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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0585.PDF
AUGUST 19, J926 as compared with Mrs. Eliott-Lynn's 30 points. A maximum time of 120 mins. is allowed for this operation, and com- petitors receive but one point for each 6 mins. less occupied than the maximum permitted. The next machine to pass this test was No. 4, the Avia piloted by Fritsch. This low- wing monoplane, which is rigidly rigged by struts, also has attachments which can be fairly quickly undone, when the wings are suspended one on each side of the fuselage, and the time taken by Fritsch for the operation was 13 mins. 55 sees., which also netted him 28 points. In the meantime the arrangements for the landing tests had been completed, and the tests commenced, No. 9, the S.A.B.C.A. biplane, otherwise the Cambgul-Guldentops, with Van Opstal as pilot, being the first to make it. Next was Descamps, on the Albert monoplane No. 7, who made two attempts, giving a series of exhibitions of loopings, etc., between the attempts. The Avia piloted by Dr. Lhota was ready next, but had to wait for No. 9 to clear the course. Both he and Wouters in the Poncelet monoplane made good landings, although not spectacular. When the Poncelet (No. 8) landed it was seen that De Bruycker opened the cabin door to make it act as an air brake. Fritsch's Avia (No. 4) came next, followed by Lieut. Thoret on No. 6 Albert monoplane. Just as Thoret crossed the obstacle line his machine was seen to swish its tail, and it was thought that he was trying to knock off speed. In landing heavily he caused some damage to his machine, but got into the air again within the time limit of one hour allowed. It was later learned that some welding repairs carried out on one of Thoret's long flights had failed in the hard landing. However, energetic and jollv Delzongles soon had matters put right. On completing his landings Dr. Lhota gave a demonstration of stalling on the Avia, the machine hanging almost vertical for a short time, then diving violently and nearly vertically, but pulling out after a fairly short "drop. Lefolcalvez, o"n the Pander monoplane, made almost a semi-circle in pulling up, and scored a very short distance (the best of the day, T'IL.111'5 metres)- After their landing tests, Thoret and Lefolcalvez flew round for a while, Thoret giving a pretty exhibition of getting " on the tail " of the slower machine". Mrs. Ehott-Lynn made a side-slip landing and bent her axle. The machine swerved and ran outside the limits of the area. Among the distinguished visitors to Orly to-day were General Niessel, Inspector-General of l'Aeronautique, and Pelletier d'Oisy, otherwise " Pivolo." In the evening everybody met at the headquarters of the newly-formed International League of Aviators in the Clos Normand in the Bois de Boulogne, M. Leon Bathiat, President of the ((Vieilles Tiges " (freely and quite erroneously translatedveiled Tigers ") presiding. The League has a charming reception room, in which at the time a collection of aviation paintings were on exhibit. The secretary of the League is M. Ladislas d'Orcy, who counts among his many accomplish- ments that of speaking English fluently and without accent, and who can always be counted upon to make English pilots visiting the club-room feel thoroughly at home. The evening was a great success, and served to bring together many old friends as well as making many new. Friday, August 13.—During the morning but very little competition work was carried out, and it is rather to be' feared that our excellent French friends are not particularly impressed by the saying that time is money. However, the lull in the proceedings gave one an opportunity for conversations with various people, which helped in no' small measure to while away the time in a manner as profitable as it was interesting. While discussing with M. Poncelet his unusual monoplane, it emerged that this machine has an exceptionally good gliding angle. During one of its first flights the engine stopped at an altitude of 400 metres, while the machine was over Brussels. The pilot had to double back on his course, and succeeded in reaching the Brussels aerodrome in gliding flight, a distance of 6 km. away. This corresponds to a gliding angle of 1 in 15, and one "gathers that the glide was not done with a following wind. The climb to 2,000 metres was carried out by most of the competitors during the after- noon, and in the intervals a number of competitors attempted the engine-starting test. First to make the attempt was M. Albert, who was making use of a contraption consisting of a length of rope, a length of shock-absorber and a sort of giant finger-stall slipped over the end of the propeller .blade. In spite of the expenditure of much energy, M. Albert did not succeed in getting this engine started within the 15 minutes' time limit. Mrs. Eliott-Lynn came next, her engine starter having just been fitted and" no starts made to see if it worked. In the actual test the " Cirrus " engine started at the first kick, as was also the case in the two following starts, a performance which won general admiration. Third to make the engine start was Fritsch, on No. 4 Avia, who was using a starter magneto. He had to suck in for each start, but, apart from that, his engine started well. Wouters, on the Poncelet monoplane, only sucked in for the first start, and made the two subsequent starts without leaving the cabin of the machine. He was followed by Van Opstal on the S.A.B.C.A. biplane, whose Anzani engine started as easily as that of the monoplane. A little later in the day the Albert monoplane No. 7 got through its engine-starting tests by M. Albert swinging the propeller but removing his hand from it before turning the starting magneto, and thus getting around the rule that the engine must not be started by swinging the propeller. Some very pretty exhibitions of stunting were given by Fritsch on the Avia, and Descamps on the Albert. The latter did some very fine Immelman turns, commencing almost from ground level. Saturday, August 14.—This morning the two Albert mono- planes were put through the dismantling and erecting test, No. 6 (Thoret) doing the test in 15 mins. 5 sees., and No. 7 (Descamps) in 13 mins. 9 sees. Dr. Lhota put No. 5 Avia through this test in 11 mins. 34 sees. The take-off tests were carried out to-day, but before starting upon them Mrs. Eliott-Lynn made another attempt at the landing test. Immediately upon crossing the row of balloons she deliberately stalled the " Moth " " into the ground," bending the axle and breaking a wheel in so doing, but pulling up in 69 m. from the barrier. Immediately after the landing Mrs. Eliott-Lynn and her mechanic, Mr. Webb, were seen to leave the machine and come racing towards the sheds at top speed, fiist one being a few yards ahead and then the other. In the end Mrs. Eliott-Lynn won the race by something like a head, and lost no time in getting together the necessary spares, tools, etc., for effect- ing repairs. Upon seeing the English competitors in difficul- ties, M. Jullien, of the S.A.B.C.A. Company, and M. Magnet, of the Salmson Company, both rushed out their cars and helped Mrs. Eliott-Lynn to load them up with everything required, and rushed her and Mr. Webb back to the machine. This spirit of good sportsmanship on the part of two com- petitors was very greatly appreciated. Mr. Webb had a new axle and wheel fitted in 25 minutes, so that Mrs. Eliott- Lynn was able to get flying again well inside the time limit of one hour. After making the prescribed flight, the " Moth " came back to the sheds and a tear in the fabric of the lower plane caused by the wheel of the undercarriage was quickly repaired. Dr. Lhota has been very unfortunate in his climb to 2,000 m. In his first attempt the engine was down some- thing like 100 r.p.m., so that it was fairly hopeless to expect to obtain a good figure. During the second test (carried out this afternoon) the barograph failed to register, and Dr. Lhota had to make a third attempt late in the afternoon. However, he made up for it by reaching the altitude of 6,600 ft. in 16 min. 15 sees. Sunday, August 15.—To-day was set aside for the high- speed test over the 200 km. course. The starting and finish- ing points were of course at Orly, and the turning point was at Saran aerodrome, near Orleans. All the machines got away well, and for a while there was quiet at the aerodrome. The two Albert monoplanes were among the first to return, being very fast, and when Thoret came in it was seen that just as he crossed the finishing line, his ailerons were flutter- ing violently. He was seen to throttle down and drop the tail of the machine, following this by giving left and right- hand stick alternately, and this instantly stopped the flutter. When he landed he informed the writer that he had experi- enced this difficulty before at top speed, but that he could always stop it by the procedure outlined above. The trouble had, however, compelled him to fly at somewhat less than top speed, so that he lost something like 8 km. per hour in speed as compared with the other Albert. Mr. Van Opstal, pilot of the S.A.B.C.A. biplane, reported having seen Mrs. Eliott- Lynn somewhat off her course on the way back towards Orly. She was later seen coming in at a considerable height, and when she landed it was found that the head of No. 3 cylinder had cracked all round the exhaust valve below the second fin from the top. This it appeared had happened on the way out, and it was toss and go whether she would attempt the return journey. However, Mr. Webb pronounced in favour of trying, provided Mrs. Eliott-Lynn did not attempt to fly at full power. With an engine liable to stop altogether at any moment, Mrs. Lynn very naturally deviated some- what from the direct course in order to be over reasonably good country should a forced landing become necessary, and this fact accounted for her somewhat low average speed of 126-7 km./h. (78-75 m.p.h.). 515
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