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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0128.PDF
jcj" FEBRUARY 23, 1922 IN PARLIAMENT Imperial Airsbip Service SIR J. D. REES, on February 14, asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give the House any information regarding the proposed Imperial airship service in so far as it affects India ; and whether the Govern merit of India has taken or proposes to take any part in the suggested England, Egypt, India, and Australia service ? Mr. .Montagu : I have been informed by the Government of India that they regret that the present financial position precludes them from making any contribution to the establishment of the experimental Imperial airship service which has be:n proposed. Royal Air Force and the Stores Branch MR. RAPER, on February 14, asked the Secretary of State lor Air how many men are emploved in the accountant's section of the Stores Branch, Royal Air Force ; how many of this total quantity have been pilots and or observers ; how manv are non-service men ; and whether it would have been possible to have filled all vacancies in this section with ex-pilots and or ex-observers ? Captain Guest : It is assumed that the question refers to officers granted commissions in the Stores Branch of the Royal Air Force for accountant duties ; the men employed in this work are ordinary enlisted clerks of the Royal Air Force. On this assumption, the answer to the first question asked is 99 officers, to the second 10 officers, and to the third none. With regard to the last question, it was not considered desirable, in view of the need for obtaining officers with the best accountant experience in the interests of economy and efficiency, to restrict entry to ex-pilots and ex observers, to the exclusion of other candidates from the" three Services who possessed Un necessary qualifications. R.A.F. Aeroplanes and Engines MR. RAPER, on February 15, asked the Secretary of State for Air what types of aeroplanes and engines are at present in use in the Royal Air Force, and how many of these types were designed before or during 1918 ? Capt. Guest: As the answer is rather long I will, with my lion, friend's permission, circulate the information in the " Official Report." The following is the answer :— The following are the types of aeroplanes and engines at present in us.-in the Royal Air Force. With the exception of the " Vickers Vernon " " Vickers Ambulance," " Fairey 3.IJ, Seaplane," and " Westland Walrus " machines, all the above aeroplanes and engines were designed before or during 1918. . Aeroplanes.—AW0504.K, Snipe, Bristol Fighter, D.H.9.A. D.H.10, Yickers Vimy, Vickers Vernon, Vickers Ambulance, F.2.A Flying Boat, F.5 Flying Boat, Fairey 3.D Seaplane, Westland Walrus, Sopwith Cuckoo, Panther. Ships Camel, Nieuport Nighthawk, Sopwith Salamander. Engines.—B.R.II, B.R.I, Hispano-Suiza (Viper 1), Liberty, Mono, Napier Lion (II), Rolls Royce (Falcon 3), Rolls Royce (Eagle 8). Irish Free State Air Force COL. GRETTON, on February 16, asked the Prime Minister whether •under the terms of the Treaty the Irish Free State will be able to establish and maintain its own Air Force ? Mr. Churchill : Yes, Sir. I understand that the term " military defence force " in Article 10 of the Articles of Agreement includes an Air Force. Col. Gretton.: Has the Government had any recommendation made to them on this point ? Mr. Churchill : The naval and military clauses were carefully considered •with the experts of those various Departments, and the Ministers concerned in dealing with them are the Ministers usually associated with the work of the Committee of Imperial Defence. The same is true of the arrangement made about the Air Force. It was not considered of sufficient importance 10 insist upon any specific stipulation in that case, and I think very sensibly s®.. Mr. G. Terrell : Were these arrangements actually approved of by the technical authorities ? Mr. Churchill: It is not a fair thing to try and cite technical authorities, military or naval, as approving of matters which are wholly political and surrounded by controversy. Capt. W. Benn : Hear, hear ! Mr. Churchill : I am very pleased to have that approval from ar wholly unexpected and unsolicited quarter. R.A.F. Deserters LIEUT.-COM. KENWORTHY asked the Prime Minister whether men who were absentees or deserters from the Royal Flying Corps prior to the estab lishment of the Air Ministry are now liable to punishment; and, seeing that there is a conflict of opinion between the War Office and the Air Ministry as to the authority having jurisdiction and the action to be taken in such cases, if he is prepared to authorise a general amnesty ? Mr. Chamberlain : Deserters from the Royal Flying Corps prior to the establishment of the Air Ministry are still liable to punishment under the Army Act for their offence, and under the Air Force Act for their desertion from the Royal Air Force after the establishment of the Air Ministry. There is no conflict of opinion between the War Office and the Air Ministry as to the authority having jurisdiction and action in such cases. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative. m m % m SIDE-WINDS IT is w-orthy of note in connection with the statement from the Chinese Charge d Affaires, read by Lord Weir, at the Air Conference, commenting on the reliability of the Vickers machines employed on the air mail service in China, that Smith's Speed and Distance Recording instruments shared in demonstrating the reliability of British-made goods. AN interesting display of the E. R. Calthrop's Aerial Patents is on view until further notice at one of Messrs. Selfridge's showrooms. Photographs taken with a cinema camera serve to show very clearly every phase of a Guardian Angel Parachute descent. These, in conjunction with complete parachutes and components, form an excellent means of instructing the general public in matters " parachutic," whilst for the purpose of training the young idea, model parachutes are on sale at reasonable prices. " Exide's " New London Depot LAST week the Chloride Electrical Storage Co., Ltd., opened their new London showrooms and Service Station at 219-229 Shaftesbury Avenue, just off Oxford Street. There was a little house-warming function at which the guests were shown over the various departments, saw the large stocks of complete batteries and spare parts in the^stores, had the different types of batteries shown to them, and saw the way in which users of Exide batteries are rendered real and efficient service. " Exide Battery Service " was the text of a short address by Mr. D. P. Dunne, Director and Sales Manager, at the subsequent luncheon at the Holborn Restaurant. He said the new depot had been opened to promptly satisfy the requirements of customers in the South of England and in the Midlands who desire new batteries or require batteries repaired, and from there they could supply their service agents in that area with all the materials or parts they require. He said that a shop for the sale of storage batteries on these lines was a novelty. Its success was not problem atical ;. they knew that successful results were bound to follow upon battery ""service such as they could offer. Everybody is free to use the Exide service organisation, whatever make of battery he may use. There was no membership card or card of admission, and their prices were fixed so that anybody using an Exide service depot could get to know beforehand what the charges were, and they were the same from John o' Groat's to Land's End. Mr. Dunne concluded by referring to some of the successful work done by Exide batteries during the War on aeroplanes, airships, tractors, electric cars, armoured cars, submarines, etc., and also detailed some other uses such as lighting of farms, miners' lamps, etc., and said it was Exide with its special and completely non-spillable container which had obtained an award from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors. By way of a final word Mr. Dunne invited anyone seeking information regarding batteries to apply to the new depot at 219, Shaftesbury Avenue, or to Clifton Junction, or to any "Exide" station, and thus sample one side of "Exide" service. Further Tests with Aveline Stabiliser THE MESSAGERIES AERIENNES are continuing their experi ments with the Aveline stabiliser (a description of which appeared in FLIGHT of Feb. 3, 1921). The firm is, we under stand from Messrs. Auto Controls, Ltd., of 19, Regent Street, British Concessionaires of the apparatus, doing these tests free of charge, and the results obtained so far have been very encouraging. In a letter to the French Section Technique, the results are described, from which we quote the following : " On the 14th inst., new tests were made above Le Bourget ; several of the Company's pilots were on board. The sky was overcast. The Goliath flew through the fog and emerged into clear air at 1,500 metres altitude, effecting the climb without difficulty and without intervention from the pilot. At 1,500 metres several turns were made, both left-hand and right-hand. The engines were then throttled down and the machine descended to within 50 metres from the ground, without the intervention of the pilot. During the descent the engines were several times opened up and throttled down, the machine automatically climbing when the engines were opened out and gliding when they were throttled down. Three times during the flight the pilots were changed, the machine flying entirely without pilot during'these changes." The report further states that the Company is convinced that, in its present form, the stabiliser is capable of great services in traversing large banks of fog, and in taking off from aero dromes covered in fog. 128 FLIGHT , The Aircraft Engineer and Airships 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C. 2. Telegraphic address : Truditur, Westcent, London. Telephone : Gerrard 1828. SUBSCRIPTION RATES " FLIGHT " will be forwarded, post free, at the following rales :— UNITED KINGDOM ' ABROAD* s. d. s. d. 3 Months, Post Free... 773 Months, Post Free... 8 3 6 „ „ ...15 26,, „ ...16 6 12 » .. •••30 4 12 „ „ ...33 ° These rates are subject to any alteration found necessary under abnormal conditions and to increases in postage rates. • European subscriptions must be remitted in British currency
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