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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 1254.PDF
Ifldi NOVEMBER 29, 1917. FROM OTHER LANDS. THE MARYLAND VARIOOS types of machines have been built by the MarylandAeroplane Co., which was incorporated at Baltimore, U.S.A., last year, but they have specialised principally in flying boats.The accompanying illustration shows the latest four- seater twin-engined model flying boat, the most interesting FLYING BOAT.the bottom is of the double V type. Provision is made for four passengers, and dual Dep. control is installed. The powerplant consists of two 8-cylinder E.N.V. motors, developing 90 h.p. each at 1,250 r.p.m. A radiator for each motor is situ-ated at the forward end of the latter. The propellers are Rear view of the Maryland twin-engined flying boat. feature of which is the method of suspending the motors.By such a method, the motor suspension is independent of the wing structure, thus eliminating one of the principalobjections to twin motors. The entire weight of the motors is directly transmitted to and carried upon the boat hull,making possible the employment of wing construction of" the same lightness as used in single installations.The hull has a beam of 46 ins., and an overall length of 32 ft.; 5151 three-bladed, 7 ft. 9 ins. diameter, with a pitch of 5 ft. 3 ins.The capacity of the fuel tanks is 40 gallons. The general specifications are : Span, top 56 ft., bottom42 ft. ; chord, 5 ft. 6 ins. ; gap, 6 ft. 6 ins. ; angle of in- cidence, 70 ; net weight, 2,200 lbs. ; speed range, 38-65 m.p.h.4 A single motored (75 h.p.) two-seater machine, quite similar in design, but smaller in proportion, is also being turned outby the Maryland Co.—Aerial Age, AVIATION IN IRELAND.THE recent article on Aviation in Ireland has aroused consider- able interest in Dublin and steps are being taken, we under-stand, on excellent authority, to give effect to some of the proposals made. The Dublin Industrial Development Associartion had the matter before them at their meeting recently, and it is stated that something will now be done inthe matter. Officials connected with the Industrial Depart- ment were, however, unable to make any statement. Inthe meantime advertisements are appearing in the Dublin papers for workmen for aerodrome construction in England,but, as it is pointed out here, workmen from Ireland, after paying munition prices for lodgings, can only send home acomparatively small sum each week, and the case is not improved by ihe publication of " family budgets " of suchWorkmen showing that the family in Ireland is reduced to a diet principally consisting of bread and tea. Were suchworkmen employed in Ireland, the whole of their earnings would be spent in the country, and the use of such moneywould provide still further employment. The argument that aircraft construction is only a war industry is met by the reply,which you are familiar with in England, that the war is showing the way to many unexpected peace time uses of aircraft, andin addition the new school of furniture designers, which has grown up round the Work of a young Irish artist, make muchof the fact that the wood-working machinery required for aircraft construction would be used to manufacture furnitureof native design and manufacture for both the home and export trades.Latest reports on the Irish flax crop state that saving of the crop was much interfered with by broken weather.Scutching has been somewhat delayed and yields are likely to be below the average. Some reports state that the qualitywill be good. Detailed estimates of yields may be expected in December. GERMANY BEATEN IN THE AIR. IN a despatch to the Daily Chronicle, Mr. G. H. Perris, the special correspondent of that paper with the French armies, sets forth the following opinions with regard to Germany's position in aviation :— " There has not been in the recent fighting on the fronts in France much sign of the revival in German aviation for which great efforts have certainly been made since the appointment of General von Hoeppner as dictator of the air services of the empire a year ago. Some force must have have been drawn away to meet the needs of the Italian offensive, and the losses of machines in France and Bel- gium have been very heavy. " Markedly in advance of the Allies at the beginning of the war, Germany was at the time of the Battle of the Somme no less markedly behind them in this art. General von Below admitted it plainly in an alarming report. An effort to recover at least an equality was at once begun, and it was further stimulated by the entry of the United,,States into the war, and the fear of what that would presently mean. " Various favours were accorded to aviators, and thousands of vigorous men were attracted into the service. The manu- facturers were stirred up, and by the end of last August 30 new aeroplane and hydroplane factories had been established, while the older makers had greatly extended their Works. The chief attention was given to squadrillas of chasing planes and bombarding groups. The Albatros and other types were standardised. The Gotha works at Erfurt received large orders, especially for their three-seater, double-motor bombarding plane. "The best Benz and Mercedes motors were also standardised, and the personnel of the hangars was enlarged, a squadrilla of six planes having attached to it 100, and even 120, men. Among other types favoured may be mentioned the light and .rapid Halberstadt-Rolland, the Fokker triplane, also a rapid riser, the 1917 Rumplsr with a Mercedes 260 h.p. motor, which is at present the best German scouting plane, and a new ' Junker * machine, with a wholly metallic body, which is intended to accompany the infantry advance. The two- motor bombarding planes can carry 16 cwts. of bombs, and can rise to three miles' height in 40 minutes. " The service enjoys such advantages as belong to a practical dictatorship. And yet the only direction in which it has decidedly scored is that of promiscuous slaughter in London, and in such French towns as Nancy, Dunkirk and Bar-le-Duc. On the- front we maintain our superiority. In all of the French offensives of this year, particularly at Verdun and on the Aisne, it has been clearly shown, and on several critical occa- sions the enemy planes have been practically driven from the field. In a recent list of French ' aces,' there are 48 French names (37 of the men being alive and 11 dead or dis- appeared.), as against 57 Germans, of whom, however, 29 were in the latter category, so that our Allies had a considerable superiority in surviving champions. fee ig " Favourable as the situation is, it would be a great mistake to under-estimate the efforts the German army and its industrial partners are making. The 100 machines per month destroyed by the French and those similarly disposed of by the British are far from neutralising the output of the German factories, and superiority in this essential arm of the modern battle cannot be pushed too far." 1254
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