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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0836.PDF
steam, gave rise to some of the keenest competition in fast travel, the old " China Clippers " racing home from China with the first of the season's tea, and con- siderable profits being the reward of the clipper which first reached London. As to whether the " cargo " carried by the " Princess Xenia " was such as to make the flight a commercial undertaking, it were, perhaps, better not to enquire too closely, nor, we think, does that greatly matter for the purpose of a demonstration of this kind. To have thought of making tea the cargo was rather a neat touch on Captain Barnard's part. And there is little doubt that in the near future we shall, if the authorities do their duty to British Empire aviation, have the modern equivalent of the old-time races between the " tea clippers." •> • •> The In our Editorial Comment of August,. 'in5, , 30, 1928, we expressed the view that aMotor Cycle , ' , . , K , . xof the Air demand exists for a cheaper type of light aeroplane than any now on the market, and that to get the price down to a figure within reach of many of those who have recently learnt to fly, the " motor cycle of the air " would have to be a single-seater. It was realised that nearly even' pilot who can afford to do so will buy the two-seater in preference, but at present no " second best " choice exists which could satisfy those able to pay £300 or so for a machine, but not able to pay the higher price of the present deservedly popular two- seater. Our Comments have attracted considerable interest, judging from the amount of correspondence on the subject which has reached us, and it is perhaps signi- ficant that one correspondent, who has had a good deal of practical experience in aircraft design and has in the past produced a considerable number of success- ful machines, writes to tell us that several months ago he came to the same conclusion, and set to work to design a machine to meet the requirements. The machine, our correspondent informs us, has now been completely designed in detail, stressed, &c, and perhaps the following information concerning it may be of interest in showing what an experienced designer considers can be done along these lines. At the moment the machine is not being built, but the very fact that the designs are ready shows that practical people are aware of the need for such a type and are prepared to supply the designs. The design to which we refer is for a small all- enclosed monoplane single-seater designed for the A.B.C. " Scorpion" Mark II engine. The wing span is 25 ft. 8 in., and the overall length 16 ft. 7 in. As the wing is arranged to fold, the width for housing purposes is only 7 ft. 6 in. The designed tare weight of the machine is 425 lbs., and the gross weight 700 lbs. The calculated top speed is 105 m.p.h., and the landing speed 40 m.p.h. At a cruising speed of 85 m.p.h. the estimated range in still air is 340 miles, for a total petrol consumption for that distance of SEPTEMBER 13, 1928 ; i 8 gallons, or more than 40 miles per gallon ! Allow- ance has been made for 20 lbs. of luggage. Our correspondent states that for an additional weight of 150 lbs. the range can be extended to 1,000 miles with very little sacrifice in performance. Finally, he estimates that such a machine could be built to sell at a reasonable profit for £300. It would thus seem that our original estimates were not very far out, and if the performance which has been estimated can be attained (and in view of the previous experience of our correspondent we see no reason to doubt it), such a machine should find a very considerable market. In all probability there are several other designers who have looked into the subject, and we should like to hear from them, and also from potential purchasers of a machine of this type as to whether the per- formance, dimensions, etc., would be considered satisfactory for the price contemplated. F . The untimely death recently of M.Aviation Bokanowski, who lost his life in an aeroplane accident, has resulted among other things in a re-opening of the problem as to whether or not France is to have a separate Air Minis- try. It may be recalled that for a very large number of years France had an Under Secretary of State for Air, the post being held in successive governments either by M. Pierre Etienne" Flandin or M. Laurent Eynac, both of whom proved themselves thoroughly capable men and possessed of the organising ability and technical knowledge to ensure the effective organisation of France's aviation policy. When the present French coalition government came into power about two years ago, the urgent need for financial economies made it necessary to abolish all the Under- Secretaryships, and M. Laurent Eynac, who occupied the post at the time, was obliged to relinquish his office, not without very great regret among French aviation circles in which he had become both popular and respected. What decision the French cabinet will ultimately take is uncertain at the moment. That there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the system in force during the last two years cannot be denied, and criticisms are being freely voiced of rivalry, overlapping and waste under the system by which the responsibility for French aviation is divided among the Army, the Navy, the Colonial Office and the Ministry of Commerce (the latter having at present control of civil aviation). It is, perhaps, doubtful that France will " go the whole hog " and decide to estab- lish a separate and independent air force. But there is little doubt that the unification of the responsibility for aviation will come into being. It seems likely that a political head will be appointed, who will probably have under him an Under-Secretary for Air, and it is generally believed in French aviation circles that the latter post will revert once more either to M. P. E. Flandin or to M. Laurent Eynac. Atlantic Plane Wreckage Found ? A PART of an aero engine has been recovered from theocean bed by a fishing vessel, 40 miles south-east of Cape Cod, and it is believed to belong to Mrs. F. \V. Grayson's Sikorskyamphibian which was lost during an Atlantic flight last December. The Autogiro to Visit Paris ALL being well, on September 18, Senor de la Cierva will fly from Croydon to Paris in an Autogiro. As at present arranged it is proposed that he will fly in company with an Air Union machine, from which it is hoped to film and photograph the Autogiro during its flight. 772
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