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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0597.PDF
Flight, September 8, 1921 1if /^AIRCRAFTi ENGINEER^ ' First Aero Weekly in the World Founder and Editor: STANLEY SPOONER A Journal dcrotei t* tK« UUresta, Praetiee, an* Progre»« of Aarial Locomotioa a*4 OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 663 (No. 36, Vol. XIII.) SEPTEMBER 8, 1921 rWeekly, Price 6d.L Post free, 7d. FligHt The Aircraft Engineer and Airships Editorial Offices: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C.2. Telegrams : Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828 Annnal Subscription Rates, Post Free United Kingdom .. 30s. +d. Abroad .. .. 33s. od.* These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under abnormalconditions and to increases in postage rates • Europeun subscriptions must be remitted in British currency CONTENTS Editorial Comment PAGK German Gliding Flight Trials 597 The Cross-Channel Air Mails 8 The Voyage of the "Quest" 598 International Laws of the Air .. .. .. .. .. .. 598 Crystal Palace from the Air 9 The London—Continental Services .. .. .. ., ., .. 600 Rhon Soaring Competition .. .. ; 601 Royal Air Force Intelligence 605 Armstrong-Siddeley "Sinaia" 5 Honouring the "R. 38 Dead" 606 London Terminal Aerodrome .. .. .. .. .. .. 607 International Mich^lin Cup .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 608 Royal Air Force 609 Honours 610 Trials. Club DIARY OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS Secretaries and others desirous of announcing the dates of important fixtures are invited to send particulars for Sept. Sept. Sept. Oct. Oct. Nov. Kfov. Nov. Nov. Deo. Dec. 4-11 17 .... 18 .... 1 .... 22-30 3 .... 12-27 15-26 17 .... 1 .... 15 ... 1922. Jan. Jan. 5 19 inclusion in the following list ; Brescia Races Royal Aero Club Race Meeting, Waddon Aerodrome, Croydon Gordon Bennett Balloon Race, Brussels Conpe Deutsch de la Menrthe Aeio Exhibition, Prague Lecture, "Manoeuvres of Getting Off and Landing," by Sq. Ldr. R. M. Hill, before R.Ae.S. Paris Aero Salon Internationa] Air Navigation Congress (Paris) Lecture, "Requirements and Difficulties of Air Transport," by Col. F. Searle, before R.Ae.S. Lecture, "Design of a Commercial Aero- plane," by Capt. G. de Havilland, before R.Ae.S. Lecture, "Development of the Fighting Aeroplane," by Capt. F. M. Green, before R.Ae.S. Lecture, "Specialised Aircraft," by Wing- Com. W. D. Beatty, before R.Ae.S. Lecture, "Aeroplane Installation," by Brig.- Gen. R. K. Bagnall-Wild, before R.Ae.S. EDITORIAL COMMENT EBARRED by the terms of the Peace Treaty from conducting experiments with full-powered aircraft, the Ger- mans, determined not to be left behind in research, have filled the temporary gap by conducting trials with gliders: A full review of the experiments and their results appears in another part of this issue of FLIGHT, and will be. found of absorbing interest to all who are concerned with the scientific research side of avia- German tion. Some of the results attainedhave been little short of marvellous - ^ we nad been told only a iew months ago that it was possible to remain nearly a quarter of an hour in the air on a machine sans motor or any other form of propulsion, we should, to say the least, have been mildly sceptical. Yet this is actually what has been achieved. Just how far these experiments in gliding flight are likely to carry us it is impossible to say, and might be unwise to attempt to prophesy, but there is no doubt they carry us some little way along the road to the solution of the problem of soaring flight. It may well be that this is one of the problems of flight which will never be solved satisfactorily, if only because of the impos- sibility of finding a mechanical substitute for the instinctive methods of birds in soaring. On the other hand, it does not seem to be out of the practical question to look forward to experiment actually approximating a solution of this most difficult problem of dynamic flight. As a matter of fact, the German experiments have already accomplished a good deal in this direction. They have proved that it is possible, by taking advantage of gusts and varying wind currents, to remain far longer in the air, on a motorless machine, than did the first aeroplane to fly. In fact, it was some considerable time after the first actual flight before an aeroplane actually flew for the space of a quarter of an hour. He would be a bold prophet, therefore, who would venture to lay down definitely and dogmatically that the time will never come when man will be able to imitate the flight of the birds and remain in the air for hours on end without the necessity to use any other power than that supplied by the movement of the upper air itself.
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