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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0002.PDF
CHT was likely to be spent with each ? Unless some improvement of this sort is introduced we fear that even a substantial increase in the vote for " Technical and Warlike Stores " will not result in that healthy and prosperous aircraft industry which is the main pivot in our security in the air. With this plea we may turn to a brief review of what the past year has brought in the way of progress. Three main features appear to stand out prominently : the number of exceedingly meritorious flights, the beginning of real Empire aviation, and the rapid progress made in the development of the seaplane type of machine. We have not here the space to refer to anything like all the flights made during 1926, which have helped to " make history." As far as concerns British flights, those made by Alan Cobham on the de Havilland D.H.50 with Armstrong-Siddeley " Jaguar" engine are, of course, of outstanding merit. The flight to Cape Town and back, a distance of some 17,000 miles, and that to Australia and back, totalling some 45,000 miles, did much to raise the prestige of British aviation. Nor should one forget the R.A.F. flight on four Fairey-Napier machines from Cairo to Cape Town, back to Cairo and on to England, under Commander Pulford, nor the flight of two Supermarine " Southampton- Napiers " from Portsmouth to Aboukir and back, under Squadron Leader Livock. The flight by Col. Minchin on a Bristol " Bloodhound," with " Jupiter " engine, from London to Cairo in 50i hours was another fine performance, as has been the flight in two " Moths " piloted by Stack and Leete towards India. Col. the Master of Sempill's flight on a " Moth " in one day from Lands End to John o'- Groats proved what can be done on a low-powered machine. In Australia there is the flight of Col. Brinsmead from Melbourne to Normanton and back in a D.H.50, and in South Africa the non-stop flight of Major Mentjes from Pretoria to Durban and back to Pretoria to record. The former of these was a flight of 3,320 miles, and the latter was a non-stop one of 1,200 miles, the D.H.9 remaining aloft for 13J hours. Group Captain Williams' flight in a D.H.50 Puma to the islands of the Pacific is a seaplane performance of no small merit. Altogether the year has not been without its British contributions to history-making flights. The splendid progress of the three de Havilland " Hercules " machines, with " Jupiter" engines, towards India, although not planned as such, really rank among the fine flights of the year. To have taken three machines of a new type straight out of the works and send them off on a journey of many thousand miles, all three machines getting through without a hitch and with perfect regularity, is an achievement that speaks volumes for British aircraft design and con- struction. Of flights made by foreign aviators three stand out particularly as real milestones in aviation : The flight across the South Atlantic by Commandant Franco in a Dornier flying-boat with Napier " Lion" engines ; Commander Byrd's flight from Spitzbergen to the North Pole and back in a Fokker three-engined monoplane, and Amundsen's flight from Spitzbergen over the North Pole and " across the top of the world " to Alaska in the Italian airship " Norge," designed and piloted by Signor Nobile. For the rest, the year has been chiefly remarkable for the series of astonishing long-distance non-stop JANUARY 6, 1927 flights made by French aviators, culminating in the establishment of a new world's record non-stop flight, by Lieut. Costes and Captain Rignot, in a Breguet 19 from Paris to Jask, a distance of 5,400 km. (3,350 miles). While on the subject of world's records, may we once more plead with the British Air Ministry for per- mission and co-operation to be given to British firms to attempt world's records in cases where a firm has produced a machine capable of beating existing records in one or more of the categories recognised ? We know that there are quite a number of such records which could—and should—stand to the credit of Great Britain. The granting of permission by the Air Ministry is not to ask the impossible, and it might mean a great deal to British prestige. The rapid progress of seaplane development has been a most noticeable feature of the past year. There was a time when the seaplane was very stepmotherly treated in this country, but at last the authorities appear to have been brought to a realisation of the immense possibilities of the seaplane, and the result has been almost immediate. We have produced sea- planes that are well in advance of anything produced by any other nation. The Supermarine " South- ampton " is a case in point as regards twin-engined flying-boats. The cruise to Aboukir demonstrated that. The Short " Singapore " is another, but of this little enough may be said, except that it is an all-metal flying-boat. The Blackburn " Iris," with three Rolls-Royce " Condors " is, perhaps, the most powerful flying-boat of its type in the world, and promises to change the course of future development as regards seagoing aircraft. And finally, there was designed, during 1926, although not actually built in that year, the "Short "Calcutta" (three Bristol " Jupiters "), Great Britain's first three-engined com- mercial flying-boat. Truly, a wonderful " seaplane year," and one which gives great hopes for the future. Nor should one forget to mention, in this connection, the production, during the year, of the Short "Mussel " two-seater light seaplane, and fitting with floats of the D.H. " Moth," both machines which promise well for the future of the low-powered seaplane. Of the new aeroplanes produced during 1926, but little may be said, owing to service restrictions, but several types have been produced in the different classes varying from the heavy twin-engined bomber to the small single-seater fighter, which mark pro- nounced improvements in their respective categories, and with which the R.A.F. is now gradually being equipped. Of civilian types are to be recorded the Avro " Avian " in the light 'plane class, the Armstrong- Whitworth " Argosy," the de Havilland " Hercules," and the Handley Page " Hamlet," in the three- engined commercial class. The racing seaplanes built under the new " high-speed " policy of the Air Ministry are, unfortunately, surrounded by a veil of secrecy-—a totally unnecessary veil, most people think—but their production and existence should, at any rate, be recorded. Doubtless, a good deal will be heard of them during the present year. While on the subject of racing seaplanes, a tribute should be paid to the Italian Macchi and Fiat companies for their production of the machine and engine which won the Schneider Cup race at an average speed of 246-496 m.p.h., and later established a new record for seaplanes by averaging 258-5 m.p.h. over the 3 km. course.
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