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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0620.PDF
SEPTEMBER 24. 1925 ROYAL AIR FORCE FLYING TRAINING Part II, Applied Flying, 1922 ; Part III, Seaplane Flying By MAJOR F. A. DE V. ROBERTSON, V.D. Two manuals of flying training have just been made availablefor the public—Part II, which has been brought up to date in December, 1922, at a cost of 2s. 6d., and Part III, justpublished, at a cost of Is " Applied Flying, 1922," is a volume which certainlyshould be owned by every light aeroplane club in the country, and it would be advisable for every flying member of thoseclubs, and indeed for all pilots, service and private, to possess a copy. The chief value to civilian pilots and pupils is thefirst chapter, entitled " Air Pilotage," which deals in detail and in very clear language with maps and charts, magnetism,the compass, flying errors, instruments generally, practical air pilotage, pilotage by night, etc. However clear may bethe directions and lectures of the instructors, pupils will certainly find it advantageous to study this chapter privatelyand to commit most portions of it to memory. But, though Sir Philip Sassoon urged upon the Londonclub the desirability of " weaning the aerdplane from its war-like associations," still, it is certainly to be hoped thatin due course the R.A.F. Reserve, the Special Reserve, and the Auxiliary Force will owe a great deal of their strength tothese light aeroplane clubs. A determination to defend one's country and empire, and the training of oneself to doso with effect are not reprehensible, either as sentiment or as action. Every club member (at any rate, every male member)when he gets his ticket must inevitably put to himself the question, " Shall I join one of the citizen air forces ? " It isto be presumed that the Under-Secretary for Air cordially hopes that the answer will usually be " Yes." All such pilotswill certainly read with very real interest the chapters on formation flying, night flying, aerial fighting, and attack onairships and kite balloons. These chapters are worded in the rather stiff phraseology which one expects in trainingmanuals ; but, even so, they are stirring reading which makes the blood pulse faster and recalls thoughts of Ball andMannock and Guynemer. Not improbably, the mere reading of these chapters will decide many newly qualified pilotsto apply for commissions. One might go further, and predict that of the many thousands who enjoy the display at Hendonevery June, most would find a keener and more intelligent pleasure in the manoeuvres if they had read the chapters onformation flying and aerial fighting. Popular interest in aircraft is rapidly increasing, and any publication whichhelps to expound the mysteries to the thinking section of the public deserves to, and possibly will, find ready purchasers. " Seaplane Flying " is naturally a more specialised publica-tion than " Applied Flying." Seaplanes ought to be of general interest to an island people, but, as a matter of fact,the British public gets few chances of developing an interest in the subject. Two years ago the Schneider Cup wascontested at Cowes, and last year some seaplanes flew in the King's Cup. Apart from these events, only people who livenear the few seaplane stations have any chance of watching marine aircraft. It is a great pity, especially as there arefew prettier sights to be seen than seaplanes arising and alighting. It is also a pity that there is no annual compe-tition for seaplanes in the United Kingdom. " Seaplane Flying " makes it clear that aircraft of thistype are far more exacting than are landplanes, and call for wider and deeper study on the part of the pilots and mechanicswho have to deal with them. The pilot must be a seaman as well as an airman, and the most arduous part of his dutiesoccurs when his aircraft is not in the air. This manual gives general rules for taxying, taking off and alighting, butconfesses " it is, obviously, impossible to lay down rules for the handling of a seaplane in every conceivable combina-tion of wind and sea." For every one interested in flying the publication is very readable and ought to be read. Bristol-Engined " Goliaths "IT is probably not generally known that the Bristol " Jupiter " engine has been used with great success in theMoroccan campaign against the Riffs. Farman " Goliaths " have been engaged in bombing operations against the Riffcapital, and it may be mentioned that in one day no less than 10 tons of bombs were dropped by " Goliaths " fitted with" Jupiter " engines. In this connection it is of interest to note that the lightness and p_ower_o^f thg,".Jup_iters " enablethe machines to carry nearly 900 lbs. more load than when fitted with the water-cooled engines forming their usual powerplant. One " Jupiter "-engined " Goliath " put up the same performance as its prototype, although carrying 700 kgs. moreuseful load. Tokyo-London FlightTHE Japanese flight from Tokyo to London, organised by the Asahi newspaper and in which Maj. Abe andMr. Kawachi are piloting two Breguet biplanes, is now as good as completed. From Moscow—which was reached onAugust 25—they flew to Konigsberg on September 15. On September 17 they left for Berlin, but Mr. Kawachi met withengine trouble and had to return to Konigsberg. Maj. Abe, however, arrived safely in Berlin that afternoon, Mr. Kawachijoining him the next day. The Japanese airmen were invited to several functions, during which statements were made bycertain German air-line officials regarding the establishment, before long, of regular air routes to Japan via Berlin andMoscow. In the meanwhile great preparations are being made in Paris—which is probably the next point of call—for giving the Japanese airmen an enthusiastic welcome, for the flight is virtually in the nature of a return visit to thatmade by Pelletier d'Oisy last year. After being feted in Paris, they will visit London and Brussels, and then they willproceed to Lvons, Milan, Genoa, and, finally, Rome. The journey home will be made by sea. French Flights to PersiaON September 19 M. Nogues, one of the leading French pilots on the Paris-Constantinople air line, left Paris on aflight to Persia, via Angora, Mosul, Baghdad and Hamadan. The object of the flight, which is organised by the Departmentof Aeronautics, is to survey the route from Constantinople to Persia, with the ultimate object of extending the Frenchcommercial air service. Nogues is flying a commercial limousine machine as used for carrying passengers and goods.Four French military pilots are to follow Nogues along the same route, mainly to obtain comparative data regarding thedifferent types of aircraft and engines being used for the flight. The four pilots are Maj. Dagneau, Capts. Arrachard and Weiss,and Lieut. Charles. German Winter Air ServicesTHE German Europa Union air line company is making arrangements for maintaining several of its air servicesduring the winter months, in one case—on a service between Stockholm and Revel via Helsingfors—the machines em-ployed are to be fitted with long skids so that the machines may alight on and arise from the ice. The following serviceswill be maintained : Berlin-MalmS ; Berlin-Gleewitz ; Berlin- Essen ; Berlin-Leipzig; Berlin-Dresden ; Essen-Hamburg-Malmo ; Essen-Amsterdam • Vienn?-Munich ; and Vienna- Budapest. Rome-Melbourne-Tokyo FlightAT last Maj. the Marquis de Pinedo has been able to resume his flight to Tokyo on the Savoia S.16 tey flying boat.On September 19 he arrived at Tamsui, Formoso, from Aparri, Philippine Islands. Continuing on September 21, he flew toShanghai. Air Route to India Survey AFTER a short delay resulting from their forced landingson September 12, Sir Sefton Brancker, Lieut.-Col. Minchin and Maj. Birchall continued their task of surveying theproposed air route to India, and arrived at Bandar Abbas on September 14. The next day they flew to Chakbar,Sir Sefton Brancker proceeding to Teheran. Lieut.-Col. Minchin and Maj. Birchall went on to Karachi, arriving thereon September 16. Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers OWING to the bad weather on Saturday last, the hydro-aeroplane trials fixed for that day had to be postponed. These will now be held at the Welsh Harp (Hendon) onSaturday next, September 26. In last week's report from the Society an error occurred regarding Mr. B. K. Johnson'sflights with his twin tractor model. His best flight was given as 3-18 sees.—this, of course, should have read 31-8 sees.So much for the decimal system ! 620
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