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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0710.PDF
SEPTEMBER 15, 1927 A NEAT PIPE CONNECTION IN view of the number of pipe connections found in an average aeroplane it is scarcely to be wondered at that a great variety of types have been produced. One of the NUT (DURAL) \ CONNECTING COLLAR (BRASS) «£ RING OF HARD RUBBER OR LEATHER PIPE A NEW " GLOSTER " PIPE CONNECTION : Used primarily for airspeed indicator connections, this union is, of course, applicable to quick repairs of ordi- nary pipe connections. neatest, simplest, lightest and at the same time must positive that we have come across has recently been produced by the Gloster Aircraft Co., Ltd., of Cheltenham. This pipe connec- tion, which is explained in the accompanying sketch, has been produced mainly for use in airspeed indicator installations, but the principle is, of course, also applicable to a number of other pipe leads, and forms a particularly neat and effective way of making a repair. As the sketch shows, the connection consists of three metal parts and two rings of flexible material such as rubber or leather, for example. The central portion or collar is made of brass, while the two nuts are of Duralumin. In this way any tendency to seize is avoided. The action of the connection is obvious from the sketch. When the two Duralumin nuts are tightened up, the flexible rings are compressed lengthwise, the pressure causing them to expand laterally, thus making a tight joint between the pipe and the nuts. Moreover, the pressure of the rings is sufficient to lock the nuts in place, and in fact it has been found that these do not work loose under vibration. Another advantage of this type of connection is that, the pipes being a loose fit in the ends of the nuts, the rubber or leather rings form ball joints in which the pipes are free to swing slightly. This fact avoids any tendency for the pipes to become brittle at the union, the " play " being sufficient to prevent this. The fact that the pipe ends are cut off flush and merely inserted in the nuts, pushed into the central union, and the nuts tightened up. makes for very quick assembly, and dismantling a joint made in this way is equally simple. It would seem that the liloster pipe union deserves to be used in many places other than for airspeed indicators. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF AIR WARFARE* THERE may be many excellent reasons which induced this author to write under a pseudonym. We must respect them, whatever they may have been. The signature, " Squadron Leader," suggests, nay, asserts that the writer is, or has been, an officer in the Royal Air Force. It does not, however, preclude the possibility that he has attained a higher rank than he chooses to claim. That he is a person of some standing seems to follow from the fact that Major- General Sir Edmund Ironside has written an appreciatory Foreword. Some clue to the writer's identity may be afforded by the dedication to the memory of Lieutenant B. Carleton- Smith, observer, No. 100 Squadron, R.A.F. In any case, the student of air force interests will take off his hat to the unknown writer of this arresting book. " The Basic Principles of Air Warfare " is, with the exception only ofMr. Spaight's " Air Power and War Rights," the most important treatise yet written in English upon aerial warfare. The thoughts expressed in it are", itmight almost be said, original. That, however, would not be quite fair, for ideas which are original are often fantastic, and these are sound and sober.But when two opposing parties have been writing partisan stuff for some time, and both have grown fantastic, a sudden cold douche of fact and logicis apt to seem original. In reality, everyone ought to have thought of the facts and the logic for themselves at an early stage ; but the warmth of theargument has led them into other paths. It is easy and tempting for those who are dazzled by the wonders of a new arm to exaggerate its powers. Itis equally easy and tempting for crusted conservatives, who hold all novelties in execration, to expose and ridicule the exaggeration. Steady progress hasnought to do with either exaggeration or ridicule. That is the line taken by " Squadron Leader." At the very outset the author summarises his views :—Hi- " does notaccept the belief that the forces of the air will support those of the sea and the land. He prefers to regard all three services as essentially comple-mentary. That air forces, however, efficient and brilliantlv directed, will be able to control sea communications or to win battles on land, is a figmentwhich needs little refutation." To quote every striking sentence in this book would mean practicallyreprinting the whole 133 pages. In consequence, it is difficult to summarize, for the method of expression is both laconic and logical, and there is nota passage between the covers which could be called padding. Yet, so clearly Js the argument put that the volume is not only readable, but of absorbinginterest. Of recent years, very many speakers and writers on aerial warfare have * " The Influence of Air Power on Sea and Land Strategy " ; by " SquadronLeader." Gale & Polden. 7s. Gd. net. stated that armies arc no longer necessary because victory is impossible ifthe spirit of the civil population is broken, and that a dominant air force will speedily break that spirit by intensive "striking at nerve centres," or inother words, bombing civilian cities. " Squadron Leader " sets out to con- trovert that vuw. and bis closely-reasoned arguments will not easily tx°upset. Certainly, if one air force attained such mastery of the skies, that it possessed complete liberty of action, the opponents would probably be welladvised to sue for peace, and that before the intensive bombing had taken place. But can such an overwhelming victory be obtained ? Air casualtieswill be enormous, and the author points out that the question of reserves and replacements will be all-important. " The problem of replacement of trainer!P'Tsonnel will probably be more acute in the next than in the late war. Supply on the material side may easily outstrip that of trained personnel. Those-who imagine, therefore, that the next war will see more and more aircraft employed, art likely to be disillusioned." In any case the first object must be the destruction of the enemy's armedforces. While he ha*; a single aerodrome left to bomb, it would be waste to drop a bomb on a civilian city. And, if neither air force achieves a decisivevictory over the other, then obviously the opposing navies and armies will have to fight the matter out ; and while they are in conflict both air forceswill be busily engaged in helping their own navy and army. Consequently " Squadron Leader " sums the matter up as follow. :—" What, then, are thechief objectives for air forces ? I think it will 1«- agreed that they arc- : firstly, to defeat the opposing air forces in battle : secondly, to attack targetsof military importance as circumstances dictate, in order to support the naval, army and air operations ; and thirdly, to attack, with due regardto circumstances and to the military situation, vita! points within the enemy's country." The order in which these objects art placed shoulrl be noted. Squadron Leader " supports his arguments with plentiful quotationsfrom authorities such as Foch, kr>t>ertson, Haig, Tellkoe. ete. In connection with the last-quoted passage he refers to a despatch of Sir Hugh Trenchard,which admitted " that the bombing of Germany was a luxury till this (i.e., the holding and beating of the German air forcei had been accomplished,but that, once this had been accomplished, it became necessary to attack what I may call the. German Army in Germany, and to strike at its mostvital point, its sources of supply ; and the Independent Force was formed with this object." It seems that " frightfulness " can never be a primary object of any martialforce, as so many air writers now take for granted ; and when one comes to think of it this conclusion is only ordinary common sense. Moreover, asthis book points out, and as history teaches, no first-class nation ever has. had its " will to victory " broken by frightfulness : and such a collapseis no more likely to happen in the future than it was in the past. One may learn a lesson by visiting the gardens next the Houses of Parliament andgazing on Rodin's sculpture of the Burghers of Calais. One could discuss the salutary lessons of this book for hours ; but perhapsenough has been said to indicate that it is the plain duty of every R.A.F. officer who loves his profession to read it and study it. The same remarkapplies to officers of the navy and army ; and in particular the staffs and staff colleges of all services should give the book their earnest professional attentionF. A. DE V. K. An Interesting " Gloster " Brochure WE have just received from the Gloster Aircraft Co., Ltd., of Cheltenham, an extremely attractive and interesting brochure on the subject of " Gloster " aircraft and the Schneider Trophy contest. The text is written both in English and Italian, and not only gives a brief outline of the Gloster company's activities in thp Mrrr^ft w^t-iri K,,+ ,kf, ;nri,,,iP<;company s activities i the Aircraft World, but also includes a short description of the " Gloster-Napier IV " seaplane, which has been constructed for this year's Schneider Trophy contest. Some particulars are also given of the British pilots who have been sent out to Italy in connection with this classic contest. Other items include a list of " Gloster " records, descriptions of the Gloster-Hele-Shaw Beacham variable pitch airscrew, and some of the Gloster aircraft. 656
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