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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0475.PDF
AUGUST 17, 1922 THE ROYAL London Gazette,- August 8, 1922 General Duties Branch Wing Comdr. C. R. S. Bradley, O.B.E., is restored to full pay from half-pay • July 28. Wing Comdr. G. P. Grenfell, D.S.O., is placed on half-pay, Scale A : Aug. 1. Flying Offr. J. H. Huxley, D.F.C., is transferred to the Reserve, Class A ; Aug. 4. Flying Offr. S. Hobbs is placed on the Retired List; Aug. 1. Fit. Lt. R. S. Smith relinquishes his short service commn. on account Of ill-health contracted in the Service, and is granted the rank of Major • Aug. 10. AIK FORCE Stores Branch Flying Offr. N. Dainty is granted a permanent commn., with effect from Sept. 12, 1919, retaining his present substantive rank and seniority, and is transferred to the Stores Branch with effect from June 17, 1920. Gazette Sept. 12, 1919, appointing him to a short service commn. is cancelled. Memoranda. Hon. Sec. Lt. E. R. Bauchop relinquishes his honorary commn. on joining the Army ; June 5. The permission granted to Lt. W. R. Northridge to retain his rank is withdrawn on his joining the Army. ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE The following appointments in the Royal Air Force are notified :— Flight Lieutenants.—E. F. Turner, from R.A.F. Dep6t (Inland Area) to R.A.F. Base, Leucbars (Coastal Area. 13.7-22. The previous notification wherein this officer was posted from R.A.F. DepOt to No. 10 Group Head quarters is cancelled. R. F. Durrant, A.F.C. The previous notification wherein this officer was posted from No. 10 Group Headquarters to School of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation is cancelled. A. Durston, A.F.C., from Seaplane Repair Base (Mediterranean) to Headquarters, R.A.F. Medi terranean. (Supernumerary.) 1.6.22. T. H. K. Maclaughlin, from No. 2 Squadron, No. 12 Wing (Ireland) to R.A.F. Depot (Inland Area). (Super numerary.) 5.7.22. G. W. Allen, from R.A.F. Depdt (Inland Area) to Marine and Armament Experimental Establishment (Coastal Area). 25.7.22. A. E. Jenkins, from R.A.F. Depot (Inland Area) to No. 1 Flying Training School (Inland Area). 12.7.22. C. F. Pitt, from Armament and Gunnery School (Inland Area) to No. 39 Squadron (Inland Area). 28.7.22. J. C. Osburne, M.B., from Research Laboratory and Medical Officers' School of Instruction (Coastal Area) to No. 1 School of Technical Training (Boys) (Halton). 24.7.22. P. J. Barnett, M.C., from No. 47 Squadron (Middle East) to R.A.F. Depot (Inland Area). (Supernumerary.) 5.7.22. A. E. Barr- Sim, M.B., from Headquarters, R.A.F., India (India), to Aircraft Park (India). 14.5.22. E. E. Isaac, M.C., from Research Laboratory and Medical Officers' School of Instruction (Coastal Area) to R.A.F. Depflt (Inland Area). 24.7.22. J. A. Perdrau, M.D., from No. 1 School of Technical Training (Boys) (Halton) to R.A.F. Dep6t (Inland Area). 31.7.22. E. N. E. Waldron, from R.A.F. Base, Gosport (Coagtal Area) to Stores Depfit (Iraq). 18.7.22. N. Keeble, D.S.C., D.F.C., from School of Technical Training (Men) (Inland Area) to Boys' Wing (Cranwell). 25.7.22. F. W. Walker, D.S.C., A.F.C., from School, of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation (Coastal Area) to Seaplane Training School (Coastal Area.L. 15.8.22. C. H. B. Jenner-Parson, from Seaplane Training School (Coastal Area) to R.A.F. Base, Leuchars (No. 205 Squadron) (Coastal Area). 15.8.22. E. G. Hopcraft, D.S.C., from Seaplane Training School (Coastal Area) to R.A.F. Base, Leuchars (No. 205 Squadron) (Coastal Area). 15.8.22. J. W. B. Grigson, D.S.O., D.F.C., from R.A.F. Base, Leuchars (No 205 Squadron) (Coastal Area), to Seaplane Training School (Coastal Area). 15.8.22. G. H. Reid, D.F.C., to R.A.F. Dep6t (Inland Area). (Supernumerary). 16.7.22. Frederick Petch, M.B.E., from Headquarters, R.A.F., Iraq, to R.A.F. Dep6t (Inland Area). (Supernumerary.) 11.6.22 H. A. Tillman, M.D., to Research Laboratory and Medical Officers' School of Instruction (Coastal Area) on appointment to Temporary Commission. 18.7.22. J. H. W. Fitzgerald, from Central Flying School (Inland Area) to No. n Wing Headquarters (Inland Area) 1.8.22. A. N. Benge, from R.A.F. Depot to No. 5 Flying Training School (Inland Area). 1.8.22. C. L. P. Mullany, from No. 1 Armoured Car Company (Middle East) to Egyptian Group Headquarters (Middle East). (Supernumerary.). 4.5.22. J H. Simpson, from Palestine Wing Headquarters (Middle East) to Headquarters (Iraq). 28.6.22. E. E. Isaac, M.C., from R.A.F. Depot (Inland Area) to M.T. Repair Dep6t (Inland Area). 25.7.22. G. H. H. Maxwell, M.B., from No. 39 Squadron (Inland Area) to R.A.F. Depot (Inland Area). (Supernumerary.) 1.8.22. J. Wren, from Headquarters Middle East Area to Aircraft Dep6t(Middle East). 28.4.22. H m H H WRITING IN THE SKY Something more than THERE can be few readers of FLIGHT—at any rate, among those who live in London—who have not seen and admired the ingenuity of the new " sky-writing," by which a trail of smoke, emitted from an aeroplane, is made to trace some name, word or phrase in the sky, where, under favourable atmospheric conditions, the smoke remains in shape for several minutes, clearly visible to the thousands who watch it from the crowded streets below. The first word to be written in this way was " Castrol," the name of the famous lubricating oil which is used almost exclusively in aero engines and in numberless other petrol motors. The most recent occasion on which this word appeared in the sky was on August Bank Holiday, just as Gen. Brancker was presenting the Cups for t:he Aerial Derby at Waddon. It would have been of interest to describe in detail the apparatus by means of which the smoke is produced, but Maj. J. C. Savage, the inventor of the apparatus, has requested us to refrain from giving details, as certain Patent questions still remain to be settled in foreign countries where the invention is being covered. Suffice it to state that the smoke-producing apparatus depends for its action upon chemical reaction. The resulting smoke trail is allowed to escape from the rear portion of the fuselage of the machine, and the apparatus is so designed that it causes no danger from fire. In its present form the apparatus is the outcome of several years of experimentation and the expenditure of large sums of money on perfecting the details. The invention has now reached a stage where not only is the smoke trail idense and clearly defined, but it is so constituted that it Jiangs for a considerable time before dissolving, unless a very strong wind is blowing at the time. 1 As the written words are within eyesight range from an area of some 100 square miles, the number of people who see it every time must be enormous, the "publicity value" being therefore of great moment. We frankly confess that if the new invention represented nothing more than an adver tising " stunt " we should not feel inclined to devote space to it in our columns, but if one studies it in greater detail it will be discovered that a number of interesting possibilities suggest themselves. Thus, to begin with, even regarding the invention purely as an advertising medium, there can be little doubt that, from its novelty and attractiveness, this form of bringing home to the public the advantages claimed for this or that commodity will rapidly become popular, thereby necessitating the employment of a number of pilots, who will thus be able not only to make a living, but will be keeping their flying hands at top efficiency. From a national point an Advertising Stunt of view this is of the greatest importance, and it may well be that in the next few years as many pilots will be employed on this work as are now engaged on the London-Continental air services. Not only so, but ground staffs, engineers, etc., will be given occupation, machines will be in use and engines will be required. Thus it may be expected that quite a little industry will spring up, which will give useful work to many, and which will, moreover, sustain public interest in and familiarise flying. The possibilities of Maj. Savage's invention do not, however, end there. One can easily conceive of the smoke trail being used for sending out code messages in Morse, and thus another form of signalling has been added to those already in existence for military and naval use. As a matter of fact, in the early part of this year Major Savage did a series of experiments for the Air Ministry on Morse signalling, hiding aircraft in flight, formation of coloured smokes, tracing the path of air craft in flight during such manoeuvres as looping, rolling, spinning, etc., and also in the use of tiny smoke filaments released around the aeroplane in order to show the actual behaviour of the air flow over its various parts. It therefore appears possible that these smoke trails may prove of the greatest value. For instance, small jets of the smoke, allowed to emerge in front of a flying aero plane and travelling back over its various parts, may, if observed or, better even, photographed and cinemato- graphed from another machine, teach us a very great deal about such things as downwash, slip-stream effect, eddies around projecting parts and so on. Already the smoke trails, used for the relatively minor purpose of adver tising, have indicated peculiar breaks in the trail during sharp curves, such as occur when the pilot is describing the letter O. Little hooks are always observed to form from the smoke ring, and these occur at such regular intervals and are of such uniform shape that they must be connected with vortices around the machine, probably around the wing tips. Thus quite a new field of investigation is opened up, and to our way of thinking the great value of the invention lies along lines such as these. Lateral control at laige angles of incidence might be usefully investigated in this way : the experiments should not be unduly difficult, nor should the cost involved be beyond the capacity of our research votes. Thus, while believing that the first regular application of the invention will be for advertising purposes, we are looking forward to the time when official support will be given to enable use to be made of Maj. Savage's brilliant idea in the interests of aerodynamical science. 475
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