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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0821.PDF
Flight, September 6, 1928 HIT AIRCRAFTENGINEER* &s>TR§HIPS First 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. 1028. (No. 36. Vol. XX.) SEPTEMBER 6, 1928 rWeekly, Price 6d.L Post free, 7d. Flight The Aircraft Engineer and Airships Editorial Offices: 36, GREAT QUEEN STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C.2. Telephone: Holborn 3211. Telegrams: Truditur, Westoent. London. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 30s. id. Abroad .. .. 33s. 0d* * Foreign subscriptions must be remitted in British currency. CONTENTS Editorial Comment : PAGE The Parting of the Ways 757 Westland "Wapiti" .. .. .. 759 Vickers " Vellore " .. .. .. 76U Private Flying: Simmonds " Spartan " .. 765 On to Hadleigh Rally .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 766 Light Plane Clubs 767 Airisms From the Four Winds .. .. .. .. .. .. 769 Royal Air Force . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 770 Air Ministry Notices .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 770 British Air Mail Traffic 770 "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. 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 Sept. 8-16 American National Air Races, Los Angeles, Cal. Sept. 10-21 French International Light 'Plane Meeting at Orly Sept. 12 .... Italian International Meeting Oct. 7-28 InternationaKAircraft Exhibition, Berlin Oct. 8 .... Aero Golfing Soc.—Team Match v. Stage G.C. Oct. 24 .... Aero Golfing Soc.—" Cellon " Challenge Cnp Dec. 3-8 .... International Aeronautical Exhibition, Chicago, 111. Dae. 12-14 International Conference on Aviation, Wash- ington, U.S.A- 1929 Oct. 81 .... Guggenheim Safe-Aircraft Competition dose* EDITORIAL COMMENT HEN civil aviation commenced shortly after the end of the war, use was made of military types of aircraft more or less (often less !) converted for the peaceful purpose of carrying civilian passengers instead of the military crew. That the machines were not very economical to run is not surprising. Gradually the converted military types gave way to machines designed for what we in those days im- agined to be commercial requirements. f The progress was, not unnaturally, the Ways very sl°w> as there was little enough encouragement to firms to spend money on developing new types the demand for which was very problematic. However, progress was un- doubtedly made, but mainly, and quite correctly, in the direction of greater safety and reliability rather than increased economy in operation. The phase through which we passed was from single- engined to twin-engined, and comparatively recentl * from twin-engined to three-engined types. Again this was chiefly a result of our search for safety and reliability. And it is well to bear in mind that we can claim with a very large measure of justification that these aims have now been fulfilled. British air lines have for years been most reassuringly free from serious accidents, and the degree of reliability attained has been most encouraging. Before " commercial aviation " can correctly be so called, however, it is necessary to produce air- craft types which, without sacrificing the safety and reliability of existing machines, will be econ- omical enough to enable them to be operated without the need for a Government subsidy. Safety and reliability having been attained, economy must obviously be the next consideration. If we come to examine the subject, it is found that, right from the earliest days of commercial flying, there has been a tendency—in fact it is more than a tendency, it is almost universal practice—to use any particular machine for all sorts of work. It may have been designed originally as a passenger carrier, but with a fairly large luggage compartment. If a
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