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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 1005.PDF
Eights with instructor: Messrs, Gammon and Manton, Pashley, DECEMBER ro, 1915. Messrs. Howe and Phillippi. Mr. Yates. Eights alone: Hughes. Instructors for week: Messrs Russell and Winter. Brevet during week : Mr. Horridge. , P**"! Sffl00l-~Tlle fo'lowing pupils were out during last week : Messrs. Baker, Barnes, Barrow, Begg, Bowick Stanford, Byrne, Collett Collier, Cumming%av!son de Harden Jones, Drysdale, Edwards, Fellowes, Gayner Godfrey, Hodgson, Ktrkwood, Martin. Onley, Overton Patterson, Podmore, RIchard, Samter) Scholla4t Th ' son, whincup, Williams, and Willmett. The instructors were Messrs. G. W. Beatty, W Roche- Kelly, R. W. Kenworthy, G. Virgilio, A. E. Mitchell and L. L. King, the machines in use being Beatty-Wright dual-control and single-seater propeller biplanes and Caudron tractor biplanes. Exhibition flights were given on Sunday. Hall School.—In spite of the abominable weather experienced lately good practice was put in last week by those pupils who took advantage of the calm intervals, in fact, some put in over one hour's practice each on one morning alone. The following were out receiving instruc tions : With H. F. Stevens: Wilkins, Rattray, and Manley. Doing circuits or figure eights and landing practice alone, Wilkins and Rattray, about ready to quality for certificates. With C. M. Hill: Capt. Grey, Butter- worth, Redford, Stirling, Evans, Cook, Nicolle, Dresser, Mann, Shum, Sepulchre, and Manley. With J. Drew: Camberbirch, Arnsby, Wooley, Ormerod, Millburn, Cosgrave, Chapman, Neal, Baron Ackroyd, Le Coq Moir, Roberts, Ridley, Lieut. Cooke, and Collins. Machines in use : Hall and Caudron tractor biplanes. The British Caudron Co. have just supplied the Hall ® ® rjycHg School with one of their latest Government-type two- seater tractors, which should prove a useful asset to the school. ihe school announces that they have secured the services of Anstey Chave (who has had considerable Hying experience in the R.N.A.S.) as an additional instructor. London and Provincial Aviation Co.— Pupils doing rolling last week : Messrs. Van Roggen, Roberts, Medaets, Lees, Egelstaff, Hardy, Loonies, Lambert and Jones. Doing straights: Messrs. Atkinson, Hunt, Heyn, Martin, Woods, Thorp and Burton. Doing circuits : Mr. Burgess. Instructors: Messrs. W. T. Warren, M. G. Smiles. C. M. Jacques, H. Sykes and W. T. Warren, Jun. Ruffy-Baumann School.—The weather has not been extraordinarily good during last week, but the following pupils have been out on the 60 and 50 h.p. Caudron type school machines:—Messrs. Cole, Vernon, DeGrauw, Coppens, Wood, Cuthbertson, Bolton, Griffith, Launoil, Sherwood, Thomson, Laidlaw, Yiule, Dobson, Hoskyn, Hamtiaux, Pauli and Cox. Instructors: Ed. Baumann, Felix Ruffy, Clarence Winchester and Ami Baumann. Certificates have been taken by Messrs. Bernard Sherwood, Charles de Grauw and Willy Coppens. Northern Aircraft Co„ Ltd. The Seaplane School, Windermere.—Flying possible on Thursday only last week. With instructor: Benson (6 mins.), Coats (10), Ingham (12), Macintyre (7), Salton (6), and Stubbs (14). With instructor as passenger: Inglis (21 mins.), Part (14), and Shaw (9). Figures of eight or circuits : Coats (9 mins.) and Reid (22). Straights: Robertson (ft). Instructors: Messrs. W. Rowland Ding and J. Jjm- kester Parker. CORRESPONDENCE. The 10,000 Feet Parachute Drop. [1915] Many persons who have known that my " Guardian Angel" parachutes have been under test by the Admiralty Air Department for the last ten months, have concluded that one of them was used by Lieut. -Col. Maitland in his remarkable descent of 10,000 ft., and during the last few days some hundreds, including some complete strangers, have addressed me for an explanation as to why this parachute fell for several hundreds of feet without opening. As Lieut.-Col. Maitland's daring fall has deservedly attracted great attention in the Press, and as the impression that it was one of my parachutes which failed to open seems to be widespread, and is likely, if uncontradicted, to seriously impair the reputation of my invention, I shall be grateful if you will allow me to say that the fall was not made in one of my parachutes. It was in view of the danger with ordinary parachutes of not opening for many hundreds of feet, and sometimes not at all, and of the many deaths so occasioned, that about five years ago I com menced experimental work to see whether it would be possible to design a life-saving parachute that would open instantaneously and automatically, and so be of service when catastrophe overtakes an airman in the air. . . In this I have succeeded very completely, and it may be 01 interest to you to know that the " Guardian Angel" parachute, which has now arrived at its standardised form after a long and gradual development, has never once failed to open instantaneously and automatically in all the numerous private and official tests that have been made with it. The tests have proved that its slowest phase ot opening is from a balloon in still air, when it opens in two seconds, and that its speed of opening is in direct ratio to the speed ot the aircraft from which it is dropped. The highest speed of opening, as registered by the biograph, was from an airship travelling at 34 miles per hour, when it opened in one-fourth of one second. I understand that Lieut.-Col. Maitland had a special object in making a fall from as high a height as 10,500 ft., but I may perhaps be permitted to say in answer to many who have mistakenly con- gratulated me that a fall from a great heighl is not the cntical test of a parachute, for every well-made parachute—if il should open— will make a long descent equally well. Those familiar with para chute technics will agree that the really critical let is the toweit height from which a parachute can be dropped to land its man safely. My " Guardian Angel " parachute will do this every time from an altitude of only 200 ft. My parachute is fitted with harness, from which a man cannot fall out, although it can release him instantly upon landing. The action is entirely automatic, and all that the airman has to do from an aeroplane, airship, or balloon is to jump overboard in his harness, his weight automatically launching and expanding the parachute. The " Guardian Angel" parachute does not demand from the aviator using it any of the poignant emotions which it was stated were suffered by Lieut.-Col. Maitland upon this trip. It is the Pullman car way of parachuting. It has been an object with mc in designing this parachute to make it so safe, ea*y and comfortable in use that airmen, who are now so prejudiced against ordinary parachutes on account of their unreliability, may take to it quite kindly as a normal part of their aerial equipment. They can place the most perfect confidence in its always doing what it has been designed to do, because it is a machine of which all the parts can act only in ordered sequence and in predetermined paths. My inventions have brought the parachute, hitherto a most unruly con trivance, under camplete static and kinetic control. E. R. CALTHROI', M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech.E. Eldon Street House, London, E.C., December 3rd. [The parachute descent to which Mr, Calthrop refers is that which Lieut.-Col. E. M. Maitland, R.N.A.S., is reported to have made recently from a balloon, piloted by Flight Lieut. J. Dunville and Flight Commander Corbett Wilson, which ascended from Hurling- ham. It was reported that Lieut.-Col. Maitland jumped over the side of the basket when 10,500 feet up, that the parachute fell 300 feet before opening, and after a swaying descent of fifteen minutes, a safe landing was made in Surrey.—ED.] 069
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