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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 1315.PDF
Flight, December 13, 1913. 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. Vo. 259. (No. 50. Vol. V.)] DECEMBER 13, 1913. [•Registered at the G.P.0.1 fWeekly, Prloe 8d L as a Newspaper. J I Poat Free, 8id. Editorial Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegrams : Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... 15s. od. Abroad 20J. od. CONTENTS Editorial Comment: The Paris Aero Show Men of Moment in the World of Flight: Mr. E. R. Whitehouse Flying at Hendon ... ... ... Armchair Reflections. By the Dreamer Paris Aero Show Royal Aero Club : Official Notices From the British Flying Grounds... The Coming Airship Foreign Aviation News Proportionate Load Carried by Wing Spars Models. Edited by V. E. Johnson, M.A Correspondence I'AGK 1341 •34= '344 1346 •347 1338 •359 1362 1363 1363 1364 1366 EDITORIAL, Frankly, the fifth International Aero Show ^P1? in the Paris Grand Palais has turned out Aero Ishow t0 De a somewhat disappointing affair. We have for so long been accustomed to look to the French constructor of aircraft for a lead in development, that it comes rather as a shock to find that he has nothing new to show us; that his exhibition is international only in name; and that, in a word, the science of aeroplane design would almost appear to have reached its limit so far as France is concerned. Naturally, we use this latter phrase in a figurative sense, for we know full well that we are, comparatively speaking, ages away from finality in the matter of aeroplane design, but the fact remains that so far as the lessons of the present Paris Show are concerned, the one that is most impressive is that which appears to demonstrate that, for the moment at least, evolution is stagnant on the other side of the Channel. Indeed, when we compare the progress which has been made during the twelve months which have elapsed since the last Show, we cannot help the feeling that, unless France wakes up, she will before very long lose her pride of place as the foremost nation in matters affecting aviation. Unless our observation is very much at fault, far more progress has been made in England during the past year than is observable in the designs submitted for public inspection at the Grand Palais. Unfortunately, the Show is so little international in character—the only foreign firm exhibiting is the Bristol Co.—that it is impossible to compare designs internation ally, so to say, and we are thus left to outside impressions on which to form a judgment of relative progress. How ever, that judgment is as we have said, and we think it will be endorsed by every serious observer who has crossed for the purpose of noting the progress of our French friends. The pity of it is that it is not as though we ourselves had achieved much that is remarkable, but that while we have undoubtedly progressed quite sub stantially, the French constructor seems to have been marking time. So far as the Show as a thing of beauty is concerned, it is a really fine spectacle, far surpassing in its artistry of conception anything that we have been able to do at Olympia. True, the Grand Palais lends itself to decora tive effect far better than any building we have in this country, but all things being equal, it must be admitted that the French are our masters in the art of making their exhibitions spectacularly attractive. The scheme of the current Show is to show the aircraft just as though they had landed on the grass, with the open sky above, and wonderfully well the idea has been carried out. In fact, the tnise en scene is as near perfect as can be imagined, and the whole vista of the building presents a singularly beautiful aspect. But decorations are not aeroplanes, nor do flower-bordered parterres compensate for lack of novelty in design, and we are not impressed with the idea that this sort of thing does more than attract gate money. The industry is not advanced one jot by it. Disappointing as the Show is as a whole, it would be quite misleading to say that no advance at all is manifested. For example, in consequence of the prefer ence shown by the French military authorities for steel tube as a substitute for wood in the construction of the fuselage, we find that most of the prominent makers are exhibiting machines in which this form of con struction is used. Even Bleriot has had to come into line in this respect, and the new biplane bearing his name is, as our readers already know, steel-built. This, however, can hardly be regarded as a remarkable advance in practice—it has nothing of particular novelty about it. It seems to us that the industry in France is fast approaching a time of crisis, if, indeed, it is not already passing through the early stages of that form of malady—if it can be called so. The modified policy of the Government in its relations with the C
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