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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 1041.PDF
Flight, November 8, 1928 BNGINEER- 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. 1037. (No. 45. Vol. XX.) NOVEMBER 8, 1928 [Weekly, 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, Westcent. London. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 30s. 4d. Abroad .. .. 33s. 0d* • Foreign subscriptions must be remitted in British currency, CONTENTS Editorial Comment: PACE The Speed Record Attempt .. .. .. .. .. 963 British Speed Record Attempt .. .. .. .. .. .. 965 Bristol " Jupiters" at Berlin .. .. .. .. .. .. 968 Royal Aero Club 972 Berlin Aero Show .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 973 Private Flying 7 Light 'Plane Clubs 978 Airisms From the Four Winds .. .. .. .. .. .. 979 Royal Air Force .. 980 Air Ministry Notices .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 980 Personals 980. •'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.CJ. For Prices and Sizes, 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 Nov. 8... Lecture, " Machinery Installation of R.101," by Wing Com. T. R. Cave-Browne-Cave, before R.Ae.S. Nov. 15.... Lecture, " Aeroplane Engines in Flight," by R. J. Penn, before R.Ae.S. Nov. 22... Lecture, " Weight of Aircraft," by Maj. T. M. Barlow, before R.Ae.S. Nov. 29... Lecture, " Production Problems," by F. Sigrist, before R.Ae.S. Dec.3-8... International Aeronautical Exhibition, Chicago, HI. Dec. 6... Lecture, " Control of Aeroplanes by Alulas," by Capt. A. P. Thurston, before R.Ae.S. Dec. 12-14 International Conference on Aviation, Wash- ington, U.S.A. 1929 Oct. 31... Guggenheim Safe-Aircraft Competition Closes EDITORIAL COMMENT REAT BRITAIN may or may not have produced the world's fastest aircraft. The speed record attempt made last Sunday by Flight-Lieutenant D'Arcy Greig on the Supermarine-Napier S.5 failed to prove the case definitely. Under a change made in the F.A.I. rules some years ago, it is necessary to beat an existing speed record by five miles per hour in order to get a new record recognised by the F.A.I. In view of the possibilities thatT pf Sp^ed exist for minute errors in timing, errors Attempt which the best timekeepers in the world cannot altogether avoid, this decision by the F.A.I, can only be regarded as a wise one, since it is obviously aimed at making quite sure, by allow- ing a sufficient margin, that any errors introduced in timing shall not be as great as the difference between the previous and the new speed record. That is quite evidently the reason for insisting on " steps " of at least five miles per hour. Whether the five miles per hour constitutes an adequate safeguard is, perhaps, open to doubt. For instance, it is conceivable that—merely to take an example, and not because we wish to infer that something of the sort did happen—the Italian time- keepers overestimated Bernardi's speed by two miles per hour. It is equally conceivable that the British timekeepers underestimated Greig's speed by two miles per hour. The cumulative effect would then be sufficient to account for the failure to establish a new record. We wish to make it quite clear that we do not suggest that this did happen, but merely that it is a possibility. If we assume for the moment that an aircraft is travelling at 320 miles per hour along the speed course, then in one second it will travel approxi- mately 470 ft., and in one-fifth of a second 94 ft. It is not difficult to see that there is room here for small errors, errors which in themselves are possibly very minute, but which may for all that have a con- siderable effect on the final result. It then seems to come to this, that either we must evolve better timing systems, or we must increase the margin by which a record has to be beaten. B 2
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