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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0471.PDF
JULY 23, 1925 WIRELESS AND FORMATION FLYING u ?f- f wide"sPread interest aroused bv the " Aerialby Wireless " demonstration, which formed one of the principal events at the last Royal Air Force Display atHendon, we think the following notes concerning this subject which we have received from the Marconi Co. will be appre-ciated by many of our readers. Although the demonstration referred to above was thefirst of its kind to be performed in public, work of this nature has been m the process of development on the part of theR.A.F. for some considerable time past, but we think we are correct in stating that it is only of comparatively recent datethat it has reached a really practical stage. The problem of the application of wireless to fighting aero-planes, in which the compactnes of apparatus is of vital importance, has also engaged the attention of the MarconiCompany for some time past, and that company has now developed apparatus—the Marconi A.D.5 set using a fixed when flying. The set is particularly suitable for use in single-seater and two-seater fighting machines for the purpose of communicating with other machines or for communicatingwith ground stations. The single-seater scout or fighting machine can be con-sidered as the first line of defence in aerial warfare. It patrols either alone or in formation with other machinesthe higher regions of hostile " territory," chiefly on " offensive " patrol work to destroy, and keep the air as far as possibleclear of hostile aircraft. This enables the larger type of aircraft flying in the lower regions to carry out its work withas little interference as possible. As the machines usually fly in formation, owing to thefact that in aerial warfare there is safety in numbers, each machine cannot act individually, otherwise the value of theformation is destroyed. Therefore, there is always a " leader," and other machines must follow and obey him. m ® a m a H H m H 13 13 M m a m H H H H 01 H Wireless andFormation Fly- ing : The Mar-coni wireless receiving andtransmitting set referred to inthe accompany- ing article. Onthe left is the short-wave re-ceiver, type A.D.5, and on the rightis the short-wave transmitter(A.D.5) ; a fixed aerial is usedwith this ap- paratus, and notthe usual trailing aerial EHEBHElHa aerial, which meets the requirements of this class of aero-plane. No trailing aerial is required, the whole of the aerial system being permanently attached to, and insulated from,the wings and fuselage of the aeroplane. The aeroplane's power of manoeuvring is thus in no way impaired. In spiteof the very limited proportions of such an aerial, a high degree of efficiency in radiation is maintained by the use ofshort wavelengths, which have the further advantage of freedom of interference from and with other aircraft andground sets. In this set the transmitter and receiver are not combined in one case, but are each mounted as separateunits. This feature has the advantage of enabling the transmitter or receiver to be installed by themselves ifdesired. The apparatus is extremely compact, and remote control arrangements enable the apparatus to be mountedin any odd corner of the machine without interfering with the ability of the pilot to operate and adjust the apparatus If a formation is flying over hostile territory under a leader,and the leader suddenly observes a formation of hostile machines, he must convey to his formation, somehow orother, what he intends to do. The old method of accomplish- ing this by firing a pre-arranged signal with coloured lightsis well known, but the enemy can soon learn what these various signals mean, and are at once on the alert andmanoeuvre for the best fighting position. Moreover, the limited variety of signals which can be sent in this way makesthis system of communication crude and inflexible. Thus wireless telephony communication lends itself at once toperfect liaison between the units of a squadron, owing to its quickness of operation and intelligibility without a knowledgeof the Morse code. The accompanying illustration shows one of the A.D.5sets manufactured by Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd., of Marconi House, Strand, W.C.2. Aviation at Long Island (U.S.A.) MITCHELL FIELD AVIATION authorities, Long Island,issued figures on July 9, which go to show that since June 7, 1923, there have been 31,363 flights from the aerodrome,covering 18,277 hours' flying time, calculated at an average speed of 100 m.p.h. Pilots of the Army Reserves and theNational Guard have not, during this period, been involved in a fatal accident. Three fatal accidents did occur ; the firstwhen an aeroplane carrying an officer as passenger, side-slipped and crashed, the second when a mechanic fell from an airshiplanding rope, and the third when a sergeant was killed by a broken propeller in an aeroplane crash. Pinedo Off Again THE Marchese de Pinedo, the Italian Air Chief, who recently made a magnificent flight from Rome to Melbourne in a Savoia S.16tcr flying boat (400 h.p. Lorraine Dietrich), has resumed his aerial tour, en route for Japan. On July 14 he started from Melbourne, but shortly after was compelled to return. Continuing at 9 a.m. on July 16 he arrived at Sydney at 4 p.m. He left Sydney on the 20th, but once again minor engine trouble brought him back. The History of Rigid AirshipsTHE July 14 issue of Zeitschrift fur Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt commonly known as the " Z.F.M.,"contains an article by Dr. Ing. Roeser, with a supplement by Dr. Ing. Miiller, dealing with the development of rigidairships. The article is illustrated by 24 photographs and silhouettes of Zeppelin and Schutte-Lanz airships, and alsocontains tables of particulars, such as dimensions, capacity and useful load, of the entire series of German rigid airships.In view of the revived interest in airships this issue of the " Z.F.M." is well worth obtaining. It is published by R. Olden-bourg's Verlag of Munich. Mid-air Collision Two machines from the Chalon-sur-Saone School ofAviation collided when flying at a height of a few hundred feet near the school on July 17, and crashed to the ground.Both pilots and an instructor were killed. \ 471
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