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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0760.PDF
DECEMBER 21, 1922 Another very noticeable feature of this Pop?* n rity years Salon is the: increasing popularity Schoukowsky °f the Schoukowsky.type of aerofoil, or Aerofoil Gottingen section, as it is now usually called. This section is to be found not only on monoplanes of the cantilever type, but also on more than one biplane. Whether the latter application is wise is, perhaps, open to discussion, as it would appear to be difficult to save sufficient weight in the wing structure to make up for the relatively higher resistance of this section plus wing bracing. Theoretically a very light wing structure should result. •.-•-'••'• Going through the list of " com- ASS£S£ mercial" machines at the Show, it or Troop *s not possible to discover traces of any Carriers? tendency to attempt improvements in economy; 60, 70, or even 80 h.p. per passenger carried is still cheerfully expended, and one cannot help wondering whether France has lost faith in aviation as a commercial possibility, and all the so-called " commercial" machines are in reality camouflaged troop-carriers: if not the actual machines, then at any rate the general type which they represent. Otherwise one fails to under stand the continued production of machines which, excellent though they may be, regarded as aeroplanes, could never hope to pay their way without heavy Government subsidies. • • * Superchargers0ne field in which France is going ahead, probably ahead of the rest of the world, is in the matter of supercharged engines. The Rateau turbo-compressor no longer seems to be the laboratory experiment it used to be, and a number of machines are being fitted with super charged engines. So much is this the case that several machines at the Show are stated to be designed specially for high-altitude work. Combined with a variable pitch airscrew the supercharger allows of very considerable increases both in ceiling and in speed at great heights. M. Louis Breguet has visualised the possibility of realising what appears to us .now quite phantastic speeds, and their applica tion to commercial aircraft. While these may be regarded as dreams of future achievement, the application to military aircraft is a matter of immediate concern. One is tempted by this activity on the part of France to ask : What are we doing ? Has our Air Ministry sent out specifications for machines to be used habitually at altitudes at or above 30,000 ft. ? Are we allowing ourselves to be outdistanced in this particular sphere, and thus becoming inferior to any nation which likes to take the trouble of providing itself with a small fleet of machines capable of " sitting " about at a height which our machines cannot reach, excellent though they be at lower levels. We do not for one moment suggest, of course, that France is a menace to us. That would be unthinkable. But we do maintain that this country cannot, must not, lag behind in any single development which makes for superiority in the air. Do not let us forget that during the last war the pilot who could reach an altitude slightly greater than that of his adversary always had the whip hand. He could give battle when and where he chose to, and he could rest immune if he did not wish to fight. A hundred aeroplanes capable of reaching 40,000 ft. would be more than a match for ten times that number of machines whose ceiling was 30,000 ft. While the latter were staggering around near their ceiling, the former would be able to manoeuvre with a considerable reserve of power, and could out climb the others whenever they chose. Do not let us be lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that the supercharger is not yet all that it might be. It is gradually being improved, and it will not do for us to be outdistanced. In conclusion, we would like to thank the organisers of the French Aero Show, the Chambre Syndicale des Industries Aeronautiques (which corresponds to our S.B.A.C.) for granting us the necessary permits to enable us to compile a very full report on the exhibi tion, and for their unfailing courtesy in rendering every assistance in their power in order to facilitate our work. AT THE PARIS AERO SALON. FLIGHT Stand is at the Exhibit of M. Branger, where FLIGHT can be obtained, and where all communications, Editorial or Advertisement, can .be addressed. London Address : 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, THE PARIS SALON : General views, by night and by day. 76O
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