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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1644.PDF
DECEMBER 25, 1919 in the form of a large three-engined flying boat, with the hull forming an enclosed cabin. The wing bracing is in the form of slanting struts forming a triangulated structure in conjunction with the wing spars. The whole machine gives a very businesslike impression. On this stand there is also an armoured fuselage, with rear portion built up of duralumin tubes, much after the fashion of the German Junkers Pierre Levasseur.—In addition to a number of pro pellers, including a huge one of about 40 ft. diameter, is show ing a large single-engine tractor biplane, the chief feature of which appears to be a profuse use of aluminium for cowling, spinner, etc. Edmond de Marcay has a very striking exhibit, consist ing of three very pretty biplanes, all very small. The smallest of them is, perhaps, the smallest biplane ever built, and, as we have already mentioned, looks as if another 20 sq. ft. of wing surface would not do it any harm. The second machine is an extremely neat-looking single-seater with monocoque fuselage and rotary engine with a spinner over the propeller boss. The third machine, although the largest of the three, is also quite small, and is a limousine in as far as the upper third of the passenger occupies a cabin-like superstructure added to the top of the fuselage. The lower two-thirds of the passenger, or his better half, travels en fuselage ordinaire. Morane-Saulnier—This firm is making rather a speciality of " parasol" monoplanes this year, no less than three machines of this type being exhibited. In addition they are showing the body of a military type biplane. One of the monoplanes has the ordinary wire bracing to its wings, the top bracing going to a single central king-post. The other, which is very similar to it, is a two-seater, also with rotary engine. The third monoplane has its wings braced by slant ing tubes, and there is consequently no top bracing, the tubular struts working in compression under anti-lift loads. All the Morane-Saulnier machines are finished in a dull khaki colour. Nieuport.—Three complete machines are shown on this stand, and in the background, so to speak, is the fuselage of a fourth. One of the Nieuports is a single-seater chaser with its complement of machine guns, telescopic sights, etc. The second machine is a little single-seater biplane with rotary engine, while the third is the racer on which M. Sadi Lecointe attained a speed of 192 m.p.h. recently. The fuselage of this machine is of the monocoque type, very carefully stream lined. There is a tiny square radiator in the nose of the fuselage, looking wholly inadequate for its work, and, as an after-thought, a second radiator—of.the "lobster pot" type with which the Schneider Cup machine was fitted— is mounted on the port undercarriage strut. The machine is mounted so as to give the appearance of being on a banked turn, and looks very neat. Handley Page.—Painted in white enamel, the new H.P- W 8 looks extremely well, and will undoubtedly prove a great centre of attraction when the exhibition is opened. The machine was flown across from England, and it was one H H THE DEATH OF IT is with most profound regret that we have to record the fatal accident to Sir John Alcock, which occurred on the afternoon of December 18,' while he was engaged in taking a new Vickers machine to Paris in connection with the Salon. It appears that the machine when nearing Rouen had great difficulty in negotiating a strong wind. A farmer at Cote d'Evrard, about 25 miles north of Rouen, saw the machine come out of the fog, commence to fly unsteadily, and—it was then about 1 o'clock—it suddenly crashed to the ground. Sir John Alcock was taken from the wreck, but unfortunately there was considerable delay in getting medical assistance as the farmhouse near where the crash occurred is out of the A New Michelin Prize JUST previous to the opening of the Paris Salon, M. M. Michelin announced the offer of a new prize of 500,000 francs for aviation. The conditions briefly are that starting from a point within a radius of 10 kiloms. of the Palace' of Ver sailles, the aviator must fly to and round the cathedral at Rheims and back to his starting point in 1 hr. 15 min., having averaged a speed of at least 200 kiloms. per hour. Then from this point, but without landing, the machine, at an altitude of not more than 100 metres, must take at least one hour to cover 10 kiloms. over a triangular course, each side of which is 3-6 kiloms. long, the turns being effected inside the angles of the triangle. Throughout this test the machine must be kept in a normal flying attitude. Finally, the machine must of the first to be ready, erected on the stand. The cabin is very comfortable indeed, and quite a good view is obtained through the port holes in the sides of the fuselage. Purely regarded as an aeroplane, the W 8 is also, we think, a great improvement on the older types, and it is certainly of much more pleasing appearance. Henry Potez.—Of the two machines shown by this constructor one is a limousine, with the pilot in front of the cabin. The second is a little two-seater with 50 h.p. Potez engine and four-wheeled undercarriage. The engine is a four-cylindered air-cooled, with the cylinders in line, but the engine is placed with its crankshaft vertical, and drives the airscrew through a bevel reduction gear. Vickers.—At the time of writing, the Vickers Viking is fog-bound at Brooklands, and the only exhibits on this stand are a Vickers Vimy-Commercial cabin, a number of B.L.I.C. magnetos and a series of scale models of Vickers aeroplanes and airships. Westland.—A Westland limousine is to be exhibited, but at the time of writing it had not arrived. The French Government Exhibits CERTAINLY not the least interesting and instructive section of the French Salon is the display of the French Naval and Military Aviation Department under the Coupole d'Antin. It comprises eight pre-war machines, a 1908 Voisin-Delagrange, a 1909 Santos Dumont, a 1910 Nieuport, a 1912 Henry Farman, a 1913 G. B. Deperdussin, a Bleriot two-seater, a R.E.P. two-seater and a Caudron G. 3. There is also a collection of 1/10 scale models of such historic land machines as the Antoinette, Borel, Nieuport, Tellier, Deperdussin, Astra, Zodiac, Bleriot, Caudron, Rep, Spad, Farman, Hanriot, Bregnet, and among the water planes are Fabre, Borel, Hanriot, Tellier, etc. There are also models of the Charles Renard machine of 1872 and the Victor Tatin of 1879. In the airship division there are a number of cars as well as models of the 1884 Renard and Krebs La France, the 1906 Santos-Dumont No. 6, as well as several of the more recent vessels built for the French Government. There is also a fine display of balloons, parachutes, etc. In another gallery are arranged some 32 motors, 20 of them showing the development of the aeroplane engine from the 50 h.p. Antoinette of 1907 to the 250 h.p. Salmson of I91?. while the other dozen are airship motors starting with the one used by Col. Renard in 1893. Maps, instruments and apparatus used by the meterological photographic and medical branches of the aviation services also find a place in this most comprehensive display. The Show Opened THE Show was formally opened on December 19, by President Poincare, who was accompanied by Marshals Foch and Petain; Generals Berdoulat and Mordacq and many other notabilities. The President made the customary tour of the stands, and before leaving congratulated M. Alfred Leblanc, President of the organising committee. H H SIR JOHN ALCOCK way. As soon as the accident was reported, doctors rushed from No. 6 British General Hospital, Rouen, but they were too late. It is probable that an enquiry will be held by the French authorities, at which the Air Ministry and Messrs. Vickers will be represented. Arrangements are being made for the conveyance of the body of Sir John Alcock to England for burial in Manchester, his native city. The death of Sir John Alcock is an irreparable loss to avia tion. His great flight across the Atlantic is too fresh in the mind of readers of FLIGHT for further reference to be made to it here, while his previous work is recorded in the pages of past volumes of this paper. be kept in the normal position of flight and it must com pletely stop without serious damage to the structure not more than five metres from the point at which it first touches the ground. The contest will be held under the auspices of the Aero Club of France and will be open until October I, 1930. Only French aviators are eligible. New Speed Record A NEW speed record is claimed by M. Sadi-Lecointe, who is now with the Nieuport firm. Timed, officially, over a measured kilometre at Villacoublay on December 15 his average speed is given as 307-225 kiloms. an hour (i9of m.p.h.). It is stated that at one time he was flying at a speed of 364-555 kiloms. an hour—over 226 miles an hour. 1646
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