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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0087.PDF
Flight, February 9, 1928 RENGINEER. 7URSHIPS Firrt Aeronautical Weekly in the World. Founded January, 1909 Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM No. 998. (No. 6. Vol. XX.) FEBRUARY 9, 1928 TWeekly, Price 6d. L Post free, 7d. The Aircraft Engineer and Airships Editorial Offices: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C.2. Telephone : Gerrard 1828. Telegrams : Truditur, Westcent, London. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 30s. id. Abroad .. .. 33s. Qd* 'Foreign subscriptions must be remitted in British currency. CONTENTS Editorial Comment: PAGE Practical Psychology 75 An Avro Torpedo Bomber—The " Buffalo II " 77 An Aerodrome at 13,000 feet 8 Ground Transport for Air Organisation .. .. .. .. 79 Reid Reaction Apparatus .. .. .. .. .. .. 8n Private Flying : By " Avian " to the Antipodes .. .. .. 8:t Light 'Plane Clubs 85 Airisms from the Four Winds .. .. .. .. ., .. 87 Royal Air Force 9 Personals .. .. .. 89 Royal Aeronautical Society and lust.Ae. Engineers •. .. .. 90 Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers .. .. .. .. 90 Notice to Airmen .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9U " FLIGHT " PHOTOGRAPHS. To those desirous of obtaining copies of "Flight" Photographs, these can be supplied, enlarged or otherwise, upon application to Photo. Department, 36, Great Queen Street, W.C.2 For Sues and Prices, see Advert, on page iii. DIARY OF CURRENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS Club Secretaries and others desirous of announcing the dates of important fixtures are invited to send particulars for inclusion in this list :— 1928 Feb. 11 .... Rugby, R.A.F.v. Navy at Twickenham Feb. 14 .... R.Ae.S. & Inst.Ae.E. Dinner and Discussion, at Engineers' Club. Feb. 15 .... Members' Meeting of London Aeroplane Club, at the R.Ae.S. Feb. 16 .... " Experiments on Model Airscrews at High Tip Speeds." Mr. G. P. Douglas, before R.Ae.S. & Inst.Ae.E. Mar. 1 .... " Experiences with the Baghdad Air Mail. Wing-Com. R. M. Hill, before R.Ae.S. & Inst.Ae.E. 3 .... Rugby, Navy v. Army, at Twickenham 15 . . " Testing of Materials Used in Aircraft Con- struction." Dr. Rudolf, before R.Ae.S. & Inst. Ae.E. Mar. Mar. EDITORIAL COMMENT iiUBBING one's chest and at the same time patting one's head used to be among the parlour tricks indulged in many year ago, in the days when amuse- ments were simple and before the capacity to enjoy them had vanished. Modern youth gets into an aeroplane and, without thinking twice about it, carries out movements many times more complicated than those of that simple trick. It might appear at first sight that there is no obvious Practical connection between " rub your chest and pat your head " and the controlling of an aeroplane, and yet in the end the two things are discovered to be very closely related. In both, the brain directs the limbs to make two or more different movements simultaneously. The feet operate the rudder bar, while the hand moves the "joy stick " from side to side for lateral control and fore and aft for ascending and descending. In actual flight, all three movements are not usually carried out separately but as one manoeuvre, and although he (or she) may not realise it, one of the things learned by a pupil during a course in practical flying is just that co-ordination which the old trick demanded in but a very mild degree. It is true that when the present system of aircraft controls was standardised, attempts were made to introduce other forms (for instance, we had the shoulder yoke aileron control in the early Curtiss machines), but the present system survived because of all those suggested, it was found to be the most " natural," i.e., necessitating fewer non-instinc- tive movements, and consequently the system which is now universal, probably had its foundation on sound psychological grounds. Curiously enough, the " bicycle steering " did not survive the weeding-out process, and the foot steering now universally adopted is directly opposite to bicycle steering in that to turn to the left one pushes with the left foot, while on a bicycle one pushes forward the right hand. The shoulder yoke for aileron control was probably if anything a more " natural" movement than the corresponding movement of the "joy stick " in that, it was claimed, and probably rightly so, one would c 2
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