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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0708.PDF
its fuel (as consumed during normal running in a machine) for a certain stated period, such as three hours, to some definite figure, and then leave it entirely to the designers of engines and machines to do the best they can under those conditions. * * * THE question monoplane versus biplane cannot be said to be any nearer a solution, and it seems likely that in the future there will be room for both types. The biplane would appear NOVEMBER 6, 1924 prove at least as effective a safeguard as any system of A.I.D. inspection. For instance, what we have in mind is that sci long as the Air Ministry holds up its hands in horror at some form of construction which is not " approved," so long will the price of light 'planes remain high. A case in point is the Fokker welded steel tube fuselage. We do not suggest that this is necessarily a good form of construction for light 'planes. Quite possibH- it is not. In the larger machines, however, it is probably the cheapest form of fuselage con- THE DORMOY BATH TUB " AT DAYTON : This parasol monoplane, with short nacelle and open tail booms, is fitted with a four-cylinder Henderson engine. to score on the point of lightness, and the monoplane on robustness, and probably to some small extent on cheapness. This brings us to the question of price. As Col. Tizard pointed out, we have certainly not yet obtained the cheap aeroplane, but on the other hand it is probably wiser to strive for the efficient and effective machine and engine first, and then, having found them, to see what we can do in the matter of price reduction. Sir Henry White-Smith's very sound suggestion that the Air Ministry make it a condition in any struction ever employed, and in actual practical flying it has proved itself quite satisfactory. Yet it would never be tolerated in this country. If some British designer succeeds in devising a form of construction equally " unorthodox," and which practical destruction tests prove to be sufficiently strong, will the Air Ministry sanction it ? Frankly, we dovibt it. * * # QUITE recently a very fine flight was made in Germany on THE MUMMERT LOW-WING MONOPLANE : This machine won one of the events at Dayton. very wide wheel-track. The engine is a Harley-Davidson. Note the future competitions that machines ordered in batches are to be sold for a certain predetermined price should help. * * * INCIDENTALLY, the whole problem of price reduction is intimately connected with the Air Ministry's attitude in the matter of airworthiness certificates, etc. If the Ministry takes a reasonable view it should be possible to build these machines in quantities at a very reasonable figure. On the other hand, if A.I.D. inspection of every bolt and nut is insisted upon, the price will necessarily remain high. As we have stated, until our readers must be thoroughly " fed up " with reading it, British aircraft constructors may be relied upon not to turn out any machine that is at all likely to be structurally weak. Their reputation is at stake, and should a light monoplane fitted with a British engine. The machine in question was the Darmstadt " BAG El," and the engine a Blackburne " Tomtit," mounted inverted in the manner invented by Mr. Shackleton for last year's A.N.EG. mono plane. The machine is fairly well shown in our photographs this week. One of these shows the complete machine, while the other is a close-up of the nose, undercarriage, etc. Leaving Darmstadt the " BAG E. 1 " headed towards Berlin, which was reached 3£ hours later. The distance is approxi mately 500 km. (310 miles), so that the speed works out at 88 J m.p.h., which is distinctly good. It may be taken for granted that a following wind helped materially. The pilot was Herr Botsch, famous for his flights on the Darmstadt " Consul " glider. 708
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