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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1542.PDF
CORRESPONDENCE CAUSE OF BRITISH AEROPLANE ACCIDENT IN UNITED STATES. [1984] Some interesting data has just come to hand from Washington, D.C., in connection with the performance of the Rolls-Royce engined " Bristol Fighter," which was entered as a competitor in the recent American Trans-Continental race, and was piloted by Brig.-Gen. L. O. Charlton, C.M.G., D.S.O., the British Air Attache at Washington. - This race started on October 8 last. The first day witnessed a number of accidents, amongst which was the forced landing of the above-mentioned Bristol Fighter. Some misleading reports stated that the reason of the machine making a forced landing was due to engine trouble. In response to our enquiries, we have now received a letter from Brig.-Gen. Charlton, reading as follows :— " Many thanks for your letter of October 9, and it was, as you say, a great disappointment for me to have been put out of the Trans-Continental event at such an early stage, more especially as I consider that I had the best machine and engine in the race. "It is not quite correct to say that I had carburettor trouble. What happened, actually, was that, owing either to bad luck or bad management, some water got in the petrol, with the usual consequences of a forced landing in not very favourable country. I attribute no blame whatever to the engine, and hope, in fact, to have it in the air again before many days elapse." y We venture to hope that you may be able to publish this communication. For ROLLS-ROYCE, LTD., C. JOHNSON, Managing Director. November 19, 1919. THE R.A.F. AND DISCIPLINE [1985] In your issue of 20th inst. you publish the views of a Chaplain, late of the Royal Air Force, and of an ex- Flight Leader, on the discipline, etc., of the R.A.F. I have no desire to enter into the controversy as to whether a separate Force is or is not a good thing. But the question of the discipline of the Force is one of supreme importance so long as that Force exists, and perhaps you may be willing to publish the views of one who is not a Regular soldier, but as a Reserve officer lived and fought with the Regular battalions until he was invalided out. That record should, I think, free me from the charge of being " closely fettered by the rusty chains of obsolete etiquette." Yet, without some first-hand knowledge of the Regular Army, one is surely not qualified to express an opinion on it. The etiquette and discipline of the Regular Army seem to me to be based on the old Wykamist motto, " Manners Makyth Man " and on " Esprit de Corps "—two very inspiring slogans, I venture to think. When I later became a Technical Officer in the R.A.F., I found both discipline and etiquette very slack. So far as the latter goes, one was ready to excuse much in war time. But in peace there is time to improve things, and it is to be hoped that Air Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard will take the matter in hand. I shall be very much surprised if he does Etiquette is, I think, an important aid to discipline. But there is a broader discipline which cannot safely be relaxed even in war time. «* Ex-Flight Leader " writes as if the R.A.F. were no more than so many pilots and aeroplanes flying in formation and fighting in the air. I have come across a number of pilots who seemed to take that view, forgetting all the essential ground organisation. Pilots when in the air may prefer a " comrade " as a leader, and such a comrade may be the best leader for manoeuvres and fighting. That does not make him the best man to take command on the ground. During the war the technical and administrative officers were, as a rule, not flying men, though sometimes they were crashed pilots. In the future, I understand, they are all to be crashed pilots, but they will none the less form a separate class inside the Force. There are also the rank and file, aircraftmen, or whatever the latest denomination is. My experience is that, as a rule, the gallant young pilots were not good at the task of commanding men who did not fly. They were too young and had not enough experience of the world and of men. That is to say, those who had never been in any other service were not strong on discipline. Those who had served an apprenticeship in the Army had learnt the principle of the matter. Pilots who had had this experience maintained an admirable spirit of brotherhood-in arms with ground officers in a similar position—esprit de NOVEMBER iy, 1919 corps, in fact—and they knew how to command the mechanics of their flight. Others seemed to find it difficult to hit the happy mean between bullying and slackness. But most pilots were too young to be entrusted with a command such as that of a station. It was not lack of ability, merely of experience, and the tendency (mentioned above) to think of the Force as composed merely of pilots and aeroplanes. The remedy which I should suggest is that R.A.F. officers, on passing out of their Cadet College, should be attached for a time to an Army unit. A precedent for this can be found in the system by which officers of the Indian Unattached List are (or at least were) attached to British units in India before being posted to an Indian regiment. As for the drawbacks attendant on the youth of the R.A.F. commandants, that question will rectify itself in time, now that war casualties have been eliminated and the Force has become a Regular Force. But it is very important to lay sound foundations now, if the edifice which is to be built on them is to be a fair and good one. Cheap witticisms about the traditions which helped in no small degree to make the " Old Contemptibles " what they were do no good of any sort to the Royal Air Force. Hampstead. A. R. S. 5g &L m m COMPANY MATTERS Joseph Owen and Sons THE report to June 30 last shows a profit as the result of the year's trading, after payment of debenture interest and providing for depreciation, of £19,914, against £72,171 ; dividends 8J per cent, on the preference and 28£ per cent, on the ordinary shares, against 7$ per cent, and 23 per cent, respectively, the carry forward being £19,870, subject to excess profits duty, income-tax and managers' commission. w m m m AERONAUTICAL SPECIFICATIONS PUBLISHED Abbreviations:—cyl.«cylind»r; l.C—interna! combmsUon | m,-motort. APPLIED FOR IN 1917 The numbers in brackets are those under which the Specifications will be printed and abridged, etc. Published November 27, 1919 11,244. J. B. G. COLBRAN. Level-indicator for aircraft. (134,234.) APPLIED FOR IN 1918 The numbers in brackets are those under which the Specifications will be printed and abridged, etc. Published November 27, 1919 9,017. SOPWITH AVIATION AND ENGINEERING CO. and C. H. DAVIES. Self- gripping bracket for use in aeroplane construction. (134,242.) 14,112. P. SALMON and W. S. SMITH. Control of variable-pitch propellers. (134.258.) 14,172. L. CHOQUET. I.C. engine with rotary cylinders. (119,433.) 17,425. C. AND C. H. BLAIR. Machine for making laminated spars, etc. (134,278.) 18,075. J. ROBINSON. Wireless direction-finding arrangements. (i34>343.) I 9.5I3- G. JORDAN. Table for aeroplane construction. (134.383.) 20,751. L. PILICHOWSKI. Planes of aeroplanes. (I34>4°9-) I If you require anything pertaining to aviation, study i " FLIGHT'S " Buyers* Guide and Trade Directory, • which appears in our advertisement pages each week (see pages xxxlx, xl, xli, and xlli). NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS All Advertisement Copy and Blocks must be delivered at the Offices of " FLIGHT," 36, Great Queen Street, Kingsway, W.C. 2, not later than 12 o'clock on Saturday in each week for the following week's issue. ~FlLiaHT The Aircraft Engineer and Airships 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. 2. Telegraphic address: Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. SUBSCRIPTION RATES " FLIGHT " will be forwarded, post free, at the following rates:— UNITED KINGDOM ABROAD* s. d. s. d. 3 Months, Post Free.. 713 Months, Post Free., 8 3 6 „ „ .. 14 1 6 „ „ .. 16 6 1* » ., .. 28 a J 12 „ „ .. 33 o These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under War conditions. * European subscriptions must b* remitted in British currently. Cheques and Post Office Orders should be made payable te the Proprietors of "FLIGHT," 36, Great Queen Street, Kingsway, W.C. 1, and crossed London County and Westminster Bank, otherwise no responsibility will be accepted. 1544
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