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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0050.PDF
JANUARY 26, 1922 In addition to these two most important advantages of the Italian type over the Zeppelin type, may be mentioned the following :— 1. Rapidity and certainty in designing. 2. Rapidity of construction and utilisation of materials of current use and constant characteristics. 3. Great rapidity and simplicity of mounting. 4. Possibility of quickly dissembling the airship for storage or transport. A Zeppelin cannot be taken apart. 5. Possibility in the future of assembling the airship out in the open. In fact, the assembling of the longitudinal keel, complete with all its accessories, comprising the stiffening of the bow, the power plant, rudders, etc., can be done without inconvenience in the open air, if protected from the.weather by a temporary covering of limited dimen sions. When the rigid keel is assembled, we can, given favourable weather conditions, proceed immediately with the inflation of the envelope, and to its connection to the backbone. After this, the airship may be ready in a few days, if not to fly, at least to be moored, so that the final adjustments may be made without danger. 6. Great facilities of inspection and repairing of single H H " R.38 " Disaster Inquiries Now the Admiralty have had their say in regard to this great calamity, it should be of more than ordinary interest to receive the report on the subject of the Aeronautical Research Committee, who have been making careful inves tigation into the disaster and its cause. Morocco Air Post Charges Reduced THE Postmaster-General announces that the special air mail fee which is payable in addition to the ordinary foreign postage rate on packets posted in this country for Morocco and directed to be forwarded by the French Air Mail Service from Toulouse to Casablanca is now reduced. The new rates will be as follows :— 3d. up to £ oz. ; 6d. up to 3^ oz. ; 3d. for each additional 3i oz. Postal packets by the Toulouse-Casablanca Air Mail service will also in future be subject only to the same con ditions regarding maximum weight and dimensions as those forwarded all the way by the ordinary route. Packets may be posted up to 6.30 a.m. (printed papers 6 a.m.) at the General Post Office, London, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, to connect with the air mails for Morocco which leave Toulouse on Tuesday, Wednes day, Friday and Sunday respectively. The mails are due to reach Casablanca on the following day in each instance. The public, both in London and the provinces, are advised to send their postal packets by the air route on any day of the week, as in the normal course transmission will be greatly accelerated. Flying the Desert A VERY human story of flying the Desert en route from Cairo to Baghdad appeared recently in The Times from a Special Correspondent. The methods employed from start to finish are detailed and the flight over the Desert itself is well described as follows :— " The flight from Amman onwards is across the Arabian Desert to Ramadi, a distance of about 600 miles. Except H H metallic parts. This considerable advantage arises im mediately from the fact that the rigid part occupies only a small space, and also that the various parts are articu lated together, so that a damaged part can easily be changed. 7. Lower cost of construction and assembling. This advantage, however, must be set off against the cost of operation. As a matter of fact, in the Italian type, when from any cause the gas bag becomes inefficient, it must be entirely renewed. It is certain that to change one of the gas compartments of the Zeppelin is a much less costly operation, but, on the other hand, when we consider that the maintenance cost of the rigid portions is much less in the Italian type, we come to the conclusion that, on the whole, the upkeep of a Zeppelin is more costly than the upkeep of an Italian semi-rigid. In summing-up all the advantages of an Italian semi rigid over a Zeppelin, we must, however, admit that in one point the latter is superior, i.e., in the coefficient of head resistance. Bu| we are convinced that this inferiority will soon b« eliminated by successive improvements in the Italian semi-rigid type airships. • H here and there, there are few physical features which would be of much assistance to a pilot in finding his way ; and although it would be possible to fly on a compass course until the River Euphrates was reached, it would be very difficult to find where a machine would land on account of engine trouble. In order to overcome these difficulties, a track has been made by a number of motor lorries following each other across the desert. " The desert is not pure sand, but sufficiently loamy to adhere when squeezed in the hand, and camel scrub and other vegetation spring up after the rains, which come between November and April. The general level varies from about 1,500 to 3,000 ft. above sea level, with considerable local undulations, watercourses, mud flats and rock outcrops, so that the car track is by no means a straight one, but winds about, choosing the easiest path. Large arrows have been made in the soil to indicate to the airman a coming change of direction. Twenty suitable areas for a landing have been marked with large circles in the course of the 600 miles. Some of these landing-grounds are of a gravelly nature and some are mud flats. The track does not get covered up, as it probably would in sand, and although it is difficult to pick up in places, it is, generally speaking, fairly easy to follow, and, so far, does not seem to be affected much by the limited amount of rain which falls in these parts. " Due to certain misadventures, the party was^ three days on the journey, although the time in the air was only 10 hours, and in the summer there is no difficulty in going from Cairo to Baghdad in the day. To reach Baghdad, except by air, would entail going to Port Said, catching a steamer to Basra on the Persian Gulf, by way of Bombay and Karachi, and from there by train—a journey of about 30 hours—to Baghdad. This route would probably take a month, and this short description of the new air mail route to Baghdad is an illustration of the great saving of time in the new method of travel. An additional advantage is the feeling of freshness on landing as compared with the effects of a railway journey of similar length, an important matter to business men." E H ROYAL AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS : For a considerable time the King of the Belgians has done a great deal to encourage aviation by using his aeroplane for travelling. Now the Queen of Belgium is preparing to do the same by accepting from the Aircraft Disposal Co., Ltd., a " Bristol Fighter," similar to that used so extensively by the King. Our photographs show the two machines, the one on the left being that presented to the Queen. It is finished in aluminium throughout, which makes it look very light and graceful. The .machine was flown from Croydon to King Albert's private aerodrome at Brussels by Capt. Muir, and Col. Darby, General Manager of the A.D.C., made the trip as passenger in order to make formal presentation to Her Majesty. 50 I
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