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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0774.PDF
A Week's Hard Fighting. " FOR the past seven days the work of the R.F.C. upon the Western front has bulked largely in the official com- muniquts, and I gather that it is no exaggeration to say that the week in question has been marked by the hardest and most continuous aerial fighting since the war begun," writes Reuter's correspondent from Headquarters in France on July 20th. " Taking the total of the fights published between July nth and 17th inclusive, the following are the results. Enemy machines brought down by our aeroplanes, 42 ; shot down by our guns, 3 ; driven down out of control, 43. The number of our machines missing in the same period is 3,1. " This disproportion may be taken as fairly illustrating the average measure of our aerial supremacy over the Germans. In other words, we usually succeed in giving very much more than we get. The weather on the whole has not been good for aeroplane work, otherwise the figures would doubtless have been considerably bigger still. The most notable feature of the fighting has been the size of the enemy formations. More than once British airmen have reported encountering hostile groups numbering between 30 and 40 machines, this showing clearly that the Huns trust to make up by over- whelming superiority of numbers what they lack in individual qualities. When attacked, however, these large formations invariably lose their tactical cohesion, and the fight res'olves itself into a series of disconnected" contests. " Many gallant exploits have been recorded during this period, but they are all so much like the countless brilliant deeds •which have gone before that they are taken quite as a matter of course, and as all in the day's work, by their authors and their comrades. Here, for example, is the day's Work of one flying unit: Total time up for all the machines, 308 hrs. 40 mins.; number of bombs dropped on back areas, 101 of 20 lbs. each, three of 112 lbs. and seven of 230 lbs. In addition, photographic work, reconnaissance work and artil- lery spotting were carried out, as part of the normal routine. Two officers who remained up for four hours ranging for the artillery were able to record many successes. " An observer in a fighting reconnaissance machine had a thrilling experience a few days ago. The plane was attacked by five Albatros scouts. The British machine drove down one of its assailants, which crashed, and sent a second nose- spinning, out of control. Then the pilot lurched forward in his seat as a bullet from a machine gun found its billet, and the aeroplane began to take charge. Emptying the drum of his Lewis gun at his enemies, the observer leaned across the figure of his stricken comrade, and although he had very little knowledge of pilot's work succeeded in landing behind the British lines." - A Kite Balloon on Fire. LONDON firemen were called upon to tackle a novel job at Roehampton Lane the other day. An observation kite- balloon had been struck by lightning and set on fire. It fell blazing to the ground and was completely destroyed, the volume of flame igniting the undergrowth and several trees. The U.S.A. Aeroplane Bill Passed. ":-•:,;•- :~^. THE United Stages Senate, on July 22nd, adopted the House Bill appropriating ^128,000,000 for aviation. The measure now goes to the President for signature, when it will become operative. Details as to how the money will be spent have not been officially announced, but the Bill, any way, makes provision for 22,000 aeroplanes and 100,000 men. America and Italian Flyers. CONTINUING its round of the Allied aviation centres, the United States Aviation Mission was at Milan on July 19th, and inspected not only the large camp, but also visited several of the large factories and witnessed a display by some of the most noted Italian pilots. The American Chamber of Commerce entertained the guests, among whom were Major Boiling, Signor Caproni and his brother, Dr. Caproni. One Against Fourteen. FLIGHT ADJUTANT EDMOND THIEFFRY, a Belgian airman, encountered on July 3rd a German air squadron composed of 14 Albatros machines. In two minutes he brought down two of the machines, and, flying at a great speed, forced a passage through the barrage of the remaining 12 machines. Piracy by German Seaplanes. IT was reported from Rotterdam on July 23rd that the Dutch steamship " Gelderland" had been stopped that morning by three German seaplanes under the eyes of the Hook of Holland coastguard. A German officer went on board and forced the ship to proceed to Zeebrugge. JULY a6, 1917. Air Work with Artillery. " MORE and more, week by week," writes Mr. W. Beach Thomas to the Daily Mail on July 20th, " we see these counter-battery duels waged to the death ; and if anyone has any doubts about our air service in France he should see the daily list of batteries marked down and ranged upon by our observers. The war is becoming more and more a counter-battery war, and this means that the air service takes g. bigger and bigger part. " The enemy is hiding his guns more and building heavier defences for them ; he surrounds them with smoke screens and roofs them with concrete and walls them with scene- painting and divides them with sham batteries; but he has not yet dodged the eyes of our airmen with any general success. We have knocked out many guns, if not whole batteries, in the recent and still continuing duels, especially round Lens, a town important in itself and a valuable fortress on the road to Lille. " The enemy has been forcibly driven by the development of the war to drive his airmen over our lines and multiply his balloons. Ten of his observing balloons were up at one time in the Lens area alone." Art Smith in Japan. . ^ ART SMITH, the well-known American pilot, has been flying again in Japan during the last few months. He has been fulfilling his exhibition contracts which he was unable to keep last year on account of the accident, resulting in a broken leg, he met with at Sapporo. On one occasion he flew a Morane-Saulnier monoplane—the first flight this pilot has ever made on a monoplane. H 0 H H * PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. Erecting and Aligning 80 h.p. Avro Biplanes, Type 504. Manchester : A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd. Price is. 6d. Profiling and Cam Milling. Coventry: Webster arid Bennett, Ltd. H H 0 H NEW COMPANIES REGISTERED. FROST PATENT ENGINE SYND., LTD., Grosvenor Chambers, Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton.—Capital £1,500, in £1 shares. Engineers, manufacturers of aeroplanes, hydro- planes, motor cars, &c. MICROVERNIER, LTD., 5, Waterloo Street, Birmingham. —Capital ^3,000, in £1 shares (1,000 preference). Acquiring business of aeroplane fittings manufacturers formerly carried on by W. Voysey and S. G. Mason, at Cheapside, Birmingham, as the Microvernier Co. First directors : W. Voysey and S. G. Mason. ROTARY IGNITION, LTD., 30-32, Ludgate Hill, E.C. 4. —Capital ^10,000, in £1 shares. Ignition specialists, &c. First directors: F. Price Handkrik and H. G. Atkinson. ,.,, .„,-. a a a - a Aeronautical Patents Published. Applied for in 1916. The numbers in brackets are those under which the specifications are . printed and abridged, &c. """"' ' Published July 26th, 1917. 12,008. A. AIXAK. Flying machine. (107,471.) 15,400. AERONAUTICAL INSTRUMENT CO. AND G. BREWER. Devices for guiding flexible connections for operating valves, &c, in aerostats. (107,509.) 15,494. A. H. AND S. O'BRIEN. Fastenings for belts, &c. (107,5x0.) 16,403. T. D. GARSCADDKN AUD W. K. BOYNK. Aerial screw propellers. (107,519.) If you require anything pertaining to aviation, study " FLIGHT'S " Buyers' Guide and Trade Directory, j which appears in our advertisement pages each week ! (see pages xxxviii, xxxlx, and xl). | FLIGHT. 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. LONDON. W.C. 2. Telegraphic address : Truditur, London. Telephone: 1828 Gerrard. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. " FLIGHT " will be forwarded, post free, at the following rates:— UNITED KINGDOM. ABROAD. s.d. 3 Months, P^st Free.. 5 o 6 „ .. 10 o 12 „ „ . . 2O O Cheques and Post Office Orders should be made payable to the Proprietors of " FLIGHT," 44, St. Martin's Lane, W.C. 2. and crossed London County and Westminster Bank, otherwise HO responsibility will be accepted. 36 12 Months, ta Post $t •1 Free.. s.3 7 15 d. 10 7 2 774
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