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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0973.PDF
COL. SIR H. CABEL L. HOLDEN, Vice-Chairman of the. Royal Aero Club, who is the Director of Mechanical Transport has been elected the Upper Warden of the City Guild of Gun- makers. He entered the Royal Artillery in 1875, a"d for several years before he retired in 1912 was the Superintendent of the Royal Gun and Carriage Factories at Woolwich. CURIOUS that about the same time " FLIGHT " was obtain able by the public last week announcement was made of the Government's intention to bring about compulsory closing of shops, including particularly sweetstuff emporiums, large and small. It is to be hoped this new war-time measure will consequently release the necessary amount of sugar for our hospital war patients, for which we pleaded in Airisms last week, even if some of the poor jaded folk attending theatres at night have to go through the evening with a little less in the way of sweetmeat nourishment. TEN YEARS AGO. Excerpts from the " Auto." (" FLIGHT'S " precursor and sister Journal) of October, 1906. "FLIGHT" was founded in 1908. THE AIRSHIP " VILLE DE PARIS." M. Henry Deutsch's great airship " Ville de Paris " has been inflated, and experiments will shortly be commenced with it to see how it comports itself in the air. In the mean time it may be of interest to recapitulate the principal figures and novel characteristics of this great machine. To begin with, the gas vessel is itself peculiar, and embodies a suggestion (by the late Col. Renard) of considerable interest for improving the controllability of the machine. The gas ressel, which is 62*50 metres in length, with a maximum diameter of 10*50 metres amidships, is torpedo- shaped, and it is at the rear end that the novel construction suggested by Col. Renard has been introduced. Instead of AVIATION IN Aircraft Raids. A Reassuring Signal. « COUMANDER WEDGWOOD, in the House of Commons on October 24th, asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the possibility when danger from a Zeppelin raid in London has passed of reassuring invalids and parents of young families by sounding a hooter or in some other obvious way ? Mr. Lloyd George : I cannot say more than that this pro posal is about to be considered by the Field-Marshal Com- manding-in-Chief, Home Forces, in conjunction with the Home Office. Mr. Billing : Might I ask whether, in view of the enormous amount of inconvenience that is caused by rumours on nights when Zeppelins are expected, information might not be withheld from responsible people asking for it from officials ? Mr. Lloyd George : I do not understand the hon. member's question. Mr. Billing: Whether information regarding known raids might be withheld from any responsible person who asks a special constable or police official ? Officers' Flying Pay. MAJOR HUNT asked the Secretary of State for War why it is that if a wounded flying officer succeeds in bringing himself and his aeroplane back into the British lines, and thus saves himself from being taken prisoner and his machine from being captured by the enemy, he is deprived of flying pay after a short time in hospital, whilst a flying; officer, whether wounded or not, coming down within the enemy lines or in a neutral country is given flying pay till the end of the war ? Mr. Forster : Flying pay, like other forms of special corps pay, is continued to officers who suffer the crowning mis fortune of being imprisoned or interned. In other cases, special consideration is given to cases of injury due to flying, but the orders on this subject were found to have been over looked in some cases, owing to the rapid growth of the corps. Action to correct this, including review of past errors, was taken in September last. Mr. Billing : Would the hon. gentleman state whether or not the flying pay of an injured officer who succeeds in getting back wounded with his machine ceases when he comes out of hospital unfit or continues ? coming to.a point, the roar cone tails off to a cylinder same 15 metres in length and 5 metres in diameter. Around this cylinder are eight other smaller cylinders with pointed ends ; these are arranged m pan's, two deep, in such a way as to form vertical and horizontal fins to the rear part of the main gas vessel. These supplementary cylinders arc idled with hydrogen, and their object is to increase the stability of the structure. The hull, which is built on much the same lines as M. Santos Dumont's machines, and is 32 metres in length, is also suspended in a somewhat similar way from two later.1! flaps in the gas-vessel by means of an interlacing triangular system of stays and ties, designed to give an exceptional degree of rigidity to the whole structure. A four cylmdci 70 h.p. Argus-Chenu motor, running at o<>o r.p.m.. is mounted nearly amidships in the hull, and operates a forward pro- peller or tractor by means of a propeller-shaft. There is a gear down of 1 to 5 between the motor and the propellei shaft, so that the latter only revolves at 180 r.p.m.. a rather low speed, it must be admitted. The propeller is also con structed on a principle suggested by Col Renard, the blades being attached to the boss in such a way as to dispense with tie-rods. M. SANTOS DUMONT WINS THE ARCHDEACON CUP IN FREE FLIGHT. To his great exploits of the past M. Santos Dumoni has added the greatest public triumph that has yet fallen to the lot of any aeronaut. He has accomplished free flight for a distance of 60 metres through the air and at a height of approximately 2 metres above the ground, in a motor - driven aeroplane heavier than-air, thus winning the Arch deacon Cup. After a run of about 75 metres the aeroplane soared into the air, rising 2 metres from the ground, for about 60 metres from the time it left the. ground to the time the wheels again struck it. <s> <•> PARLIAMENT. Mr. Forster : It continues as long as the officer is on sick" leave on full pay. As my hon. friend is probably aware, the length of sick leave on full pay differs in differing circum stances. It rests largely. I think, with the commanding officer to settle how long sick leave on full pay should continue. I think there was some misunderstanding as to how far com manding officers' power was properly exercised. Attention lias been called to it, and I hope the matter is in order now Mr. Billing : Would the hon. gentleman consider the fair ness of allowing cases of officers who are so injured to receive their flying pay so long as they remain in the force for Hie duration of the war, and thus put them on the same basis as those taken prisoner ? Mr. Forster : I do not think we can make an exception in favour of flying officers. Airships Over Wales. MR. CORY asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a British airship's sudden appearance over parts of South Wales created a good deal of excitement 1h.1i would have been avoided had any warning been given, even by a brief notice in the newspapers as had been the practice in London ; and whether he will direct the officials respon sible for these flights by British airships to give warning, whenever possible, of such proposed visits ? Dr. Macnamara : Airships were over South Wales during Monday, October 16th, but returned to their base in daylight. No reports have been received indicating that any alarm was caused. Zeppelin Raids. MAJOR NEWMAN, on October 25th, asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the danger to which the inhabitants of Enfield and district are exposed 111 the case of a Zeppelin raid owing to the flashes from the electric tramways and also to the glare of steam reflecting from the fire-boxes of the engines on the Great Northern Railway ; and whether he will take steps to remedy this state of affairs ? Mr. Forster : Special instructions are in force in regard to both the points mentioned, ftut it is not desirable that these should be made public. The hon. member may, however, rest assured that all possible is being done.
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