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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0078.PDF
(AE^D Aeronautical Courses for Students. [1824] With your permission I wish to take the opportunity of replying to Mr. L. Blin Desbleds' letter, published in your issue ot the 3rd inst., and to set forth as a matter of history, some of the facts relating to the aeronautical work at this Institution. In the first place, however, let me clear the ground by pointing out that Mr. Posner's letter in your issue of December 20th, I9T3> on which Mr. Desbleds comments, does not claim that the proposed club is the first of its kind, but that the aeronautical course at this Polytechnic " is believed to be the only complete course at present being given in England." During the session 190809 Dr. R. Mullineux Walmsley, the Principal of the Northampton Polytechnic, and the writer, con sidered the question of inaugurating complete courses of instruction in aeronautics of a pioneer character, and requisitions were made to the educational authorities with this end in view. Before the end of April, 1909, it was definitely decided that the instruction should consist of :-(l) Lectures in Aeronautics; (2) Drawing Office Practice; (3) Laboratory ; (4) Calculations. Following these decisions it became necessary to find a special lecturer and instructor, and Dr. Walmsley, after making enquiries among well-known experts, approached Mr. Blin Desbleds in May, 1909. The provisional proposals were finally approved by the Governing Body in June, 1009, and Mr. Desbleds was appointed "Instructor in Aeronautical Engineering" early in July, 1909. Complete syllabuses for the session 1909-10 were in type early in July, 1909, before any announcement of similar work elsewhere had been made, and the whole scheme was widely referred to in the Press at that date. Mr. Blin Desbleds was announced as the lecturer, and for the other work he had as colleagues several full-time members of the staff, including the writer of this letter and Mr. R. O. Boswall, B.Sc. It is worthy of note that in organising and developing these instruction courses no attempt was made to deal with the work from the popular point of view. They were, and are, a serious and definite attempt to place educational work in aeronautics on a sound engineering basis ; and the Club recently formed requires as a condition that its members shall also attend for instruction a part or parts of the regular class work. For the session's work, 1909-10, twenty-three students joined for the full course of instruction in the four subjects, and, in addition, thirty-five for the lectures, nine for the drawing office work, giving totals as follows : Lectures 58, drawing 32, laboratory 23, calculations 23. The work was carried on through the session 1909-10, and was continued and considerably extended in the sessions 1910-11, 1911-12 and 1912-13, with Mr. Handley Page as lecturer. In the current sesdon specialisation is the key note, the rapid developments in the science and practice of aviation rendering this necessary. The lecturers and instructors are :—Mr. C. E. Larard, M.Inst.C.E., M.Inst. VI.E, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department; Mr. F. Handley Page, A.F.Ae.S. ; Mr. G. A. Burls, M.Inst.C.E., M.I.A.E. ; Mr. T. W. K. Clarke, B.A., A.F.Ae.S. ; Mr. R. O. Boswall, B.Sc., A.F.Ae.S. The lectures are divided as follows:— (a) Three series by Mr. F. Handley Page, dealing with : (1) Principles and Data ; (2) Design Data; (3) Machines. (b) Aerial Propellers (Their Theory and Design). By Mr. T. W. K. Clarke (by special permission of the Superintendent of the Royal Aircraft Factory). (c) Aero Engines. By Mr. G. A. Burls. The other work in drawing, design, calculations and laboratories represents a considerable development on the original scheme. I would emphasize the faat that now, as during the session 1909-IO and onwards, real laboratory work forms an essential part of the instruction. No course of instruction worthy of the name can be said to be " complete " without experimental wotk in a properly- equipped laboratory. At the Northampton Polytechnic Institute there is a special aeronautical laboratory containing much valuable apparatus suitable to the students' requirements, as well as other apparatus for research work, with the aid of which valuable researches have already been made, with subsequent publication. It is, therefore, claimed that the course offered is a " complete " one, and I have yet to learn that such a course as ours is available elsewhere, either in this country or abroad. CHARLES E. LARARD. Mechanical Engineering Department, Head of Department. Northampton Polytechnic Institute, London, E.C. January 13th, 1914. [1825] When writing as secretary ot our new Aeronautical Club at the Northampton Polytechnic, Clerkenwell, E.C., no claim was made by me that we were the first club founded for this purpose. Others have been founded before, although lack of funds has generally JANUARY 17, un limited the scope of their operations to the building of gliders or mWehave, however, the good fortune to have been presented by the Governing Body of our Polytechnic with all the materials, free of charge, for a full-size power-driven aeroplane as well as haying the necessary tools to build it with, and workshop and laboratory accommodation to build it in. ... , ^ Arraneements are made that, when the machine is complete, one of the club members who already has his pilot s certificate will instruct the members in flying. , The benefits of the club are evidently appreciated by the members who applied for particulars and have since joined. We had to limit the membership to those who would at least take the Institution s Aeronautical Workshop and Laboratory Course so that the work might be carried out on an engineering basis, as befits a club con nected with a serious educational institution. Anyone now desirous of joining the club should write to me at the address below. There are vacancies for three or four more members. H. POSNER Northampton Institute. Secretary London Aero Club. St. John's Street, E.C. ® ® ® ® AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. Official Notices. Meeting.— The fifth meeting of the forty-ninth session will be held on Wednesday, January 21st, at 8.30 p.m., when Sir Alfred Keogh, K.C.B., F.R.S., will pieside. Mr. Leonard Bairstow, A.R.C.Sc, will read a paper, to be followed by a discussion, on " The Stability of Aeroplanes," illustrated by experiments with model gliders. Members are reminded that, under the Rules, they may introduce visitors to General Meetings. Tickets for visitors, not introduced, may be obtained from the Secretary, II, Adam Street, Adelphi, W.C. BERTRAM G. COOPER, Secretary. ® ® ® ® NEW COMPANY REGISTERED. Union Radiator Co., Ltd., 4. International Exchange, Edmund Street, Birmingham.—Capital £10,000, in £1 shares. Acquiring inventions relating to radiators for motor cars, aero planes, &c. ® ® ® ® IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, 1912-13. AEROPLANES, airships, balloons, and parts thereof (not shown separately before 1910). For 1910 and 1911 figures, see FLIGHT, January 25th, 1912:— Imports. Exports. Re-Exportation. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. £ £ £ £ £ £ January 619 12,097 2,412 4,005 — I>51° February 3,110 17,361 36 3,447 — 690 March ... 640 20,425 950 1,924 600 1,042 April ... 4,820 15,593 72 5,524 50 1,413 May ... 7,494 51,241 1,35° 3,726 154 830 June ... 7,928 14,905 419 1,408 300 1,106 July ... 13,794 14,469 5,376 3,812 967 1,250 August... 8,559 17,993 1,342 2,805 2,040 510 September 6,575 19,409 2,885 6,263 1,626 1,470 October 6,836 21,041 3,128 3,674 605 2,163 November 8,455 16,607 2,002 3,306 405 1,449 December 11,290 22,955 1,824 6,851 3 i,439 8o,I20 244,096 21,796 46,745 6,840 14,872 FLIGHT. 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegraphic address: Truditur, London. Telephone: 1828 Gerrard. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. FLIGHT will be forwarded, post free, at the following rates:— UNITED KINGDOM. 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