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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 1454.PDF
Flight, December 19, 1918 WG1STEBR, First Aero Weekly in the World \ Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER ' A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 521. (No. 51, Vol. X.) DECEMBER 19, 1918 rWeekly, Price M.L Post Free, 74. FligHt ; —- ; ~ and The Aircraft Engineer. Editorial Offict: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. ». Telegrams: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone: Gerard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post FreeJ - United Kingdom .. aft*, nd. Abroad.. .. .. 33/. ad. These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under war conditions. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: Recent Long Distance Flights The Future of Commercial Aviation The N. P. L. and its War Work PAGE 1423 14*4 »4»5 •25What is the Game ? ,4. The L.V.G. Two-Seater Biplanes i4a6 Cairo to India by Aeroplane 1431 The Royal Aero Club. Official Notices 1432 The Rolls-Royce Aero Engines 1432 Stress Optical Experiments. By Major A. R. Low, R.A. F. .. .. 1435 The Roll of Honour I44o Airisms from the Four Winds 1441 The Report of the Civil Aerial Transport Committee 1443 The Royal Air Force 1446 The R. A. F. Coastguard and Anti-Submarine Patrol 1449 Side Winds .. 1450 Company Matters 0 EDITORIAL COMMENT. NLY a week or two ago we said in these columns that there was no physical reason why the flight from England to India should not be undertaken to-morrow. At that time we had no knowledge of a near date being fixed to carry out such a flight, yet by the time these lines appear in print it is more than possible that the journey will have been successfully completed. Gen. McEwen, who has been appointed G.O.C. Royal Air Force in India, left England last week in a Handley Page machine for his new headquarters at Delhi, piloted by Maj. Maclaren and Capt. Halley. 'The machine carries six passengers for the journey, which it is hoped to complete in seven stages. Starting from Martlesham, near Ipswich, the fust stage was across the Channel, thence to Miramas, near Mar- seilles, 650 miles from tjhe starting point. The third stage is from Miramas to Otranto, 880 miles. From Otranto the next journey is to Cairo, 1,170 miles; thence to Baghdad, 875 miles; Bandar-Abbas, 870 miles ; and Karachi, 692 miles. Assuming the latter place to be safely reached, the final stage is to Delhi, RecentLong- DistanceFlights a total distance of rather more than 5,700 miles. The machine itself is of the type which was designed for the bombing of Berlin. It has a span of 127 ft., and weighs with fuel and passengers about 27,000 lbs. Four Rolls-Royce " Eagles " supply the motive power and drive Ihe machine at about 80 miles an hour in calm weather, while the fuel supply carried is enough for a 16-hours' flfght. There seems, therefore, to be no mechanical reason why the machine should not easily compass the journey within the week from the time of starting. As a matter of fact, and bearing in mind what has already been done during the War in long-distance flights, the odds seem to be well in favour of success, particularly when we remember that Maj. Maclaren is one of our most experienced long-distance pilol s, and has twice flown from England to Egypt in machines not as well suited to the task he now has in hand. We have, too, to assist in weighing the possibilities of success,'the recent flight of Gen. Salmond from Cairo to Baghdad, which does not appear to have attracted as much attention as it might have done. This flight was accomplished purely in the way of routine and was not specially undertaken merely for the sake of demonstrating what can be done by the combination of modern aeroplane and skilled pilot. Even if it had, it would nevertheless have been quite a wonderful feat, although the records that have been made during the War, and are only just beginning to be disclosed now that the cersor is more or less moribund, have made us, perhaps, a little blasd in these matters. The principal significance of such flighislies, of course, in their bearing on Ihe future of commercial aviation. It has now been demonstrated that it is possible t o fly, quite in the ordinary way of duty, from Cairo to Baghdad and to take almost literally weeks off the time occupied in accomplishing the journey by any other means of transport, and to do it, more- over, without a single hitch or set-back. Organisa- tion there was, naturally, since it would have been the height of folly to attempt such a journey until the necessary supplies of fuel and spares had first been provided along Ihe line of route, and this organisation just as naturally took a certain amount of time to complete. # It is just as well to point this out, because it will do no good to the movement to try to persuade people that the aeroplane is a machine which can be sent off haphazard to the ends of the earth at a moment's notice and without the slightest anterior
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