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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0779.PDF
JUNE 12, 1919 and Afghanistan. Bombing has had to b= carried out, therefore, from the neighbourhood of the Khyber Pass, a much longer distance. I would like also to put before you some of the problems we have to face in India with regard to engineering and construction. Under the intense light and heat of India, there are four special problems of engineer ing construction which we have yet to solve :— 1. Engines that will not overheat in temperatures up to 180° Fahr. in the sun, and 1250 Fahr. in the shade. 2. Wood that will not get " short," as it is called, and perish or warp in a very dry climate. 3. Fabric that will not deteriorate and become weak. 4. Dope that will withstand extremes of heat and cold, and the destructive effect of intense light. I am inclined to think that, as our knowledge of dirigibles improves, and we have learned much already, dirigible balloons will possibly be preferred as a means of conveyance of mails and passengers by air between England and India without any intermediate stop. A dirigible has already been 101 hours in the air without coming down, and I may mention that 2,500,000 miles were covered by dirigibles during the war with comparatively few mishaps. While we must all admit that the speed of the fastest dirigible is at present about half that of the lastest aeroplane, at the same time a continuous flight of 3,000 to 4,000 miles is already possible ; time is saved by the absence of stoos en route ; and the dangers of sudden breakage or lorced descent, or disaster in case of engine failure, are small. I think, however, it may interest you to see how the journey by aeroplane might work out .on the basis of TO stages. Of course, more stages will mean a greater number of pilots and planes being employed, and therefore the shorter the stages the more expensive the establishment oi the services. England to India.—Distances between Landing Grounds. (Approximate.) London to Paris Section 1 Paris to Lyons Section 2. . Lyons to Turin Turin to Rome Lyons to Frejus Frejus to Rome Section 3. Rome to Otranto Section 4. Otranto to Crete Section 5. Crete to Cairo (Heliopolis) .. Section 6. Cairo to Jerusalem Jerusalem to Damascus Section 7. Damascus to Hit Hit to Baghdad Section 8. Baghdad to Basra Section 9. Basra to Bushire Bushire to Bandar Abbas Section 10. Bandar Abbas to Karachi Finally, in all our plans for the establishment of air services all over the Empire, we must remember that plenty of good aircraft in peace means a reserve of good aircraft for war. Whatever the future of the world holds for the British Empire we must see that it is as supreme in the air in the coming years as it has been in the past, and is now, on the sea. Miles. 230 280 200 35° 220 45° 320 480 520 275 150 366 100 300 25° .v" 600 ^ «> <$> <§> A JOINTLESS HONEYCOMB RADIATOR How little sometimes separates failure from success has been well exemplified recently by the result of Mr. Hawker's attempted Transatlantic flight. But for the obstruction in the water-circulation system on which the efficient cooling of his engine depended, it is in the highest degree probable that what was such a glorious failure would have proved a full realisation of his hopes. It is credibly reported that the obstruction in question was due to small particles of the solder which entered into the construction of the radiator breaking away and fouling the filter. • Thus is proved once again the moral of the little nursery ditty respecting a king dom which was lost for the want of a horse-shoe nail—viz. that from seemingly insignificant causes great effects may ensue. In practically all radiators the joints are soldered, and in the honeycomb type especially does this fact prejudice against reliability, since in this case the number of joints is almost infinite. True, there are some radiators which are almost devoid of soldered joints, and at least onejwhich is entirely so. The latter, also, is of the true honeycomb type— the most efficient of all—and consequently would appear to have everything to recommend it from all points of' view, except, perhaps, that of cost of production—for, as com pared with that of the usual radiator, its construction, we should judge, cannot be other than expensive, though we have no definite figures upon which to go. Our illustration shows the radiator in question, which is constructed of pure copper by electro-deposition, and is, therefore, in one piece ; consequently, trouble from leaks or internal obstructions should be entirely absent. We understand that radiators constructed on this principle— which is the invention of Mr. C. W. Denny, A.M.I.E.E., of 22, Edwardes Square, Kensington, be made to any size or shape. London, W. 8—can ^ ^ ^ ^ A one-piece ^ honeycomb ^ rad ia tor: ^ No soldered joints what ever [ enter into its con- 5S struc tion, which is^> effected^ by electro- ^ deposition ^ SS ^ Si <$ <$> <s> <s> CIVILIAN FLYING AT HENDON WITH reference to the report, in our June 5 issue, of an accident to a " Kangaroo " biplane, we have received the following letter from Mr. Claude Grahame-White, Managing Director of the Grahame-White Co., Ltd. :— " I have just read your interesting report in the current issue of FLIGHT of the reception accorded to Mr. Hawker and Commander Read at the London Aerodrome, Hendon, on Saturday and Sunday last. "I am sure you are desirous of reporting accurately the causes of, and circumstances surrounding, any aircraft accidents, and, therefore, I beg to give you the facts of the case with which your comments are at variance. " The accident was caused not, as suggested in your report, by any negligence or desire to stunt or ' show off ' on the part of the pilot, but by the sudden failure and cutting-out of the port engine, just as the machine left the ground. The machine was so low that by the time the pilot had throttled1 down the starboard engine, the machine had banked over, and the left wing tip struck the ground. Had the engine cut out at a higher altitude instead of at the moment of taking-off no accident would have happened. " We have, since 1910, carried thousands of passengers at Hendon on all types of machines and under all weather con ditions and we are very proud of our record of public safety." " I should like to mention that all our pilots are engaged on the strict understanding that no aerial acrobatics are permitted under any circumstances when carrying members of the public, and I refuse daily large numbers of passengers who desire to pay specially high fees for looping and other stunts." [We are glad to have this explanation, and to note the principles upon which Mr. Grahame-White engages his pilots. The absence of accidents at the London Aerodrome is undoubtedly a " record," and for that reason we should very much regret to see this " record " jeopardised by any unnecessary chances being taken.—ED.] 779
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