FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1913
1913 - 1342.PDF
l/UCHT publish, that an aeroplane construction class is in process of formation, that a 30 h.p. motor and all necessary materials for building a machine have been purchased, and that as soon as the Institute opens after the holidays the pupils are to begin on constructional work. This is the sort of enterprise we like. There is no doubt there are many young men of brains and capacity, interested in flying and aircraft construction, but to whom opportunity of acquiring proper scientific know ledge is wanting. They are engaged in trade or business during the day; they cannot afford to throw up their work on the off-chance of securing positions with any of the constructing firms, even if there were enough of such positions to go round and they themselves were properly qualified to fill them. Thus there is but one course open to them, and that is to acquire the necessary knowledge in their spare time. This is where such institutions as the Northampton are doing such useful work—they are giving the keen, intelligent worker the spare-time opportunity he requires, and are doing it well. The Secretary informs us that there are still a few vacancies in the classes, and those desiring to fill them will do well to make early application to him. Flying by Night. Quite a discussion is raging in France just now on the subject of flying by night, and many and diverse are the expressions of authoritative opinion with regard to its safety and advisability. The discussion has been pro duced by the amount of night flying that has been done in connection with certain of the long-distance and endurance prizes, of which so many have been put up for competition in France and Germany. We have no records before us to show that there have been accidents caused by night flying, so that the discussion itself is, to some extent, a purely academic one, and one in which sides must be taken out of pure conviction alone, 99 ® H. R. BUSTEI PILOT-INSTRUCTOR. IT was while acting as tester to one of the principal motor firms in Melbourne, Australia, early in 1910, that Busteed was attracted to aviation. A Wright machine and an Anzani-Bleriot had arrived in Melbourne, and the latter took Busteed's fancy. He secured permission to practise upon it, but only got as far as a few hops, and many repairs; probably he would soon have made good, Out the machine had to be sent out of the Colony, partly in order to save a big sum in duty, and also because no financial support was forthcoming. After his experience had been thus cut short, Busteed decided that he must go to England, to do the thing properly, and this resolution was emphasised later by a sight of Hammond flying the Bristol biplane. Eventually securing his ticket at the Bristol School at Salisbury Plain, in May, 1911, his ability was recognised, and he was appointed an ® £$ ROYAL FLYING CORPS (MILITARY WING). WAR OFFICE summary of work for week ending December 6th :— No. 1 Squadron.—The "Delta" was out on the 1st and 2nd inst. for instructional flights. Several free balloon runs for training purposes were also made. No. 2 Squadron.—There was very little flying done during the week, as the squadron was occupied with revolver shooting, and in prepaiing for the move of the sheds, &c., to the new aerodrome. No. 3 Squadron.—The pilots of " B"and "C" flights carried out reconnaissance flights during the week. No. 4 Squadron.—"A," "B" and "C" flights were all at work daily. Several cross-country reconnaissances were made. No. 5 Squadron.—The BE.'s and Maurice Farmans were DECEMBER 20, 1913. without particular regard to any " lessons " of the past. For ourselves, we have quite an open mind in the matter, principally because we regard the question of to fly or not to fly during the hours of darkness as being eminently one to be decided by the pilot himself or by the particular exigencies of the case to be decided. So far as flying in the dark for prizes is concerned, we are against it if it can be shown that no more useful purpose is to be served than the mere winning of a prize. But there are many considerations which operate. First, if flying can only be carried out safely in daylight, then good-bye to aviation as a means of locomotion in com petition with older and relatively slower methods. Further, in all flights there would have to be left a fair margin for delay, so that the pilot might be reasonably certain of reaching his objective before the falling of the shades, so that we should find the flying hours restricted practically to those lying between an hour before sunrise and sunset. If that is to be so—though we do not think it—then it is as well to know our limitations at once, so that the anticipations of the future may not be made on a scale which can only lead to disappointment. But, as we say, we do not think there is any need for such extreme views. Granting for the sake of argument that the opinions expressed by airmen of the eminence of M. Beaumont— he is one of those who consider night-flying dangerous— are right, the value of the aeroplane in war must be seriously discounted. It must often be the case that it is vitally necessary for air-scouts, or an attacking aeroplane squadron, to get as near as possible to the enemy during the hours of darkness, and, unless the pilots are practised in navigation by night, how is this end to be achieved ? Even more, on what we may call the commercial side of aviation, the usefulness of aircraft must be terribly limited in comparison with their real potentialities unless they and their pilots are practised in flying at night. instructor. Later in the year he was sent to Spain to test some Bristol machines, both monoplanes and biplanes, and to instruct Spanish officers to fly them, and a souvenir of his trip is the Avial Cup, which he won by making the first flight over Madrid. On returning to England he flew the Bristol monoplane in the Military Trials, securing the third British prize. Since then,, although little has been heard of him publicly, he has been busily occupied testing all new types of Bristol machines, land and water, and putting machines through their reception tests for various foreign countries. Throughout his work has been in connection with the British and Colonial Aeroplane Co., and although he has not come into the public eye a great deal, he is recog nised as one of the best pilots of the day. THE HAWK. $ G9 flown most days. The detachment at Dover carried out recon naissance flights over the surrounding district. Flytng Depot.- Several of the Depot machines were out during the week, and various experiments were continued. General News—Machines are being handled in increasingly high winds. Several flights were made this week in winds of 40 miles per hour. The G.O.C.-in-Chief, Southern Command, inspected Nos. 3 and 4 Squadrons at Netheravon on the 3rd inst., and the Secretary of S ate for War visited that station on the 5th inst. and witnessed various flights. The G.O.C.-in-Chief, Aldershot Command, accompanied by General Sir Beauchamp Duff (the future Commander-in-Chief in India) paid a visit to the sheds and workshops at Farnborough on the 5th inst. 1368
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
