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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0501.PDF
AUGUST 7, 19S4 detected a pathological defect capable of causing a sudden accident. " 53D. Applications for official medical examination should be made to The Secretary (D.C.A.), Air Ministry, London, W.C. 2." (2) In paragraph 61 :— (i) The words " or renewal " are inserted after the word *' issue " in sub-paragraph (a). LIGHT 'PLANE AT 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. SUPPLEMENTARY Regulations III of the two-seater light aeroplane trials to be held, under the competition rules of the Royal Aero Club, from September 29 to October 4, at the Lympne (Kent) aerodrome, have now been issued, and were published in abridged form in FLIGHT last week under the Official Notices of the Royal Aero Club. The regulations do not modify to any extent those previously published (FLIGHT, March 6 and April 3 1924), but are rather to be regarded as an elaboration of the announcements already made. In the main the regulations are very clearly and conciselv worded, and the rules under which the com petitions are to be held will be fairly obvious from a perusal of the regulations published last week. * * * THE holding of eliminating tests on Saturday, September 27, and Sunday, September 28, i.e., before the opening of the actual competitions, has for its object to test the possibility of dismantling, transporting and re-erecting the machines within a period of two hours. This test is not likely to cause any difficulty on the part of competitors, and it might perhaps be justly claimed that if this section of the rules •errs at all it is on the side of leniency. It is a matter of some importance to be able quickly to dismantle a sporting aeroplane, and in Germany much greater stress appears to be laid on this feature than we have ever done in this •country. Quick-release attachments are not really difficult to arrange, and it would not appear to have been asking too much to demand that this test should be gone through within half an hour. * * * THE second test in the eliminating trials consists in flying two separate laps of the course, with ballast carried to represent the passenger. In these tests the pilot must occupy alternately the front and rear seat in order to demonstrate that the machine can be piloted from either, as it should be capable of in a dual-control school machine. Here again there is nothing very difficult, and the stipulation that machines must definitely have completed the two eliminating tests during the two days mentioned or else be disqualified should act as a very effective spur to competitors to be ready on time. Otherwise there is always a tendency for machines to come trickling along during the whole week, and'there is nothing to prevent a competitor from arriving late and, by strenuous flying during the last two days, win the prize. This year one will at least have the satisfaction that all serious competitors will be at Lympne by the week-end preceding the competitions. * * * TURNING now to the competitions themselves, these are mainlv for speed range, although marks are also to be gained in the getting-off and pulling-up tests. The scope for the gaining of marks in this section is, however, relatively unimportant compared with that in the speed-range tests. For the benefit of those who do not happen to have by them previous copies of FLIGHT containing rules, etc., it may be of interest to give a brief outline of the rules. The speed range test will consist of two separate sections—the high speed and the low-speed test. The former will be flown over a triangular course of approximately 12£ miles (20 kilo metres), and two separate flights must be made, a landing being made between them for the purpose of filling up with petrol and oil only. In each flight, as the total distance to be covered is 75 miles, competitors will make six laps of the triangular course, and will then land and fill up, after which 09B (ii) The following new sub-paragraph is added after sub paragraph (b) :— "(c) A candidate for the renewal of a licence will be required to produce proof of recent reasonable flying experience on the class of flying machines for which the renewal is required, or, failing such proof, to undergo practical tests." 2. These Directions may be cited as the Air Navigation Directions, 1924 (A.N.D. 3D). 3. These Directions shall come into operation forthwith. D GLIDER NOTES they will fly another six laps. Competitors will be allowed to make as many attempts as they wish, but the rules do not specifically state whether in" case a competitor has successfully completed one set of six laps but has to retire during the second set of six, he will be allowed to count the first and successful six as one flight and the first six of a second attempt as the second. Presumably, however, this will not be permitted, and if a competitor fails during his second flight he will probably have to make an entirelv fresh attempt. The completed laps will, of course, count in the reliability tests for greatest number of circuits completed. The actual course has not yet been announced, but it seems likely that this will be the same as that used in last year's competitions, with which many of the competing pilots will doubtless be almost painfully familiar. At anv rate Bert Hinkler has been over this course 80 times, and would probably be able to fly it blindfolded. * * * THE low-speed test is to be flown backward and forward over the aerodrome, the course being a straight fine one of not less than 500 yards in length and 25 yards wide. Competitors will be timed up and down the course, and the average speed of the four flights will be taken. The machines are to fly at a constant height of not more than 20 ft., and must enter the course within five minutes of their starting time. If a large number of machines is entered it would seem likely that the low-speed course is likely to be kept busy, especially as all competitors will naturally be anxious to go through the test whenever conditions are favourable. While the supplementary regulations state that competitors will be at liberty to make as many attempts in the high-speed test as they like, no such statement is made with regard to the low-speed test. It is stated, however, that the stewards will decide when competitors may go for low-speed tests, and that all competitors will be allowed the same number of attempts. Perhaps it will become necessary to decide the order of starting in this test by drawing lots] and, therefore, luck will play a not unimportant part, and it almost appears impossible to ensure that every competitor is given a fair chance. It is scarcely to be expected that an absolute calm will occur, of sufficient duration for all competitors to go through the low-speed test, and variations in wind velocity during the flights of the various competitors would be likely to influence the results to a considerable extent. The ideal would, of course, be a flat calm, but failing that the next best would seem to be a wind parallel to the course. This would not affect the results at all, as competitors are to be timed on both outward and homeward laps. A wind at right angles to the course would lower the speeds made good over the course, and would reduce the actual flying speed on both outward and homeward laps, thus giving a lower minimum speed than that of which the machine was actually capable. If one competitor had the benefit of this " right angle " wind and another had to fly his tests in a " parallel " wind, injustice would obviously be done to the latter. *" * * ON this question of flying the various tests in a wind, a correspondent has rather taken us to task over some remarks published in these notes in our issue of July 17. " I notice," our correspondent writes, " that you have assumed that the high-speed test is flown in a wind and the low-speed one in still air. You point out that a strong wind during low-speed test would ' tend to improve matters,' yet you convey the impression that the wind has a detrimental effect on the marks awarded." In our defence we must state that what we had in mind was a wind at right angles to the low-speed course, which would, as we have just pointed out, give a lower minimum figure, and thus result in a gain in marks. Certain other remarks in our correspondent's letter now no longer apply, the announcement having been made that the high speed course will be a triangular one.
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