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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0039.PDF
AKUARY II, 1917. FINAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE ADMINISTRATION AND COMMAND OF THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS. Concluded from page 18.) engineering shop becoming vacant, with tools and labour ready to hand. General Henderson preferred to try to arrange for Messrs. ... to build the Rolls-Royce engine under licence, but the terms sought to In- enforced by the Kolls-Royce Company were unacceptable to Messrs. and the matter fell through. We think that General Hender- son acted quite rightly. 124. 'it is certainly a wise policy not to depend exc.luRively upon any one firm for the building ol an engine of a given type. Labour trouble, Zeppelin raids, or a variety of happen- ings, may interfere, and it is better not to have all one's eggs in one basket, especially when the eggs are engines. 125. We are not in a position to express any opinion upon the merits of the dispute between the Rolls-Royce Company and Messrs. . . . ; but the incident indicates one of the difficulties in making the business arrangements necessary for procuring engines of private make in quantity—a diihculty from which engines of R.A.F. design are free. (c) INHARMONIOUS WORKING OF THE REPRESENTATIVES or THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS AND ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE IN PARIS. 126. In the early days of the war, when both Services were very dependent on the French for supplies of aeronautical material, including machines and engines, two officers were sent to Paris to procure all the supplies they could. One represented the Royal Naval Air Service and one the Royal Flying Corps. Each tried to do his best for his own branch of the Service. This led to their lieing often in competition with each other and to much friction between them. The friction was the result of the competition. The spectacle presented was unedifying. These two gentlemen acted, and were bound to act, as if they were buyers for rival firms of contractors instead of buyers for a Service divided, truly, into two branches, but, after all, a national service whose efficiency in both branches was equally vital to the nation. Fortunately prices were fixed by the French Government and were unaffected. 127. This vicious system of competition for our aeronau- tical supplies in France has Iwen altered, and the sensible plan adopted of charging one representative with the duty of buying for both Services. It is to b regretted that this sensible and obvious system was not adopted from the first. The competitive system was no doubt adopted in deference to the jealous desire to keep each branch of the Air Service separate from the other in every respect. We dcprcca(e this feeling, of which we have had several instances, but whether both branches of the Service ^MK lo blame, or only one, we are unable to say. > J d) ZEPPELINS SHOULD BE RAIDED IN THEIR SHEDS. 128. As to tliis, suggestions were made that the best way of defending the country against Zeppelin and other airship raids was to destroy the Zeppelins at their bases and in their sheds. There were also other suggestions for raiding indus- trial centres in Germany. Most people, would agree with the suggestion that Zeppelin bases should be raided, if possible, while opinion on the desirability of raiding industrial centres is very divided, and we merely mention the suggestion without comment. 120. The great advance of the German Army into France and Belgium has had the effect,of making the journey to many of the Zeppelin bases longer than was anticipated, but we have now machines at the front capable of raiding many of the nearer bases. No doubt, as the higher powered engines now coming forward liegin to lie delivered in quantities, the Royal Flying Corps will be still better equipped for the purpose, both as to length of range and carrying capacity. 130. The.decision as to whether machines should be used for the purpose does not rest with the Royal Flying Corps, who can only act at the front under the orders of the Com- mander-in-Chief of the Army, and regard must doubtless be had to the demand for aeroplanes for other services. 131. The suggestion appeals to us as being sound, and wo make no doubt lias been, and will be, carefully considered by the proper authority. (e) DUAL CONTROL. 132. The dual control point is closely connected with the training of observers. The object of dual control is to provide the observers with a control stick or lever so that, in the event of the disablement of the pilot, the observer may be able to fly the machine to some landing place and (a) 1. "DUD" MACHINES, AND (a) 2. INSUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO THE CONDITION OF TRAINING MACHINES. 114. There is room for improvement in these respects. Pilots coming home prefer to fly ; and, when not closely •watched, have now and again taken risks to, which they ought not to be allowed to subject themselves. It is the business of Flight Commanders to see to these matters, and cases have occurred where experienced pilots have been allowed to do as they please. There have also been certain instances where instructors appear to have considered that, for short training flights, a few defects in the condition of the machine and of its equipment are of little consequence. The pupils in training do not care to complain. They are afraid of being accused of " cold feet." 115. Instances of the flying home of " dud " machines were given us. One was of a pilot who, wanting to get home from the front quickly, flew a machine which had a forced landing in France owing to engine trouble ; but so anxious was he to get home that he came on and happened to arrive in safety. 116. A bad instance of the neglected condition of upkeep of a school machine was the case of a machine sent from Beaulieu to Hythe for use there as a school machine. (Instance p. 10.) . 117. Another instance was the failure to provide a pilot with satisfactory light for his instruments on the occasion of his making his first trial night flight. 118. The attention of flight commanders and of squadron commanders should be drawn to the importance of taking no etiances even in the shortest and safest flights. Accidents may so easily and unexpectedly happen, although we are not aware of any case in which an accident has, in fact, happened from either of the causes mentioned. (a) 3. " CHRISTMAS TREE " MACHINES. 119. Several witnesses complained that machines had been overloaded with all sorts of apparatus. This sometimes happened in the early stages of the war, when aeroplanes were few and all kinds of work required to be done. The pilots wanted to do it. A pilot thought he might meet a German in the air, so he took a gun. He delights in bomb- dropping, and thought he might see a German battery or column, so he took some bombs. He often had to take wireless apparatus, and sometimes took it on the chance that it might be useful, and he would strap a camera on as well. The machine was so overloaded that it would neither climb fast nor fly fast. This was due to over-zeal on the pilot's part. Individual pilots were stopped when they were seen overloading their machines, and the practice was put an end to early in the war by an order that, of the four impedimenta mentioned, no pilot was to carry more than two at any one time. (6) 1. FAILURE TO BUY AMERICAN MACHINES. 120. The purchase by the Admiralty, at the outbreak of war, of Curtiss machines and engines was a discouraging experience. Considerable inquiries were, however, made in America and in other directions, but the reports were adverse, and the experiment was not repeated, we think wisely. (b) 2. FAILURE TO UTILISE CERTAIN ENGLISH FIRMS. 121. At the outbreak of war the firms known or thought to be capable of building engines were, by arrangement, divided between the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. The Sunbeam firm was allotted to the Navy, and have now turned out a good type of high-powered engine. 122. The Vauxhall firm have been employed in making shell for munitions. There is an arrangement with the Ministry of Munitions by which the Vauxhall Company can be released from shell making and take up engine building. The Royal Flying Corps, at the instance of General Mclnnes, has been keeping the Vauxhall Company in reserve for making the Rolls-Royce engine under licence or the 200 h.p. R.A.F. engine. We see no objection to this, except that we do not think it wise to give further orders for the 200 h.p. R.A.F. ntil it has been more fully proved. 123. The Rolls-Royce,case stands thus : The Royal Flying Corps gave them the experimental order for engines to which we have referred. The Admiralty then stepped in and gave them large orders and extended their works. The company then applied to the Royal Flying Corps for further extension. It happened that Messrs. . . . had at that time an 39
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