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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0087.PDF
JAMDAKT *S, 1917. fAs a number of letters reach us signed with initials only, tome of which do not give a complete address, we would point out that such communications cannot be dealt with in our columns. Full name and address, which will not be pub- lished, must always be given.—ED] J. W. T. (Eastbourne). " Those oblong shaped blocks (or tanks) just above the landing wheels of the Avro biplane "are aluminium covers en- closing the rubber shock absorbers. The action of the latter will be clear from the accompanying sketch. ; • .... L. J. P. (R.N.A.S.). ,' ""'• A» aerofoil is denned in the report of the Technical Terms Committee of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain as " A structure, analogous to the wing or tg.il of a bird, designed to obtain a reaction from the air approximately at right angles to the direction of its motion." In other words, an aerofoil in connection with the aeroplane is a wing—the whole wing, and not, as you appear to think, any particular portion of it. The " creep error " in an altimeter is a slight inaccuracy in registering height, growing worse with altitude and being more pronounced in descending than in ascending. It is probably mainly due to changes in temperature with altitude. An aeroplane starting from an aerodrome situated 200 ft. above sea level and having its altimeter registering zero when starting off, will, when the altimeter registers 1,000 ft., be at a height of 1,000 + 200 = 1,200 ft. above sea level, disre- garding " creep." W. D. K. (Sanderstead). A non-rigid airship is one in which the envelope has no internal girder work, the shape being maintained by the pressure inside, and the car supported by ropes or cables from the envelope. The little Parseval airships were of this type. In a semi-rigid airship the envelope is, as in the non- rigid, without internal girders, but a girder or keel runs the whole or nearly the whole length of the envelope, and the car, instead of being supported direct from the envelope, is sup- ported from this keel. Examples of the semi-rigid type are the German " M " type, designed by Major Gross, the French Lebaudy, and the Italian Forlanini. In the rigid type an internal framework stiffens the envelope, and the cars may either be contained in the keel or they may be slung under- neath the envelope. The best known rigid airships are the German Zeppelins and Schiitte-Lanz's. C. F. P. T. (Bridgwater). The average speed of a modern propeller is about 1,200 r.p.m. When engines running at greater speeds are employed a reduction gearing is generally incorporated, in which case the propeller speed may vary from 800 r.p.m. to 1,200 r.p.m. The weight of the 100 h.p. Gnome monosoupape (we take it that is the one you mean) is about 320 lbs. j' T. N. McE. (Cricklewood). . : /- The world's duration record—for pilot only—is held by the German aviator Boehm, whose time was 24 hours 12 minutes. In an aeroplane the thrust, head resistance and lift should all pass through the centre of gravity, and in modern machines they generally do so very nearly. If the centre of thrust is below the centre of resistance, as is the case in a good many machines, the centre of lift should be slightly to the rear of the centre of gravity, so that the weight-lift couple is equal and opposite to the thrust-, resistance couple. These couples should, however, never be allowed to be very great. We have a very limited number of " FLIGHT " for which you inquire. The price is is. 6d. per copy. ••B.E.F." (France). So fax as we are aware, the centre of gravity of the Nieu- port scout lies some little distance ahead of the leading edge of the lower plane. That this must be so will be clear from a brief consideration of the genera] arrangement of the machine. Since the top plane is much the larger of the two, it must necessarily carry a greater proportion of the load than does the small lower plane. Assuming the centre of pressure to lie about one-third of the chord from the leading edge of the planes, the resultant centre of pressure of the two planes must lie closer to the centre of pressure of the top plane by an amount proportional to the share of the load carried by that plane. If the machine is to be reasonably stable the centre of gravity cannot be very far removed from this resultant centre of pressure, and will therefore at all events lie ahead of the spar of the lower plane. When, there- fore, the machine is nose-heavy, balance is obviously restored by decreasing the angle, and consequently the lift, of the plane whose lift acts to the rear of the centre of gravity— namely, the lower plane. C. E. B. (Brighton). " The scarcity of monoplanes " is simply dae to the fact that it has been found possible to design biplanes to give more effective results than monoplanes. L. N. (Chulmleigh). A flying officer can live on his pay. The necessary form can be obtained from Adastral House A knowledge of motor driving and telegraphy would certainly be of great assistance. C. E. D. (Bloxwich). 1. If you turn up page 984 in " FLIGHT," of November oth, last, you will find the rates of pay fully set out. z. Yn. 3. Four years or for the duration of the war. .1 , ;. V. A. (Nuneaton). It is not necessary to be a mechanical engineer to join the R.F.C. or R.N.A.S. The lowest grading is third-class mechanic. . . '.; A. D. (Newbury). ' He should join the R.F.C. Cadet Corps as soon as he is old enough. Full particulars can be obtained from Adastral House, E.C. If accepted, he would be trained at one of the military schools. L. S. G. (Cricklewood). . * t~-- ' -•'•••*? Write to any of the flying schools advertising in " FLIGHT," stating what you are prepared to do. Some might be willing to make an arrangement. We regret we cannot give the other information you ask for. J. A. A. (London, W.). Civilian instructors are employed by the schools who are training Government pupils. The pay depends upon the ability and experience of the instructor. D. K. G. (Hornchurch). , •;.. . You must obtain the approval of your CO., Who would then recommend you for a commission. We are afraid the injury to your foot would prevent you getting through. A. M. A. F. (Worthing). The minimum age for the R.F.C. Cadet Corps is 18. F. D. (Bradford). Your age would probably bar you from obtaining a com- mission as flying officer^ or observer. Apply to your CO. for permission, and then fill in the necessary form, which you can get from the Directorate of Military Aeronautics, Adastral House, E.G., and your CO. will forward it With bis recommendation, through the official cliannels. G. P. (Norwood). If you are old enough, you should apply for a transfer to the R.F.C. Cadet Corps. You would then be sent to one of the R.F.C. Schools for training in flying. A. E. B. (Colchester). 1. You are more likely to get into the R.N.A.S. than the R.F.C., unless you can enter the R.F.C. Cadet Corps. Apply to Adastral House for particulars. Both services train their own pilots. There is no need to attest if you apply for a commission. Height is not necessarily a disqualification. W. J. (Ilford). If you are accepted for a commission in either the R.N.A.S. or the R.F.C., you would be taught to fly at a Government school.
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