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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0294.PDF
MAY 22, 1924 Those wishing to get in touch with others interested in matters relating to gliding and the construction of gliders are invited to write to the Editor of FLIGHT, who will be pleased to publish such communications on this page, in order to bring together those who would like to co-operate, either in forming gliding clubs or in private collaboration. UNDER the Official Notices of the Royal Aero Club on p. 292 of this week's issue of FLIGHT will be found the announcement that it has been decided to hold a handicap race for light 'planes at Lympne on August Bank Holiday, in connection with the Aerial Derby, which is being held there on that day. It will be noted that the engine capacity has been limited to 1,100 ex., so that although nothing but real light 'planes is admitted, the new two-seaters for this year's competitions will be eligible if any of them be ready in time. * * * As several of the machines being built for the Air Ministry tests at Lympne in September are now well on the way, it may be assumed that quite a goodly number will be ready in time to make their first public appearance at the August Bank Holiday meeting, a little more than a month before the main competition. Thus the public visiting Lympne for the Aerial Derby will have an opportunity of seeing some of the latest light 'planes compete in a handicap race. The fact that the race is to be a handicap will, of course, mean that last year's single-seaters with less than 750 c.c. engines are qualified for taking part, and it is to be hoped that many of -these will be. resurrected for the occasion, as the public has had relatively small chance of watching their performance. Incidentally, it should be interesting to note the difference- in performance between the single-seaters with 750 c.c. engines and this year's two-seaters with 1,100 c.c. engines. Probably there will not be a great deal to choose, in point of speed, between the two types. * * * LAST week we mentioned that it was rumoured that the Air Ministry was about to relax the rules relating to ground engineers' examination of privately-owned aeroplanes not carrying passengers for hire. So far there has been no official statement made on the subject, but it is believed that, for once, rumour is not lying, and that a decision may soon be expected. We have already urged this course so often and so persistently that there is little need to go through the whole argument again. We have, however, received from a corre spondent the following letter : " Anyone may drive a ram shackle road vehicle through a town, which is of far greater danger to the public than flying a similar aeroplane over open country, If the steering of a car fails there is every chance of someone being damaged, while the driver remains unhurt; if the aeroplane controls fail ther^ is every chance of the pilot being killed, and very7 little chance of anyone else being hurt. " Taking an average over the United Kingdom and a machine crashing on to an area of 20 square yards, 500 amateurs would be killed to every one of the public ; if flying over towns of any size were prohibited, the ratio would be, say, 1,000 to 1. Assuming that 100 reckless amateurs were killed off before the others became more careful, it would mean the sacrifice of one-tenth of a life of one of the public. Now aviation stands to gain new ideas from these same amateurs (reckless or otherwise) ; is it therefore wise to suppress the amateur for the sake of one-tenth of a life and a few shillingsworth of property (for a ploughed field is not easily damaged) ? " The cases of the road vehicle and aeroplane are not, of course, comparable on quite the same basis, but then the incentive to being careful is much greater in the air. There certainly seems to be a strong case for prohibiting flying over towns. Much of the flying would probably be in the vicinity of towns where the population is thicker and where the above figures would not apply ; yet the above, I think, indicates roughly the position." a E Aumont-Thieville Balloon Race. THE French long-distance balloon race for the Aumont- Thieville Cup, in which 11 competitors started from St. -Cloud on May 17, was won by the Belgian aeronaut, Demuyter. He landed at Ely, having thus covered a distance of 407 km. »(254 miles) in 21 hours. One of the French balloons was OUR correspondent's letter refers particularly to the second paragraph in last week's Light 'PJane and Glider Notes, in which we said : " Naturally we do not suggest that any amateur should be given a free hand to build a machine out of any sort of junk he could pick up, and then go flying across country to the risk of everything and everybody below, but responsible firms could, we strongly maintain be given quite a free hand." * * * WE are inclined to agree with our correspondent that the risk to property, or third partv risks, are probably not very great. Nevertheless, it is undesirable to let people fly quite indiscriminately, as accidents are then bound to occur which, even if involving nobody but the occupants of the machine, will inevitably do harm to the cause. Every serious aeroplane accident, whether to service, commercial or private machines, is made the most of by the sensational press, and the public cannot be expected to differentiate between the different types. The amateur experimenter can do pretty well as he likes within three miles of an aerodrome, and it should be possible, with the aid of a little goodwill on all sides, to make arrangements for privatelv-built machines to be inspected when the time comes for the constructor to want to use it for cross-country work. We are as anxious as anybody to see the hampering restrictions removed, but we are even more anxious to guard the good name of flying against such distrust, or even hostility, as would be created bv a series of accident- to amateur-built machines. The whole question of amateur construction was fully dealt with in our issue of November 22, 1923, and after consulting all the firms which have built light 'planes as to the feasibility of building light 'planes from parts supplied by professional constructors, the opinion was unanimous that such procedure was not advisable, mainly on account of the impossibility of proper supervision during construction. If that was the case with machines which it was suggested should be built from standard parts made by experienced designers and constructors, how much more would it apply to machines built of inferior materials put into designs often of doubtful aerodynamic properties ? * * * WITH reference to the light 'plane competition to be held at Lympne in September, under the competition rules of the Royal Aero Club, there seems to be good reason to expect a very representative entries list. At the moment of writing it is not, of course, possible to state definitely the number of firms who will be entering machines, but some of the machines are already well under way. Thus, the A.N.E.C. monoplane designed by Mr. Shackleton before he transferred his activities to Beardmores is well advanced, while it is known that Mr. Shackleton has designed another machine for his new firm. With Captain Barnwell back it is scarcely to be doubted that at least one " Bristol " light 'plane will be forthcoming, and last year's success at Lympne should encourage the English Electric Company to let Mr. Manning produce at least one machine for this year's trials. The de Havilland 53 will certainly have a two-seater " brother." * * * ALTHOUGH very busy in other directions, it is hoped that Mr. Folland will be able to find time to produce a two-seater this year. His engine of last year never gave the Gloucestershire " Gannet " a chance to show what she could do. As speed range is the feature aimed at, it would seem highly probable that Mr. Handley Page will come forward with a slotted wing machine. The excellent results obtained last year with the Parnall " Pixie " should ensure that Mr. Bolas has a machine or two at Lympne in September, and it is believed that Short Brothers will have a machine of unusual construction in the competitions. It also seems more than likely that Mr. Rex Pierson will be producing a two-seater successor to the Vickers " Viget," so that altogether the week at Lympne in September should be an interesting one, especially as probably several other aircraft firms will decide to build machines for the competitions. H H caught in a storm and nearly came down in the Solent. M Boitard, one of the occupants, jumped into the sea, in order to lighten the balloon, and attempted to swim ashore. He was rescued by a coastguard's boat and taken to Milford Hospital- The balloon, containing the pilot, M. Denis, rose again and eventually landed at Houghton. 294
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