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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0197.PDF
MARCH 17, 1921 Another fact of great importance which has been neglected hitherto in all systems of calculation is the change of angle of incidence of the wings under load. The nearer the front and rear spars are together and the greater the length of the bays the greater is the difference between the angles of in- clination at the interplane struts and in the middle of the bay. The effect of this variation is that the load in the centre of the bay is more intense than under the struts. In one machine tested by the writer the inclination of the wings under load increased 1 degree under the struts and 2$ degrees in the middle of the bay with the C.P. in the forward position. Thus in normal flight the wings in the middle of the bay would be loaded twice as much as under the struts. Additional sources of error may be introduced by the type of wiring plates at the junction of the spars, struts, lift wires, and incidence wires. The writer has seen the fol- lowing instances in which the structure failed before its full strength was developed owing to the wiring plate. (a) Bolts connecting wiring plate to spar caused spar to split longitudinally, and the whole fitting travelled sideways. The diameter of the bolts was obviously too small. (b) Lugs for the lift wires being off-set from the centre of connecting bolts caused the spar to split and the inter- plane struts to rotate through 20 degrees. (c) Pull of lift wire caused rotation of wiring plate, which broke off end of interplane strut. THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MEMORIAL FUND A MEETING of the Executive Committee was held at the offices of the Fund, 7, Iddesleigh House, Caxton Street, on the 10th inst., Lord Hugh Cecil in the Chair. The Members of the Committee present were :—Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Salmond, K.C.B., Air Vice-Marshal A. V. Vyvyan, C.B., D.S.O., Air-Commodore H. R. M. Brooke-Popham, C.B., Sir Charles McLeod, Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, Mr. H. E. Perrin, and Mr. W. S. Field. The list of grants made since the previous Meeting on February 17, amounting to £83 75. 8d., were approved. The list of donations and subscriptions received since the same date was also presented, and includes on this occasion the sum of £22,300 6s. gd., which consists of the balance of the Royal Air Force Aids Committee, and which, by a unanimous decision of the Committee of that organisation, is to be used for the benefit of officers and men, and their dependents under the rules of this Fund, the grand total therefore being £22,513 us. gd. A sub-committee was appointed to meet fortnightly to assist the Secretary to deal with all applications for assistance from the Fund, it being arranged that the Secretary might make grants, pending the meeting of the sub-committee, in urgent cases, but that grants that could reasonably be reserved for the sub-committee, should be so reserved. Mr. Perrin was appointed Chairman of this sub-committee, with Mr. Walter Field as a member. A lady and an Air Force serving officer are to be added to the sub-committee. It was decided to purchase a presentation at the Royal School for daughters of Officers of the Army, Bath, such presentation to cost £120, it being a necessity that the officer concerned should have served in the commissioned ranks of the Army prior to joining the R.F.C. or R.A.F. Air Vice-Marshal A. V. Vyvyan reported the constitution of a sub-committee to deal with rules for assistance to the post- war Royal Air Force. The sale of the two houses at Ascot, presented to the Air Council by Mrs. M. E. Salting, has been fixed for April 19 next, the proceeds, by the kindness of the Air Council, being devoted to the Fund, and to be used, at Mrs. Salting's request, for the provision of scholarships at approved Schools for the children of officers. The question of holding the Aerial Pageant in the north of England during the coming Summer was discussed, but was adjourned until a future date. d. Amount of donations and subscriptions an- nounced up to February 16, 1921 .. .. Balance R.A.F. Aids Committee .. .. Amount of donations and subscriptions an- nounced up to March 9, 1921 . . .. 105, 22, 355 3°° 213 8 6 5 II 9 0 Total . . £127,869 o 8 CORRESPONDENCE [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the ivriters, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters intended for insertion in these columns.] THE FLYING SERVICES FUND [2040] The attention of my Committee has been drawn to the concluding paragraph of the proceedings of the R.A.F. Memorial Fund Committee published in your issue of February 24 last. As worded this paragraph might convey the idea that the Flying Services Fund was about to cease its activities in the sense of giving assistance to ex-members of the Flying Services, but our intention was merely meant to convey that a1 certain number of cases, which had been kindly dealt with by the Flying Services Fund (administered by the Royal Aero Club) "during the last year, and pending our organisation being completed, were, in future, to be taken over and dealt with by the R.A.F. Memorial Fund. My "Committee owe a debt of gratitude to the Flying Services Fund for all the work they have done on our behalf, and it is due to that Fund that any misapprehension should be removed. Thanking you for kindly inserting this. W. E. S. BURCH, Lieut-Col., Secretary, The Royal Air Force Memorial Fund March 14, 1921. m m m m New Bohemian Aviation Company FROM Prague it is reported that a new aviation company has just been established there. The firm, which is known as the Fales Aviation Company, will, it is stated, deal, in addition to ordinary passenger and goods conveyance, with aerial advertising, cartography, aerial photography and cine- matography. Thus again, Bohemia shows her appreciation •of the possibilities of aviation, and makes one more step towards her cherished ambition of making Prague a great aviation centre for central Europe. . At Buckingham Palace Afternoon Party AMONGST those present at the Afternoon Party given by their Majesties the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace, on Thursday, March 10, were Wing-Commander the Hon. J. D. and Mrs. Boyle, Air-Commodore F. C. and Mrs. Halahan, Air-Commodore C. L. and Mrs. Lambe, Group- Captain A. M. and Mrs. Longmore, and Group-Captain A. J. L. Scott. Canada Specifies I.A.C. Pilots Only ACCORDING to a Washington message, the Canadian Air Board has decided that from May 1 no United States military, naval, or civilian aeroplane will be permitted to fly over Dominion territory, pending the organisation of a United States body with authority to issue certificates in accordance with the International Air Convention. The Bolshies Lose a 'Plane ON March 12, when attacks on Kronstadt by armoured cars over the ice were repulsed and one car sunk, a Bolshevist aeroplane operating at the same time was shot down by the Kronstadt guns. An Italian Military Crash FROM Milan it is reported that on March 8 two officers and two soldiers lost their lives in a military aviation accident near Campoformio, being burnt to death. They were taking a large new Caproni machine from Campoformio, in Venetia Giulia, to Gallarate, a distance of some 200 miles. This new machine carried 1,000 litres of benzine, and was driven by three engines. It was piloted by Lieut. Giovanni Ven- turello, of Turin, who was accompanied by Lieut. Anselmo Cortesina, also of Turin, and two mechanics. A preliminary trial seemed to show that the machine was in perfect order. Shortly after starting, when at a height of about 500 ft., the machine was seen to swerve to one side, as if one wing were giving way, and then it suddenly came down rapidly, crashing to the ground. The benzine caught fire, and all four occupants, who were probably first stunned and injured by the fall, were enveloped in flames and burnt, and it was impossible io approach the burning debris for some time.
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