of the pilot, what can I say? The strain, mental and physical, must be enormous. Think of some one or other of the long journeys you have done in a motor car; remember how stiff and tired and wornout you have felt at the end of the day, with nothing but the ordinary care needed on the road to worry you; and think of this man sitting there twelve hours a day, day after day, thousands of feet ears keenly on the alert all the time different note in the tune of the engine, they can be removed from the petrol and oil gauges— not forgetting the compass, altimeter and other instru ments—for a moment, striving to pick up and follow the coast line, always alert, always watching, always ready, and always the excitement of the race—the knowledge that one is attempting something never before accom plished ; it needs nerves of steel to stand it, and Hawker has evidently got them. May he come in safe and sound with time to spare, and get all that he deserves. WATERPLANE. over before the pilot could bring her back ; but with England, he steadily opened her out with the foregoing result. The full speed of the 'plane' should be 70 m.p.h., but, of course, that has not yet been tried." ® ® ® ® up in the air, to notice any eyes, whenever 962 " Flight " Copyright. RIVAL ATTRACTIONS.-" A monoplane In sight." When the Pierrots lose their audience at Hendon Aerodrome,
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