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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0628.PDF
^~~— l/ycHf] Mr. Harry Hawker, whose excellent flying in last year's waterplane Circuit of Britain will still be remembered, was back again in this country from Australia on Saturday last. When Mr. Hawker went out to Australia last summer he took with him the first scouting biplane of the small fast type turned out by the Sopwith Aviation Co. On this he has been getting through a great amount of flying in his native land, and has thereby helped in no small measure to arouse interest in aviation among his JUNE 12, 1914. compatriots. Mr. Hawker has, it will be remembered, been entered as the pilot of one of the Sopwith machines for this year's Circuit of Britain, which is down to take place between August 1st and 15th. Although, as I have already said, he only arrived on Saturday last, on Sunday he was flying at Brooklands. Place Hawker anywhere where he can get his hands on a machine and you simply can't keep him on the ground ! "^OLUS." ® ® ® ® THE NETHERAVON DISASTER LAST MARCH. A communique" has been received from the War Office giving the result of the enquiry by the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics into the cause of the accident to aeroplane No. 204, which resulted in the deaths of Captain Allen and Lieutenant Burroughs of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) on March 11th last at Netheravon. The following is a copy of the Committee's report, dated May 20th :— "The Committee have had under consideration your letter of April 3rd, asking them to enquire into the cause of fracture of the rudder post of aeroplane No. 204. The fractured post has been carefully examined at the National Physical Laboratory, and the material of the post has been submitted to mechanical tests and to microscopic examination. " The Committee have instructed me to reply as follows on the specific points referred to in your letter :— " r. Sufficiency of the original strength oj the tube as designed.— The maximum stress on the rudder post under the most severe conditions which, in the opinion of the Committee, could occur during flight, has been estimated, and the unwelded tube was found to be capable of bearing not less than three times this stress. The maximum stress thus estimated only falls on the rudder under exceptional conditions, and this figure implies, therefore, a much higher value than 3 for the factor of safety, as the term is at present ordinarily used in aeronautics. " The Committee are of opinion that the tube, unless it were damaged by the method of attaching it to the rudder, was sufficiently strong. "2. Effect of filing.—The Committee are of opinion that the effect of riling was negligible. " 3. Effect of welding.—The evidence afforded by the report showed that the tensile strength of the tube was considerably reduced by the welding process, but this reduction alone was insuffi cient to account for the accident. It is well known, however, that heating steel, even for a short time, to the temperature required for autogenous welding, in addition to seriously diminishing its strength and ductility, also reduces its power to resist alternating stress or shock. "4. Effect of possible bending and straightening, or vibration.— Examination of the sound portions of the tube did not furnish evidence of an effect due to possible bending and straightening. Such effect would, however, be most likely to occur at the weakest part of the tube, and might be masked by the fracture. There was some slight corrugation on the compression side of the tube which might have existed prior to the fracture, indicating that bending ROYAL FLYING CORPS (MILITARY WING). WAR OFFICE summary of work for week ending June 6th, 1914:— Concentration Camp.—Headquarters, Headquarter Flight, Aircraft Park, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Squadrons.—Work in camp opened on June 2nd. The commanding officer held a con ference of all officers ; he explained briefly the objects of the camp, viz., to test in various ways the degree of training of personnel both on the ground and in the air, the work and handling of aircraft and transport, and experiments of numerous sorts ; also the study and co-ordination, by means of lectures, discussions, conferences, and specially detailed committees, of the innumerable problems such as mobilisation, technical and military training, observation, workshops, stores, meteorology, wireless telegraphy, photography, bomb dropping, and organisation of all sorts, which are essential to the rapid building up on an efficient basis of a flying corps. The work indicated was at once started on these lines and continued through out the week. Interesting speed, climbing and other tests were effected. In the evenings inter-squadron competitions, cricket, football, cross-country running, boxing, sports, &c., are carried out. There is much keenness amongst the squadrons to win the challenge had taken place or might have been caused at the time of the accident. " Vibration of the rudder, if set up by some cause producing im pulses synchronous with the natural oscillations of the rudder, might give rise to stresses of considerable magnitude. No evidence was before the Committee that this had occurred, but the necessary conditions might arise if the engine were run while the machine was on the ground. "5. Effect of absence of wood filling.—The margin of safety referred to under (1) was calculated on the strength of the tube alone, without wood filling. The factor of safety would not be raised to any considerable extent by the presence of the wood filling. " General conclusions.—So far as it is possible to judge from the available evidence, the stresses to which the rudder post was subject at the time of the accident were well within the margin of safety of the design, and the Committee are forced to the opinion that some flaw existed before the machine left the ground. It does not follow, however, that such flaw could have been detected by external examination. " The fracture took place across [a section where the bending stresses were not far from a maximum, and where, owing to the fact that the steel had been raised to the temperature required for auto genous welding, and thus " overheated," the tube was weakest. The machine during its Jife, though not at the time of the accident, had been subject to severe stresses, and it is possible that the action of these had been sufficient to set up a flaw in the region of the tube, which had been " overheated" by the welding, and that this flaw had gradually developed so as to lead to the breakdown. Or again, it is possible that the rudder post had been slightly bent by accident or by rough U3age. and that the flaw had been started thus, or as a result of subsequent straightening ; though, from experiments which have been conducted, it seems unlikely that the flaw can have originated in this manner. If, however, this were the case, the bending must, as would be expected, have been confined to the neighbourhood of the fracture where the tube was weakened by the welding. The microscopic examination did not show signs of such ill-treatment, but near the fracture these may have been masked by the break itself. " There is no reason to suppose that the slight filing noted, or the absence of the wood filling, contributed to any appreciable extent to the disaster, while, apart from its condition at the weld, the material of the post was good and amply strong enough for the stresses it had to bear in use. " R. T. GLAZEBROOK, Chairman." ® ® @ cups and prizes presented for these events. Nos. 1 and 7 Squadrons and the Recruit DepSt remain at Farnborough. The officers come to the camp as required to assist in various matters and to keep in touch with the progress of the work done. ROYAL FLYING CORPS. THE following announcements appeared in the London Gazette 01 the 5 th inst. :— R.F.C.—Military Wing.—Lieut. Reginald Cholmondeley, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own), a Flying Officer, to be advanced to Flight Commander, and to be granted the temporary rank of Capt. whilst so employed ; May 1st, 1914. Second Lieut. Denys C. Ware, Special Reserve, to be appointed to the Reserve; April 28th, 1914. R.F.C. Military Wing.—Supplementary to Regular Corps.— Second Lieut, (on probation) Denys C. Ware is confirmed in his rank. The following appointment was announced by the Admiralty on the 10th inst.:— H. L. Woodcock, to the " Pembroke," additional, as squadron commander, for command of Farnborough Airship Station and for naval airship No. 4, in command, temporary, to date June 9th. 628
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