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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0078.PDF
FEBRUARY 12, 1925 before the machine went out again was not, taking into consideration all the circumstances, called for. The report also effectively disposes of the allegation that the machine was overloaded, and the Court of Inquiry finds that everything points to the engine having been in perfect order. The swelling in the petro-flex tubing observed after the accident is ascribed to the heat from the burning wreck, and the Court does not consider this can be accepted as a possible cause of failure in the petrol supply. It would thus appear that all the commercial interests concerned have been found in every instance to be without blame in the matter, as well as the personnel responsible for the maintenance of the machine. A considerable amount of space is devoted to the question of the suitability or otherwise of the Croydon aerodrome, and, on the whole, the report does not seem to be impressed by the qualities of the London air terminus. In fact, in the summary of conclu- sions, it is stated that " The aerodrome at Croydon is unsatisfactory. This was not the primary cause of the accident, and I do not say more than that it may have been a contributory cause." Personally, we have never regarded Croydon as anything but a very poor aerodrome, whether for air race meetings or commercial flying, and have expressed this opinion on more than one occasion, and we, therefore, can endorse the findings of the Court of Inquiry in this matter—at any rate, in a general way. On the other hand, it may be argued that if a machine is not capable of safely getting into and out of Croydon aerodrome it would have small chance of making a forced landing with safety while flying across country, and could scarcely be considered suitable for cross-country work. However bad Croydon may be, it is, presumably, a good deal better than the average field. By this we do not, of course, mean that a large terminal aerodrome could and should be as inferior as any convenient field in which an aeroplane may have to land. That would obviously be absurd, and we are in favour of all possible improve- ments at Croydon. In this connection we should like to place on record as our conviction that when the Beddington aerodrome is added the present sheds should be removed from what will then be the centre of the aerodrome, otherwise the improvements will be of very little value, as the aerodrome will then be very nearly as difficult as it now is. The only advantage of leaving the present sheds would be a saving in petrol used in taxying. The report recommends that the Air Ministry should consider whether a limit should be fixed for the stalling speed of aircraft carrying passengers. We have not the space here to go into what is an extremely complicated question, but would point out merely that stalling speed per .sv is no criterion of the safety of a machine in landing, and that numerous other factors have to be considered. Altogether, the official Inquiry does not appear to have taken us any farther, and all that is definitely- known is that the machine stalled at a low altitude and crashed nose-on. Thus the accident is one more of those unexplained happenings by which the history of flying has, unfortunately, been fairly frequently marred. In conclusion, we desire to make a brief reference to the Coroner's inquest at Croydon shortly after the accident, and resumed some time later. One thing that strikes a layman in connection with this inquest is what appeared to be the unjustifiable licence possessed by members of the legal fraternity to make with impunity the grossest insinuations without having to give the fullest proof by evidence upholding those insinuations. Surely it is time the wings were clipped of legal luminaries in regard to putting forward scandalous imputations when they are under no obligation to supply actual evidence to justify these suggestions. If they see fit thus to throw mud without any reasonable justification, thru the law should not protect them any more than it protects an Editor who may never have seen some published slander in his paper, for which he is, and in our view rightly so, held reponsible. [Royal Air Force Official: Criwii Copyright w.tned. VICKERS "VERNONS " AT BAGHDAD : Our photograph shows a squadron of twin-engined Vickers- Napier " Vernons " at Hinaidi Aerodrome, Baghdad. These machines are used as bombers and troop- carriers, and are also employed for transporting mails on the Royal Air Force Mail Route between Cairo and Baghdad. 78
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