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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0752.PDF
\fiM3 AUGUST 31, 1916. AIRISMS FROM THE FOUR WINDS. THE United States has just voted about $14,000,000 for their aircraft fleet, which is not so bad during peace times. Wish our side had been as generous in the days gone by. One thing, if the war goes on for about another couple of years, as some folk seem to think, we'll surely have to go one better, so as help us annex America. It will be the only way out of it. They've got—or will have by that time—all our money, and anyway annexation is about the simplest way for readjusting the balance, as the whole nation will probably be so fed up with wealth and ineffeteness through over-indulgence, that it would be a charity to relieve them of it that way, so they may pull themselves together again, out of the lap of war-begotten luxuriousness. President Wilson knows his business. THE RF.C. can fly, but they cannot play cricket ; or was it their unlucky day ? On Saturday they could only make 13 against the 13th Reserve Cavalry, who totalled 73 runs. Corpl. Coleman took five wickets for six runs and Pte. Murgatroyd the other five for seven. J 1 IK old type Wright control has been responsible for a good many things. FOR instance, the combination of using warp and rudder simultaneously has figured prominently in patent law suits in . America. LATELY it has been the (innocent) cause of a new pupil coming in for a good deal of " ragging " out Hendon way. THE Wright-type rudder lever, mounted as it is on the top of the warp lever, does remind one of motor car practice. So, apparently, thought the pupil, when he innocently asked if that little lever put the brake.on. SORRY to hear that W. L. Brock, the winner of the three neat air races in 1914, has retired from actual air work. Marly in the war, it may be remembered, Brock returned to his native land, U.S.A., where he was engaged in testing and other branches of piloting, and according to report received Brock had a mishap in landing, the machine turning over, the hot radiator water scalding him pretty badly. FROM what we can gather, he is not to do any more actual flying, but his services are turned to good account in another direction, as he is now working in the drawing offices of one of the American aircraft firms. He will, without doubt, give a good account of himself, for, although it may not be generally known, Brock was as well versed in the theory of design as he was in the handling of machines built by others. PUPILS are now being drafted out by the War Office to the various civilian schools in batches. On Saturday last some of them had their baptime de I'air, while others were receiving useful instruction in erecting and rigging. Altogether our one time civilian aerodromes are assuming quite a military aspect just now. THE aeroplane for business purposes is not so far off as some people would imagine. Already there are several instances on record of it being employed in preference to other means of locomotion. Not long ago a Staff officer from the War Office had occasion to go to the west of England on matters relating to a new school. What was more natural t hari that he should go by air ? Which is exactly what he did. A sign of the times, we should say. SHARK-SHOOTING from a flying boat is the latest form of sport hailing from America. THE Gallaudet 300 h.p. bisected-fuselage-pusher-hydro- biplane, illustrated in " FLIGHT " the other week, has flown. It was tried out by Pilot McCulloch near Norwich, Conn., towards the end of July, and put up quite a creditable per formance, making 90 m.p.h. LOOKING remarkably well. Ding was having a day in town last week as a change from being up in the air most of his time testing. Mentioned a 100 h.p. monoplane Blackburn's are building for him, and threatens to bring it to Hendon and make some of us sit up. DING had great things to say about the B.E., of which he has been testing quite a lot. In his view you can do what you like with them except play fool tricks near the ground. Should like to see him in that new stunt of his. High up for a tail slide, he holds her so she can neither tail-slide nor nose dive, but just gently floats downward so long as he cares to hold her there. Others thinking of copying, please remember that he said " high up." DON'T quite see how the elevator could keep a machine from nose-diving when there is little or no forward speed on, but there you are, \Ding says he does it. Ab uno disce omnes. THE new L. and P. single-seater biplane, -which, is to be fitted with a 50 h.p. Gnome, will form a good stepping-stone to the scouting type of machine that many of the pupils will have to fly after leaving the school. Its appearance in public should only be a matter of a few weeks now. FOR some little time one clear indication of the entry of Roumania in the war against the Germanic Powers has been the blue shades on the lamps of Bucharest as a protection against Zeppelins. Miss KATHERINE STINSON may be going to Australia before long. ONE feature of her " show " is a race between a machine piloted by herself and a Peugeot racing car, with Dario Resta at the wheel. Some show ! THEY raced at the Sheepshead Bay track, New York, for the " Championship of the Universe " recently. Some enter prise ! THE Brooklyn Eagle says Miss Stinson " won by inches," but the New York Press puts it as " several yards." Some close measuring ! A GERMAN writer, trying to make our flesh creep with tales of Super-Zeppelins, closes ecstatically with the words : " Woe to you Paris, woe to you London." To which we reply : " Whoa, Zep. ! "—The Star. THE " Pickles-Prodger " combination is still going strong, and both partners are, and have been for some time past, extremely busy testing, various kinds of 'buses. Some of these latter are fair startlers according to the reports of both units of the combination. IT is rumoured that a third partner is being joined up shortly—but there . . . ANYWAY, here's congratulations to you and yours, Sydney Pickles ! As a rule aero-passengers thoroughly enjoy their first experiences of flying, but the initiate who was heard to say at the conclusion of a flight—a rather " bumpy " one, it is true—" Why on earth do they eall them ' joy rides' ? " must have been an exception. GOOD news to hand of Louis Noel of Hendon, who says things are very lively in the air just now in the Near East. HE won great distinction in the recent bombardment of Sofia, whereby he was promoted to the rank of Sous- Lieutenant. Well done, Noel ; may you attain still higher altitudes. ANOTHER recruit to the ranks of aeroplane constructors has been obtained. H. C. Nestler, of portable hangar fame, has blossomed out with one or two very promising designs. ONE of these is a very neat little tractor scout, which is expected to do—no, 'praps better to dissemble these Defence of the Realm Censor days. AFTER coming safely through the Zep. raid the other night, a house on the outskirts of London was struck by lightning. It nearly demolished the chimney-stack, sent the fender and fireirons flying across the room, and covered the occupants with soot. A bomb might have been worse, of course, but it does seem to be something like the retired steeplejack who fell downstairs and broke his neck, doesn't it ? 748
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