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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0482.PDF
MAY 17, 1917. A GERMAN GOTHA TWIN-ENGINED BIPLANE The span of this big German fighter is 78 ft. 6 ins., length 41 ft. The wings are of about the same span, with balanced ailerons on the upper plane. Three pairs of struts, in addition to the engine struts, are fitted On -each side of the body. The latter is of rectangular section covered with three-ply wood in front. Two machine gunners are carried, one in front and one behind, a gangway connecting them. In the floor there is a trap door for firing down- wards, the armament consisting, in addition to the machine guns, of three bomb tubes holding 144 bombs. The engines are 6-cyl. Mercedes, each of 260 h.p., driving airscrews placed to the rear of the wings. One of these machines, it is stated by L'Acrophile, was brought down by Captain George Guynemer, the famous French "Ace." " TORPEDOFLANES " is apt and euphonious. Mr. Richard .Thirkell is to be congratulated upon the coining of the ex- pressive word. PROMINENCE is once more being given by the German military authorities to the doings of their more noted air pilots. In the latest summary in this, respect it is claimed that, up to May 1st, there were 14 airmen who had accounted for more than 7 enemy machines apiece. The roll is headed by Major Baron von Richthofen, with 52 machines. The next best is Lieut. Wolff with 27 to his credit, while Lieuts. Schafer, Voss and BernertTiave brought down respectively 25, 24 and 22 machines. Capt. BSlcke had shot down 40 machines before he himself came to grief, and Lieut. Immelmann 15. THE Vossische Zeitung recently announced an extraordinary increase in the supply of " margarine," in terms which are hardly calculated to increase the attractiveness of the products now supplied to the German public as edible fats. It says : ., " The provident economic policy of the War Committee for Oils and Fats makes it possible to increase considerably the quantities of raw materials allotted to the margarine factories. The increase in the allotments to the margarine factories will amount to about 33^ per cent. Consequently it will be possible to increase the fat rations by about 14 oz and it is a particularly welcome fact that this raising of the rations has been secured for the next six months. " The War Committee has achieved in the various fat- yielding spheres very favourable successes which have to do with the winning of oil from refuse (Abfdlle) and the removal 01 oil from corn and maize. The application of the new refining processes for the purification of oils and fats which are otherwise not fit for food has also helped to make it now possible to increase the fat ration." •THE Evening News, for one, evidently made the enquiriesin the right quarter suggested in " FLIGHT " as to Wing-Commander Briggs, D.S.O., being .in this country in the flesh. But our contemporary claims a point too much insaying it was the first newspaper to announce the escape of this intrepid officer, as witness the following brace of " Airisms "in " FLIGHT " :— April 19th, page 374. What an interesting story " How Squadron Commander Briggs, D.S.O., R.N., reached London " would make to be sure. Since he did his Friedrichshafen strafing he has been through quite a lot of experiences. His being able to person- ally congratulate S. V. Sippe, D.S.O., R.N., who was also in the same strafe upon his latest promotion to Squadron Com- mander, should be an agreeable surprise for both sides. May i,rd, page 420. Amongythe'Admiralty announcements of April 30th isthe promotion of Squadron Commander Edward Feather- stone Briggs, D.S.O., to be Wing Commander, to dateDecember 31st. Quite a fitting compliment to commemorate his safe return to " Blighty." THE American National Advisory Committee on Aero- nautics has drawn up a plan for the training of 2,400 aviators by the end of next March. The U.S. Army is arranging for 3,700 machines in the first year, 6,070 during the second and 9,300 during the third. Looks as if our new allies are taking no chances on a speedy ending to the war. TEN YEARS AGO. Excerpts from the " Auto." (" FLIGHT'S " precursor and sisterJournal), of May, 1907. " FLIGHT " was founded in1908. THE FARM AN AEROPLANE. Henry Farman, whose name is familiar to all the motoring world as one of the most experienced drivers of motor cars, has been attracted by the possibilities of the " open road " surrounding our rotating sphere, and is having a flying machine constructed similar to that used by M. Delagrange. The general characteristics of this type of aeroplane are already familiar to our readers through the photographs which we have published of that particular model. Mr. Farman's aeroplane is to be fitted with a 20 h.p. engine driving a propeller situated in front, and the total weight of the appara- tus will be 250 kilogs. At 36 kiloms. an hour it is expected that the aeroplane, which has 30 square metres of surface, will rise in the air. If there are no delays, Mr. Farman hopes to have his machine ready in from six we*eks to two months' time. (< UGH ! but it makes one shudder with the odour of theKadaver ' factory revelations still in one's nostrils. IN AN ENGLISHMAN'S HOME. MRS. STONE-DEFF surveying the result of the Zeppelin fnghtfulness) : " Well, Lizzie, and what have you been up to now ? "—" Sydney Bulletin." 482
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