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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0080.PDF
tions a carried parachute is of great value, and have included types in ray patents, all with " positive " opening. With the " dropping " class of parachutes I also agree that the steep nose-dive finds it in its most ineffective operative situation on account of the pull of gravity on the man being so nearly in line with the path of the machine, but fortunately the air resistance to the body of a man—which is not stream- lined—is relatively greater than that to an aeroplane— which is streamlined—so that the man will certainly not fall as fast as the machine, although his momentum, being that of the machine at the time of his jump, will at first carry him in a path and at a speed almost identical with that of the machine. But carried parachutes, b ' reason of their bulk and weight, are a nuisance ; stowed parachutes attached to or housed within the fuselage are convenient ; and as to which should be approved in a difficult case is just one of those responsible decisions that must rightly be made by the only competent authority—the technical advisers of the Air Ministry. But the case is not at all as hopeless for the stowed parachute as Col. Holt assumes, for with the assistance of a small " resistance parachute " carried on the person of the par tchutist, particulars of which will be found in one of my specifications, the falling speed of the parachutist in a steep nose-dive will be so instantly checked that the requisite " pull " will come on the main parachute and will at once release it, when its " positive " action will cause it speedily to open without shock or risk of bursting. At such a high dropping speed a " non-positive " parachute, when it opened suddenly, would probably burst. Nevertheless, for the steep spinning nose-dive no parachute can ever hope to equal the " soaring " type, the action of which in such a contingency is at its maximum of effective- ness, while that of the " dropping " type is at its minimum. The " soaring " type has this further great advantage over any form of the " dropping " type, that while the latter requires an elevation of at least 200 ft. to bring a man down safely without hurt, the former is effective, if the machine has sufficient speed, at any height from ground-level up- wards. The parachutist has not to get out of his machine. He moves a lever ; his seat becomes an inclined plane ; and the parachute, with springiness in its pull, gently lifts him out of it. It will act equally well whether the machine is flying sideways or upside down. Now that the designs of aeroplanes for civil aviation are in a state of flux, it is sincerely to be hoped that the Parachute Section of the Air Ministry will pay closer attention to the development of life-saving equipment in all of its possible forms. Now, while business is slack, is the time to carry out research work of this character. During the War nothing was permitted to interfere with the mass production of machines. Mass production in a hurry may be wanted again, so why not get the life-saving problem solved while there is time ? It is understood that the Air Ministry on its military and civil sides are desirous of getting ahead with • life-saving equipment of all kinds ; but the Treasury, w"hich indignantly denied at the time of poor Peter Legh's death that they were withholding funds for parachutes, are certainly doing so now. Since then many more useful lives—some of the best—have " crossed over " for want of aerial life- saving appliances made normal for instant use. The coroner has only to certify that they weren't murdered ; he is not concerned to enquire how such a fatality could have been prevented, or how in a similar accident the next man can JANUARY' IS, I92O be saved. There is a handsome funeral, with pictures, an.I references in the Press to the great services of the deceased, but no one else seems to care. The politician doesn't care— the crash has nothing to do with votes—for there is nothing to be gained and there is no money in it for anybody. So nothing is done. It is only the mother and the girl who really care and grieve. And there are so many more crashes to come, each one of which will strike a blow at civil aviation. Why won't the Treasury let the Air Ministry get to work and put an end to them ? The public won't come in until this is done, and until we are in possession of an adequate fleet of civil aero- planes, supported alike by the public and by every Govern- ment Department, this country will never be safe from sudden attack in the air. Anyhow I am keeping my old tin hat. E. R. CALTHKOP, M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech.E. Eldon Street House, E.C. 2. January 5, 1920. AN AIR LEAGUE. [1989] The suggestion made in the Editorial Comment of your issue of January 8, as to the formation of an Air League, is one which must commend itself to those who have at least not only the welfare of aviation, but of the country and Empire generally. Never was there a time when it so behoved us to see that our armament was in fit condition to meet any possible contingencies. Fifteen months have elapsed since the Armistice, and the League of Nations remains a paper " point " ; the smaller nations rattle their undried swords ; and, throughout the world, the enemies of law and order begin to make head, biding their chance. It is for us to see that the chance is never afforded them. The work of the Navy League has been so admirable that it is not from motives of mere imitation that I would suggest that an Air League be built up along somewhat similar lines. The interests of aviation in the past have been left too largely to the care of bodies whose Olympian remoteness and " superiority " have made them inaccessible to the genera! public. From these bodies as pioneers, and from the " men of mark " in military and civil aviation, we might look for the - president and council of the proposed league ; but it is upon the rank and file that the success of the organisation must depend. Membership should be thrown open to all who are willing to pledge themselves to further by every means, in their power our supremacy in matters aerial. Branches, even though but two or three just men be gathered together in one place, should be formed, not only in the towns, but in the villages and hamlets as well ; and no corner of Britain should be left untouched. No organisation could start with greater advantages in the way of attractiveness of propaganda. Lectures could be arranged, for which sets of limelight views could be loaned by the central body : and from time to time, as necessity arose, larger demonstrations should be held in the most convenient centres. Members of Parliament who talk largely enough of our Army and Navy, would be made to realise that we have also an Air Force, which, at the moment, they appear to have forgotten : would be reminded that in the world of commerce and the work of Reconstruction, civil aviation would play no small part were it but allowed to do so : and Governments which might attempt to emascu late our most effective striking arm would be compelled ta yield, if not to the common sense, then at all events to the common demand of those who set them in authority. January 10, 1920. R. A. S. The experimental Bleriot four-engined biplane—the forerunner of the large 'bus illustrated in " Flight '"some little time back. It badly crashed on its trial flight owing to the tail bracing being insufficiently strong. The engines are 300 h.p. Hispano-Suizas
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