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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0787.PDF
NOVEMBER 26, 1925 THE ROYAL London Gazette, Xovembcr 17, 1925General Duties Branch The following Pilot Officers are promoted to rank of Flving Officer • —T"stram : ScPt 8 J M Cohu A D McDvvall H' F L R. Matheson, T. H. Perry-Keene, V. C. Taylor, R. R. Turner. Flying Officer L. C. Lewis resigns his'short service column.; Nov. 18.tlight Lieut. C. Attrill, M.B.E., is placed on the retired list ; Nov. 17. The following Flying Officers are transferred to the Reserve, Class A •—\ R MBrain ; Nov. 15. F. P. Adams ; Nov. 18, Medical Branch The following are granted short service commissions as Flying Officers,for three years on the active list, with effect from, and with seniority of the dates indicated :—G. M. Anderson, M.B. ; Oct. 28. B. L Edwards M B •Oct. 28. W. D. McKeown, M.B. ; Nov 3 AIK FORCE Flying Officer R. VV. White is promoted to the rank of Flight Lieut. Nov. 12. Reserve of Air Force Officers The following are granted commissions as Pilot Officers on probationGeneral Duties Branch :—Class A : R. N. Bullock, H. \V. Knott : Nov. 10. (Substituted for Gazette Nov. 10, 1925). Pilot Officer J. H. Taylor is con-firmed in rank; Nov. 15. Pilot Officer R. W. lon^s is confirmed in rank ; July 9. (Substituted for Gazette, Nov. to, 1925.) Flight Lieut. A. Robertsis transferred from Class B to Class C ; Nov. 12. The commission of Pilot Officer on probation A. N. Wells is terminated on cessation of duty ; Oct. 13. AUXILIARY AIR FORCE General Duties BranchTo bs Sqdn. Leader (Hon. Wing Commander) : -No. 600 (City of London) Squadron :—A. W. H. James, M.C. (Wing Commander, Retired List, R.A.F.),to command the Squadron ; Nov. 17. ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE Appointments.—The following appointments in the Royal Air Forceare notified :— General Duties Branch Group Captain.—I. T. Courtney, C.B.E., to R.A.F. Depot, on transfer toHome Estab. ; 17.10.25. Wing Commander A. J. Miley, O.B.E., to H.Q. Coastal Area; 2.11.25.Squadron Leaders : G. Blatherwick to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab.; 25.10.25. G. F. Breese, D.S.C., to No. 2 Armoured Car Co.,Palestine ; 17.10.25. P. B. Hunter, to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab.; 30.10.25. A. L. Gregory, M.B.E., M.C., to R.A.F. Depot on transferto Home Estab.; 9.11.25. J. H. Simpson to R.A.F, Depot on transfer to Home Estab. ; 17.10.25. Stores Branch Squadron Leader G. Stevens, O.B.E., to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to HomeEstab.; 17.10.25. Flying Officers : R. F. Wilson to No. 4 Stores Depot, Ruislip, instead of toRecord Office as previously notified; 9.11.25. E. V. Bashford to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab.; 25.10.25. V. B. Ranford to R.A.F.Depot on transfer to Home Estab. ; 30.10.25. Accountant Branch Squadron Leader T. C. Miller, M.C., to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to HomeEstab. ; 30.10.25. Flight Lieutenants : F. W. Arthurton to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to HomeEstab.; 30.10.25. R. F. C. Metcalfe, to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab.; 17.10.25.Flying Officer A. C. Lobley to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab. 17.10.25. Medical Jiranch Wing Commanders : H. A. Playne, D.S.O.. M.B., B.A., to R.A.F. Depotpending disposal on transfer to Home Estab.; 17.10.25. W. W. Shorten, F.R.C.S. (E.) to R.A.F. Depot pendiiis disposal on transfer to Home Estab.;23.10.25. Squadron Leaders : T. ]. Kelly, M.C., M.B., B.A., to R.A.F. Depot ontransfer to Home Estab. • 17.10.25. J. T. T. Forbes to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab. ; 30.10.25.Flight Lieutenants': H. Mr.W. Daniel, M.D., to Aircraft Depot, Iraq ; 21.10.25. V. R. Smith to Heliopolis Details, Egypt ; 24.10.25. A. E.Barr-Sim. M.B., G. Kinnoir, T. J. D. Atteridge, and ). C. Osburne, M.B., to R.A.F. Depot on transfer to Home Estab. ; 17.10.25. <•> PRACTICAL FLYING By M. L. A PAPER under above title was read before the Institution ofAeronautical Engineers on November 10 by Mr. M. L. Bram- son, designer of the Savage-Bramson anti-stall gear recently-described in FLIGHT. Mr. Bramson stated in his introductionthat the title of his paper had to be chosen before the paper was written, and in consequence it was rather a misnomer, sincehe proposed to deal chiefly with those aspects of flying which were not yet practical. Dealing with the safety, regularity andeconomy of flying, the lecturer pointed out that before one can define safe flying it is necessary to make up one's mindas to what degree of regularity is required, since a flying con- cern operating on fine days only naturally attained a greateidegree of safety than one which endeavoured to operate on every day throughout the year. On examining the statisticspublished by the Air Ministry, it was found that during 1924 the regularity achieved by Imperial Airways was about78 per cent., that of the American air mail about 94-5 per cent., while railway regularity could be assumed for allpractical purposes to be 100 per cent. If the figures were examined, it was found that the maincauses for interruption or cancellation of scheduled flights were defect in aircraft, and weather. It was further foundthat the type of weather causing interruption or cancellation was in no case such as would actually prevent machinestaking the air, but were in most cases accounted for by the fact that at present the safety of flying was absolutely depen-dent upon visual connection between ground and aircraft. The lecturer thought that in the past too narrow a viewhad been taken of the question of economy, and that the attitude had been " economy is wanted, therefore we musteconomise, and the only obvious way is to reduce cost." Hence low cost per passenger-mile had been the universalbogey. Instead, we should concentrate on an increase in revenue by eliminating the reasons why the demand for flyingwas so limited. If those reasons were eliminated, the advan- tages of flying would be realised and utilised by the public.The lecturer expressed the opinion that if flying were made safe it would automatically become economical. If that viewwere accepted, it should be a matter of supreme importance for aeronautical engineers to collect and analyse data relatingto accidents and irregularity in flying. Mr. Bramson then quoted figures from the Report on theProgress of Civil Aviation for the period April 1, 1924 to March 31 1925, and pointed out that the efficiency tables BRAMSON were based upon flights commenced instead of on nightsscheduled. The lecturer had endeavoured to estimate what difference this would make in the efficiency figure given, andarrived at the conclusion that on the rational basis the figure would drop from 94 per cent, to 78 per cent., a drop of 16 percent. Turning to the subject of safety, the lecturer pointed outthat foggy or cloudy weather were the main causes of risk, since whether a pilot chose to fly under the clouds or overthem he was faced with the risk of a forced landing in a limited space in case of engine failure, so long as but a single enginewas used. This constituted one of the most serious risks of flying. Another-one was the danger of stalling when nearthe ground. If both could be eliminated the chief danger of flying would be avoided. In the case of the former risk,the remedy was to build machines in which failure of one en- gine would not necessitate a forced landing, and the secondhad already been solved by the Savage-Bramson anti-stall gear. One more problem still remained, for which neither theanti-stall gear nor the three-engined machine presented the solution, and that was guiding the aeroplane into a fog-boundaerodrome. In this connection, the following requirements were called for : two-way wireless telephone communicationbetween aeroplane and ground. A good altimeter with special fixed scale of datum points to which the zero of thealtitude scale could be set. A direction-finding acoustical listening post, also in two-way communication with the pilot.A straight Loth leader cable of a few miles with its correspond- ing electrical equipment on board the machine And, finally,direction-finding wireless equipment on the ground enabling the machine to be guided to within five or ten miles of theaerodrome. Mr. Bramson then sketched on a blackboard the scheme by which fog landings could be worked, and inconclusion said : " Suppose now, that we have in fact elimi- nated forced landings due to engine failure and weather ;that we have rendered it possible to find and to land on fog- bound aerodromes, and that all machines are so equippedthat involuntary stalling is impossible. Then, if we analyse the circumstances which have so far ted to accidents we findthat they are rendered harmless. There are exceptions, but they would be of such infrequent occurrence that the safetyof regular civil flying would reach, if not exceed, the railway standard." 787
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