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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0685.PDF
JULY 5, 1917- and by information gained whilst attending aeronautical lectures «ufficient to arouse and maintain a living interest in his daily work. Some there Will be who will rise through and overcome every difficulty and disability, and to these such a preliminary course of work will not only present no insurmountable obstacle, but by the facilities available Will help them on their road to higher things. Such men will finally show that they are capable of successfully grappling with the higher studies requiring the more complete know- ledge. A few Will go beyond and raise themselves from the workman grade to that of the professional man. The courses arranged will be progressive, the more ele- mentary being suitable for the machine and bench hand and the higher for the leading hands, shop foremen and others. An important question is the period of the day when such courses should be given. Up to a comparatively recent date it was assumed, almost without question, that the only time available was the evening after a full day's work had been done in the commercial workshop. For those who have attained to the position of leading hand or shop foreman it is probable that this is still the only available time. But for • the juniors who have only recently left school and who are • * yet in their teens, it is now widely recognised that such evening work involves a strain to which the majority of youths whose physical development is still immature should not be subjected and the existence of which goes far to neutralise the educational -benefit which should result. For these students " time off " during working hours is absolutely • necessary, and it is indeed probable that, in the near future, legislation may require that such time off shall be given. Such proposals raise social and other questions which it would be outside the limits of this paper to discuss, but, from the educational standpoint only, the definite opinion may be expressed that compulsory attendance of the juniors in engineering works at afternoon classes should lead to valu- • • able educational results. At this stage it is relevant to speak more fully of the splendid work done by the Aeronautical Society and- its students' section in the series of ten lectures delivered during the past ' six months at the Hendon centre and afterwards repeated at Cardiff. No excuse is needed for mentioning so recent a departure, for it is very probable that there are many, even members of the Society, who have not realised the educational significance of this work. %, The lectures at Hendon were delivered in a conveniently- :,. placed public hall to the employees in the numerous and .? important works and aerodromes congregated in the neigh- • " bourhood. No charge was made for admission. In each case '•''•;• the lectures were given by well-known experts in the particular subjects dealt with, and usually a Well-known member of the -' Society presided, our worthy president being in the chair at: - the first meeting. " Such a series of lectures repeated throughout the country in the various industrial centres devoted to aeronautics may well be regarded as having two principal objectives, though * their influence will, it is certain, be much wider. The first ••••'. of these objectives is the building up of a strong students' section for the Society itself. These students' sections, in more than one of the professional societies, have been a distinct success. They are essentially democratic, being organised and conducted under the aegis of the Society by V the students themselves. Ordinary members of the Society are not allowed to attend the meetings, with the one exception that at each meeting the chair may be, and usually is, at the *i" invitation of the students, taken by a prominent member of the Society. The idea is that the meeting room should not be filled with expert critics before whom the - students > would be unwilling to air their original, if somewhat crude, notions .As a rule a student who has had special connection .' with a definite part of the subject isout up to read a paper. Other students diligently get up as much as they can of the ..... subject in the time available and mercilessly criticise their colleague. The chairman acts as a moderator, and, Whilst not sparing in his criticism, it is hoped, and, as a matter of fact, as a rule, iX, usually so happens that he criticises with the necessary courtesy and consideration. The other object which the lectures at Hendon and similar lectures may be regarded as serving is the popularising and stimulation of further study amongst those actually engaged l§n the lower ranks of the industry. Incidentally such lectures must lead to the desire on the part of the more ambitious, who, we may hope, in this industry will be the majority, to systematise their knowledge by attendance at well-organised technical courses. Should this object be attained, nothing but good can result to the industry as a whole. One need not dwell at length upon other and obvious 1/0GHTl advantages in such courses of lectures, not the least of which is the personal intermingling of so many young men with similar aims who will be the standard-bearers as well as the. chiefs and captains of industry in the not very distant future. An intimate knowledge of those who are to be either directly associated with oneself or to be one's competitors is not the least effective factor in a successful career in aay large industry such as that which we are considering. Turning now to the second category for whom special educational facilities should be provided, aeronautical lectures, laboratory, and drawing office classes dealing with the subject matter outlined in the syllabuses will be the first essential and will meet the requirements in many cases. For many such students, however, still more specialised instruction in aeronautical engineering is desirable, and indeed necessary. For this purpose occasional or visiting lecturers or instructors with special qualifications should be appointed both for day and evening Work. These lecturers should be intimately connected with the design and construction of aeroplanes as part of their regular daily work and should be men who have themselves received a sound and thorough, technical training in the advanced as well'as the more elemen- tary fundamental principles of engineering theory. In other words, they should be highly trained on the theoretical side as well as on the practical side. Moreover, an endeavour should be made to select men with a special knowledge and skill in particular branches of aeronautics, and special lecture or instruction courses should be arranged accordingly. The following are some of the subjects in which such instructors may be required for lecture and design classes :— 1. General aeronautical engineering _ .. '••„-....• •_-,.,. 2. Fuselage'design. ."/ ."•••••_ 3. Aeroengines. -•-..•. . :.,r •- _ .^ y .- •; " ^""*- 4. Aero propellers. ^ """'•- ''-••'> -'"•*•"'*'• •-- ••' 5. Magneto-electric ignition and other auxiliary electrical devices. 6. Meteorology and the meteorological conditions during flight., 7. The behaviour of aeroplanes in the air and aircraft per- formance treated by an expert engineer-aviator. 8. Dirigibles and lighter-than-air machines. The above are suggestions for consideration based on some experience, with successful results, in providing special- lectures with expert instructors in specific subjects. It will be well understood, however, that the highly special work, some of which is outlined, cannot be fully taken advantage of by individual students until the elementary and the higher general engineering and aeronautical work have been fully assimilated. It has become too much the fashion in some quarters to advertise and give special lectures in aeronautics without realising that such lectures are not likely to be of practical value until they are developed into special treat- ment on the drawing board, the laboratory, and the shops. For the best results the specialised lecturer in some of the above subjects should also conduct the design or drawing office class for his special section of the work, or failing this, the class should be taken by another properly qualified designer with intimate knowledge of his subject. . ,. Research Assistants and Scholarships. There remain two other sections of the subject to which it is important that some reference should be made, namely : (i) research and (ii) scholarships, and these may well be taken together. It has already been pointed out that much of the laboratory Work in aeronautics at the technical colleges will necessarily be of the nature of research work, and in order that this work may be efficiently carried out it is essential that the ordinary teaching staffs should be strengthened by the appointment of (a) Research assistants. (6) The establishment of senior scholarships and research studentships. (c) The establishment of junior scholarships."'" *- ' op the lines set forth in a Report issued last year by the Committee of the Privy Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, now the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. These additional assistants should act under the direction of the professor or head of department, who would suggest lines of research in addition to those suggested by the assist- ants themselves. Suggestions for researches from other quarters such as the Aeronautical Society should also receive every consideration, and, where funds are available or can be provided, a serious effort should be made to enlist the direct interest and support of the local education authorities. In view of the fact that the research assistant would be appointed to work at a particular college, it is recommended that as the success of the work would depend very much 685
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