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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1137.PDF
Flight, August 28, 1919 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. 557 (No. 35, Vol. XI.) AUGUST 28, 1919 r Weekly. Price 6d. L Post Free, 7d. Flight The Aircraft Engineer and Airships Editorial Office: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAV, W.C. 2 Telegrams: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free : United Kingdom .. 28^. 2d. Abroad.. .. .. 33.?. od. These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under war conditions CONTENTS • Editorial Comment : PAGE The Rules of the (lovernment Tests .. .. 1139 " Anti-Aircraft" Defences .. .. .. .. .. .. ., 1140 "Titular Anomalies" in the R.A.F. . 1142 Air Policy 114 What it would Mean .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1144 Flight—and the Men : Mr. H. P. Martin and Mr G. H. Handasyde .. 1141 A Sitter.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1143 The Westland Limousine .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1145 Royal Aero Club Notes .. .. .. . 1148 London to Paris Aerial Service .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1149 British Aircraft Competitions .. .. .. .. .. .. 1150 Civilian Flying 1153 The Sopwith Schneider Cup Machine 1154 TheE.L.T.A Show n55 Airisms from the Four Winds 116 Loadon Flying Club.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1166 R.A.F. Sports . U67 In Parliament .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1165 British Air Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. T171 Side-Winds 1173 EDITORIAL COMMENT |N another part of this issue of FLIGHT we print the full rules and conditions for the conduct of the competition for the prizes announced to be given by the Government for improved commercial aircraft types, including both land and marine heavier-than- air machines. We do not propose to enter into much detailed criticism of these rules, inasmuch as they speak for themselves, and those who intend to participate in the contest The are fully capable of appreciating the oftho riues and what they mean. They are Government undoubtedly severe in their require- Tests ments. Indeed, they seem to err on the side of undue severity if they err at all, and we doubt not there will be adverse criticism directed against them on account of that severity. On the whole, we are not inclined to the view that they are unfair in their requirements. It is clearly laid down that in giving the prizes the Government have had before them the fact that if commercial aviation is to develop as we hope and believe it will in the future it must be made as reasonably safe as any other mode of transport. In order that it shah be safe, the factors of safety must be made as high as possible without being impossible of attainment. During the War, the one and only goal set to the designer and constructor was military efficiency- Nothing else mattered, and it is well known that some of the most militarily efficient types were not by any means as " safe " as the commercial type needs must be. Now the whole trend of things has been reversed, and the first essential is safety even at the expense of some degree of efficiency. Of course, if it is possible to combine safety with high efficiency so much the better, but where any part of a quality may have to be sacrificed to obtain a high factor of the other, it is safety that must be the first con sideration. Certain of the conditions we have heard described as impossible of fulfilment. We take leave to doubt if this criticism is intended to be taken too literally. We have all within our recollection a number of things which were quite impossible of achievement at some anterior period, but which are the common places of today. Flying itself was 15 years ago an utter impossibility. Later, when the initial problems of dynamic flight had been surmounted, all sorts of subsidiary prophecies were made as to its limitations. One by one these prophecies were falsified, and we have seen the impossible of yesterday translated into the actual fact of today, until we have quite justifi ably come to regard nothing as being impossible. Reverting to the rules under discussion, as we have said, generally speaking there is really very little to find fault with. The rules are undoubtedly in some cases severe, very severe, while some others appear to be unnecessarily lenient. Thus, to take one example, the maximum speed asked for, for small vehicles, is, only 100 m.p.h. For a machine carrying only one occupant, in addition to the pilot, this seems some what low. It should be remembered that the whole raison d'Hre of the aeroplane as a commercial vehicle is its superiority in speed over other means of loco motion. With a maximum speed of 100 m.p.h. an aeroplane making a cross-country flight will often, if it is to be run on a regular mail or passenger service,
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