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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0404.PDF
JULY 13, 1922 TITANINE ACTIVITIES DURING the period of lethargy through which the aircraft industry has been passing, it is interesting and pleasurable to be able to record that Messrs. Titanine, Ltd., have con tinued to actively engage themselves in experiments in connection with dopes and finishing materials. This firm has always " stuck to its guns " on the question of the durability of " Titanine "—the well-known nitro dope manufactured by their special patented formula?—as against the usual cellulose acetate dope, and from the commencement of the dope industry being an industry have emphasised the necessity of proper protective coverings. They have also urged the careful study of two important dope problems, i.e., the elimination of ingredients injurious to the workers' health and the effective resistance of the coverings to danger from fire. It is gratifying to note that Air Ministry specifi cations now embody clauses providing for these points. Messrs. Titanine not being in business entirely for their health's sake, have been compelled to manufacture dopes on the actyl-cellulose basis, and have received a good share of what business has been done in this direction. They never theless recommend all their customers to employ the standard Titanine doping materials in preference to acetate whenever specifications, or the absence thereof, permit. A very good testimony to the Company's materials is their success with their " Racing Scheme," the famous " Bamel " or "Mars I," the holder of the British speed record, being coated with the "Titanine Racing Scheme" prior to its greatly increased speed. Also, as regards dura bility, an Avro machine owned by the Berkshire Aviation Co. which had been touring Great Britain for over a year, had only been in a hangar on five occasions ; the rest of the time the machine had been anchored in fields where the whole of the flying surface had been exposed to the elements. During the winter of 1920 nothing was thought of scraping one to three inches of snow off the wings before commencing the day's flying. The machine in question carried 5,854 passengers, and flew, roughly, 19,000 miles. This is surely conclusive testimony to the excellence of " Titanine," with which this machine was doped. When the " Mars I" made a forced landing in France, Mr. Folland, the designer, wrote to Messrs. Titanine that :— " Owing to careless handling, and due to the local help putting their feet through the wings, it necessitated repairs over an area of the wings to approximately 6 to 8 sq. ft. As we had no facilities for doping we had to make the best of a bad job. The new piece of fabric was doped on the wing in a shed where the temperature was below freezing- point. As we had to make a hurried repair, three coats of dope were applied in less than ten hours. The new portion, when dry, was as tight as the original dope. The temperature and the putting on of the coats of dope in so short a time did not appear to affect the excellent tightening of the dope ; the result was perfectly good, and I think it speaks volumes for the quality of your dope." It is also interesting to note that the " Avro Baby " sea plane that was taken out with the Rowlett Quest Expedition had its flying surfaces coated with Titanine dope and protective covering. As to other activities, Messrs. Titanine's works are also now employed, we understand with considerable success, on other products not concerned with the aircraft trade. For instance, one of their latest departures is " Otello " paints, which have the novel feature of being oilless, leadless, very fast in drying, resist acid and electrolysis and may be applied even over bituminous paints without the latter penetrating. The last quality and that of being oilless must surely be unique. A paint on a somewhat similar basis is their " Lumilac " for wood and metal seaplane floats, hulls of flying boats, metal and ply-wood wings, etc. etc. This paint has the special and unique feature of being absolutely water proof. Also, it adheres to bright aluminium surfaces—an unusual feature in paints. We do not think that manufacturers or designers of aircraft quite realise that dope and fabric coverings play as important a part m the speed of aeroplanes as they do. The problem v! so/newllat analogous to the painting of ships' hulls, when by the use of certain paints or compositions it has been found £a v.an CXtra knot °r ^ can easily be obtained through giving the bottom a paint surface that reduces friction to a minimum. Messrs. Titanme have often expressed their readiness to assist designers or those interested, by research work on special dope coverings, to meet any particular requirement. We believe that they have a very efficient and highly trained techmca staff well competent to carry this out. THE LONDON AERO-MODELS ASSOCIATION (The Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers.) Ax the Committee Meeting held at Headquarters, 20,"Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly Circus, W. 1, on Thursday, the 6th inst., it was resolved that the title " The Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers " should be registered forthwith. On Saturday, the 8th inst., members who had entered for the Flight Golf Competition assembled on Wimbledon Common, but, unfortunately, the weather conditions were so bad that it was necessary to postpone the competition to Saturday, July 22, at the same time and place. It was very gratifying to see so many enthusiastic members turn up under such conditions. Meetings are held every Thursday at Headquarters, 20, Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly, W. 1, at 7.30 p.m. Report from Research Committee re Propeller Testing Apparatus The speed of the motor without propeller is found to be 2,700 r.p.m. A suggestion to gear the motor down in the ratio 2 to 1 is being carried out, and it is anticipated that a speed between 1,000 and 1,200 r.p.m. will be obtained with propellers from 8 to 12 ins. diameter. Further information on this point may be available next week. W. E. Evans, Hon. Sec. pro tern.), Research Committee. Hon. Sec, A. E. Jones, 48, Narcissus Road, West Hamp- stead, N.W. 6, to whom all enquiries and communications should be addressed. H H H Royal Air Force Memorial Fund A MEETING of the Executive Committee of the Fund was held on June 21. Grants to the amount of £453 12s. id. were approved. The matter of the War Memorial, now in course of erection on the Thames Embankment, was considered in detail. It was hoped that the monument would be ready for unveiling by November 11 (Armistice Day), but, owing to unlooked for delays, it is probable that the ceremony must be postponed till, at earliest, January next. The names of Air Vice-Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond and Group Captain E. R. Ludlow-Hewitt, both of whom have been nominated as members of the Executive Committee of the Fund, were added to the War Memorial Sub-Committee, which will deal with the details of the unveiling of the War Memorial. The name of Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Salmond, lately embarked for India and Mesopotamia, was added to the list of Vice-Presidents of the Fund. With regard to the Vanbrugh Castle School, the Acting- Chairman of the Sub-Committee, Mr. W. S. Field, referred to the fact of the erection of an emergency staircase in compliance with L.C.C. rules as regards fire escapes, and mentioned that half the cost of this structural alteration was being most generously borne by the donor of the house, Mr. Alexander Duckham. Mr. Field himself is generously contributing £50, and one or two other donations have been earmarked for this purpose. A balance remaining, of £100, has been sanctioned by the Executive Committee from the General Fund. 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 rates :— UNITED KINGDOM ABROAD* s. d. s. d. 3 Months, Post Free... 77 3 Months, Post Free... 8 3 6 „ „ ...15 26 „ „ ...16 6 12 „ „ ...30 4 " .» .. —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 Cheques and Post Office Orders should be made payable to the Proprietors of " FLIGHT," 36, Great Queen Street, Kingsway, W.C. 2, and crossed London County and Westminster Bank, otherwise no responsibility will be accepted. Should any difficulty be experienced in procuring " FLIGHT " from local newsvendors, intending readers can obtain each issue direct from the Publishing Office, by forwarding remittance as above. 404 i
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