FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0229.PDF
APRIL 2, 1915. and Manton. Probationary Flight Sub-Lieut. Hards solo circuits. The other days too windy for school work. Beatty School.—The following pupils received instruc tion during last week :—Messrs. Bond, Cornish, Roche, de Meza, Ormsby, Hayward, Faning, Forbes, Bright, Laver, Vickers, Cooper, Leong, Morgan, Allcock, Chapelle, Fraser, Whincup, Wainwright. The instructors were Messrs. G. W. Beatty, W. Roche-Kelly, and C. B. Prodger, the machines in use being Beatty-Wright dual control and single-seater. Mr. Bransby-Williams and Mr. Watson continued extra practice. Hall School,—During last week the following pupils received instruction :—Messrs. A. Davy, Waterson, E. Mitchell, E. Cini and E. J. Furlong, doing a number of straights, and Lieut. Blythe flying half circuits. Machines in use being 35 h.p. tractor biplane, single-seater; 45 h.p. tractor biplane, two-seater; and a 35 h.p. tractor biplane two-seater machine. Mr. J. Rose was the instructor for the week. A 50 h.p. Gnome fuse/age tractor biplane is now being finished off in the works, and will shortly be put into commission. London and Provincial Aviation Co.—Monday and Tuesday last week, windy. Wednesday, W. T. Warren test flight, Monsieur Deschamps straights, E. C. England ® ® FLYING ON AC THE following extracts from a letter by an officer at present serving with the Royal Flying Corps, which appeared in the Daily Chronicle of the 22nd ult. must be classed among the most convincing stories of work at the front, which have appeared :— " Last month I certainly did have some very exciting experiences, and I will try and tell you something about them. One day when troops were being moved up we were sent out to patrol the lines and prevent German aeroplanes coming over. We met one coming over, and as soon as he saw us he turned and made for home in an almost straight line. "The only reason he did not go in an absolutely straight line was that he wanted to lead us over the two anti-aircraft guns in this area. They shot at us, but they were afraid to aim in front, and their shells burst miles behind us. "We chased him all the way back to his aerodrome, but, although we were a bit faster, we couldn't catch him, as he went down gradually, while we had to keep up. We saw another machine, but he went straight down too. We were so annoyed with these that we dropped two bombs, and then I fired about 50 rounds with the machine gun at them on the ground. " Another day, when there was a strong west wind blowing, I had a near shave of not being able to get home. We knew the wind was about as strong as we could manage, and we hovered about a long time before we settled to go over. We went over a little way once and got back fairly easily. Then we went about ten miles over and turned round to get home. For nearly a quarter of an hour we made no headway at all. " Then the pilot put the nose of the machine down, and we came down to 3,000 ft., and were able to make headway. But it would have been madness to go over the trenches at that height, mak ing hardly any headway at all, so we climbed up again before we got to the trenches. Meanwhile, there was a big storm cloud, which I ® ® Forthcoming Lectures. IT is announced by the Institution of Automobile Engineers that Mr. F. W. Lanchester is to read, on April 14th, a paper on the subject of the Screw Pro peller, which will be complementary to the one on " The Aerofoil," read at the last meeting, and which is appearing in our columns. Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, C.B., director of the National Derwin, straights. Thursday, windy. Friday, Lieut. Fairbairn, rolling. Saturday, windy. Ruffy-Baumann School.—On Wednesday last week, E. Baumann on 60 Caudron with Mr. Bell for 10 mins. On 45 h.p. R.B., Mr. Roobaert and Hydon doing straights. Rolling on same machine. Mr. Bell (8 mins.), King (12), Jackson (8), Blandy (8). Thursday, Mr. Sykes joined the school. On Saturday the new machine arrived, and will soon be put into use for school work. Instructors for the week E. Baumann and James Brothers. Northern Aircraft Co.» Ltd. The Seaplane School, Windermere.—During last week tuition was given on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Instructors: Messrs. W. Rowland Ding and C. L. Pashley. The following received instruction : Flight Lieut. Atherton, R.N. (42 mins.), Messrs. C. A. Barber (16), R. Buck (19), A. Johnson (26), F. H. M. Macintyre (20), J. Lankester Parker (23), G. L. Railton (6), H. P. Reid(34), J. F. Ridgeway (12), S. J. Sibley (12), H. Slingsby (38). Doing straights alone: S.J.Sibley. Extra practice : J. Lankester Parker. Machines in use : N.A.C. propeller biplane and Avro dual-control tractor biplane. ® ® IVE SERVICE. could see coming up from the west, and it was an exciting race. If we got into the cloud we should have to come down or else lose our way hopelessly, and probably be blown back ten miles in half as many minutes. So I had to sit and watch the storm coming up, and keep looking to see if we were making any headway. " When we were almost virtually over the trenches a bullet came through the bottom of the machine, through my puttee and leather coat, and out through the top plane. Next moment the clouds swept down on us. The pilot went straight down and we roared through the cloud. I hadn't the slightest idea whether we were going straight or turning round (you never can tell in a thick cloud), but when we emerged at about 800 ft. we saw we were comfortably this side of the trenches, and we got home safely. We had only 10 minutes' petrol left, so we were lucky. " It was a great success, as we were the only machine to get really over the lines that day. Next day we had 10 go over an area where we well knew there was a very good gun. We were particularly told to have a good look at this bit, so we had to go right over it. They soon began to shell us, and the concussion of the very first shot shook us and gave me quite a headache. " They then got five or six very unpleasantly-close shots at us, and then one a few feet below us which fairly spluttered us all over with bullets and splinters. One bit of shell passed between the pilot's legs, through the petrol tank, and just grazed past my shoulder. The petrol was spilt all over the place, and half suffocated the pilot. The engine stopped, and we swung round to the right and down. We soon got nut of range, and then the engine picked up. Luckily there was an auxiliary petrol tank, and we pointed for home as hard as we could go. " Before we landed the pilot shouted to me to have a look over and see if the wheels were still there. A few days after this our engine stopped when we were right over Lille aerodrome, but it unaccountably started again. We could see the German machines on the ground below us. These were my chief experiences in February." ® <* Physical Laboratory, is to deliver a lecture on " Aero nautics " before the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on April 30th. The Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture is this year to be delivered by Prof. G. H. Bryan, ScD., F.R.S., and he has chosen for his subject "The Rigid Dynamics of Circling Flight (Steady Motion in a Circle-Lateral Steering of Aeroplanes)." It is to be given on May 20th. 229
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
