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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 1063.PDF
OCTOBER 23, 1914. give greater reliability and durability. Accessibility is an important feature of these engines, as in addition to the freedom of access to the valves, which has already been referred to, the interior of the crankcase can be quickly exposed by unscrewing three nuts. In fact, the general design, which is the result of years of development and accumulated experience, is such as to conform naturally in many respects to the qualities that were specified in the rules of the competition as desirable, notably in regard to simplicity of construction, minimum head resistance and convenience of fitting, as well as those previously mentioned. In the course of the tests, which were of an extremely exhaustive character, the Green engine ran for a period of over 62 hours without an involuntary stop, developing ® ® \fum between 102 and 103 b.h.p., a performance which must be regarded in the nature of a record for, at least, officially observed engine tests. The Green Engine Company are therefore to be sincerely congratulated upon their fine achievement. The detailed results of the trials are, at the present moment, not available, but no doubt, in due course, such information will be made public. Interest in a competi tion of this character is naturally centred upon the per formance of the winner; but the fund of information relating to engine design that cannot fail to have been accumulated as the result of the competitions should be of value to present and future designers, and as such is too valuable to lose, since the lessons to be drawn from it will react beneficially upon the whole aeronautical industry. ® ® EDDIES. A VERY welcome proof to his many friends here that the story of the accident to Louis Noel had been exaggerated is to hand in the shape of the post card which I am repro ducing for the benefit of FLIGHT readers. Writing from Soissons, under date of October 14th, Noel says:—"A few lines only to say you, we are all well. I should like to write you many things about the war, but it is not possible now. When we have bad weather we go down in the trenches and take part in the engagement. I am sure as always, that the final victory of our armies is nearer than many people think, so.—Yours very sincerely, Louis NOEL." XXX Curiously enough, by the same post which brought Noel's post card there arrived a letter from a friend who is at present at the front- (near Ypres) in which he informs us that Mr. Noel is a long way off being dead. My correspondent also mentions that he learns that Chevillard, Joubert, and Masson are prisoners with the Germans, and goes on to tell the following story, which he has S01SSOSS — 1.* hrfcrar «u rempari suii i !» iuil» in heard on good authority : "Joubert was captured by the Germans, probably having had to come down on account of engine trouble. By some strange coincidence, which the Germans lost no time in taking advantage of, one of the German officers bore a most striking resemblance to Joubert. This officer was dressed in Joubert's clothes, and given his papers, and succeeded, partly on account of his likeness to the French aviator and partly because of his excellent French, in reaching Paris by motor car. Arrived there, he boldly entered the French Aero Club without being detected, and after eliciting all the information he could from the unsuspecting French aviators gathered there, he proceeded to learn still more, and visited two aeroplane factories. Here again all went well, probably because he had the luck not to meet any of Joubert's personal frieads, in which case he would hardly have escaped detection. Made bold by his successes, the German paid a visit to the Gnome works, where he was just getting on swimmingly learning 'all about it' when he was spotted by a mechanic who knew T. . .r,rA j„-t ,.e.iv>A from Louis Noel, under date October 14th, once and for all dispose* of any doubt ^tTU5M4K3Si%£ The view in the picture to a reminiscence of the War of 1870, and shows as 10 nis oeius Soissons after the bombardment in that year. IO63
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