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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0712.PDF
FLIGHT, APRIL 4, 192y TACT, Tact, nothing like Tact ! in the words of the oldsong. As an illuminating example of this much-to-be- desired gift, it would be hard to beat the episode tabled by Lord Byng the other day when speaking at a Convalescent Police Seaside Home meeting. " It is quite fair," said the Chief Commissioner of Police, " to say that on 95 per cent, of the occasions when a policeman has to act he must act with his brains and on the remaining 5 per cent, with his brawn. When a constable stood on point duty at the Marble Arch recently an aeroplane passed overhead. Three people asked him what it was. Four wanted to know where it came from, four where it was going, and seyen why it was there. Every one of these inquirers the constable sent away satisfied. What he said or did I do not know, but he did what I could never have done myself—he answered eighteen people concerning what he did not know himself." THAT'S what I call tact, truly, Robertus may, however,one of these days, have to make himself wise, when the Force is promoted—or elevated—to the realms of the Air and devises traps—speed or otherwise—in the ether. IT transpired at a recent meeting of the Institution ofNaval Architects that the high-speed motor life-boat being built by Messrs. Thoraycroft—which, nominally, is for dealing with aircraft casualties in the Channel—is 64 ft. in length and the speed 17 knots, this particular craft being demanded, according to Sir John Thornycroft, by reason of the responsibilities of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution to save the crews of aircraft, who happened to get into the water. The speed of the ordinary life-boat, said Sir John, would be quite insufficient to enable the salving party to reach the middle of the Channel in time. But why for goodness sake should it be assumed that aircraft always come down in mid-Channel ? And how often does it occur anyway ? In the past, yes, perhaps ; but now it is but a very rare occurrence, and before long it should be unheard of, practically. HOW often it is that as one goes through life, one'sordinary work and routine ultimately and unexpectedly provides matter of value and thought entirely outside the main objective of that work. As a very- good instance the air photographs brought together from the Middle East by Mr. O. O. S. Crawford, editor of The Antiquary, at the Royal Geographical Society's rooms, is outstanding. Here we see the wonderful results of the eye of the camera. Gleaned from an interview with Mr. Crawford, some interesting facts have transpired. The R.A.F. in the ordinary routine of practice, have secured quantities of photographs of ancient monuments in the East, and objects in the Desert, many being but casual " snaps " of anything that might appear to be out of the ordinary, very little attention being given at the time to these " side-lines." Mr. Crawford, one of the pioneers in archaeology from the air, however, made the discovery that there was more in these than appeared at first glance, with the result that he made a tour of the Middle East for the express purpose of collecting these R.A.F. so-called, so far as military interest is concerned, " obsolete photographs." FROM the archaeological point of view, however, theyassume a position of vast value, and no less than 1,700 of them have found a place in the British Museum as the nucleus of a national collection. Study of these photographs reveals wonderful records of dead cities. For instance, views of Samarrah, when matched together, show clearly the " lay-out" of this ninth century city, main streets, narrow streets, house plans, palaces and gardens, and all the details of a buried past. Again Hatra—70 miles from Mosul—is in like manner made plain with its Roman - built wall; Erbil, said to be the oldest inhabited city in the world, can be visualised on its centuries of " municipal dirt-mound," and Selencia, although quite unnoticeable "when on the ground, becomes once more a characteristically planned Macedonian town. Naturally Mr. Crawford is almost in a fever, to be able to go beyond these casual R.A.F. snaps and compile a complete air survey of the fascinating and romantic Middle East of by-gone ages. May he succeed in obtaining the necessary financial backing for such research, as the subject deserves. LAST week Col. The Master of Sempill, reminded us ofhis versatility by indulging in a one-time favourite hobby 'of his—motor-cycling. He put in quite a gruelling two hours or more speed practice on the White City dirt-track, probably as a preliminary to some racing during this season. His interests are indeed varied as an all-round sport, and his whole-hearted work in the past two years for the Royal Aeronautical Society and his tine flying record, place him in the forefront as a leader in aviation. I am just wondering how the Royal Aeronautical Society, under their existing rules will be able to retain his chairmanship of the society for a further spell. Something should be done before the next election is toward, in order that so valuable a friend and guide should not be lost to the society. So now, what about it ? Will somebody move in the matter ? APROPOS of the weird panel " Wind," which formspart of the new Underground Railway offices at Broadway, Westminster; Oh ! to understand Art with a real big " A." How such a representation of ' wind " can have been permitted to be perpetrated as a permanency it is difficult to understand, it being the more remarkable having regard to the wonderful taste and judgment shown in Underground advertisement posters, etc. Since the publica- tion of this wonderful " wind " panel, some of the epithets which have been hurled at it by correspondents appear to be none too strong for the subject. The following is a selection of just one or two. " A female figure with a dislocated neck, an amputated hand, elephantine legs and rudimentary feet " ; " If to reject all that has been learned of sculpture since the time of the cave dwellers and to substitute for the art of Greek sculpture ' ugliness, clumsiness, distortion, and impos- sible anatomy for beauty and grace of form,' ... is to be great, then truly Mr. Epstein is great." and so on. In fact one can almost say that, to the man in the street, the execution is as crude, if not more so, as some of the almost shapeless animal objects of 3,700 years B.C., now being unearthed from the Royal Tombs of ancient Kish. Surely the present world of art can hardly justify reverting to such terribly primitive productions, and even Mr. Richard Sickert must find it difficult to justify his championship of the artist. IKY LINES INCORPORATED" is the title of a new aeroplane service in America, which Mr. Paul Chapman intends inaugurating with a fleet of 20 aeroplanes, to meet at New York his ships of the- United States Lines and American Merchant Lines and to transport passengers thence inland as far as San Francisco. Needless to say each machine, according to programme, capable of carrying 20 passengers besides a couple of pilots, is to be of the very latest up-to-date luxurious design. America certainly seems to be planning big things in commercial aviation. GENTLEMEN Cadets will not in future be allowed tokeep or drive motor vehicles while in residence at Sandhurst. Such is the latest edict issued by the Commandant of the R.M.C., it would appear, primarily, for fear that the motor speed law may be infringed. Apparently, the only outlet for the cadets, on which to expend their superfluous energies, will be to take to the air, where, aayway for the present, a speed limit is not in force. ONE hundred air-liners entering or leaving Croydonaerodrome during the three-day Easter holiday ' More- over, all of them laden to full capacity with pleasure seekers. Prodigious. Just think of it and compare with only a year gone by—and this is only the commencement of the Era of the Air. ENGLAND-INDIA Air Mail opening run has indeed justi-fied the wonderful organisation of Imperial Airways. It sets me guessing, though, when I read that it is " running to schedule time a la railway " and in the same sentence that the " air-liner landed at Basle 17 mins. ahead of time ! " Evidently, the writer is a bit of a humorist, but at least it should drive home the advent of another threat to railway interests. Air versus Rail ! ABOLOS 286
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