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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0254.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 13, 1931 f The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters intended for insertion in these columns.'] LANDING AT CROYDON [2371] Referring to your description of the Autogiroin " Croydon Weekly Notes " in the February 27 issue, I was much amused at this account, and suggest that perhapsthe unfortunate pilot had already been bitten, and you know the old saying, " Once bitten, twice shy." I have only to mention the word " Croydon " to my pilotto cause an expression of agony to pass across his face. In the summer of '29, seeing a joy-riding 'plane in a field,I suddenly had a desire to see what flying was like, and had a 5s. flip, and wanted more. When asked where Iwished to go, I could only think of Croydon. We arrived and spent about an hour there, for which thepilot was charged 10s. fees. When we wished to start, the pilot spent about a quarter of an hour running about tryingto get someone to swing the prop. Eventually a big, important, portly gentleman was secured,and after much puffing, he got things going. Since then I have been a number of trips amounting to over 1,200 miles,but, needless to say, never again to Croydon. Most likely I shall be again having another flight on an Autogiro, andshall not fail to ask the pilot if he was at Croydon at the time mentioned in your note. Incidentally, I had nodifficulty in getting him to land in Bembridge, I.W., flying field. J. W. COOPER. Shanklin, l.O.W.March 4, 1931. JUNKERS "JUNIOR" CONSTRUCTION [2372] I have read with great interest the articles onthe Paris Show in the AIRCRAFT ENGINEER. However, inthe remarks on the Junkers " Junior," I would like to make a few comments. The engine installed was a Siemens, andnot a Genet. There also seems to be a mistake about the leading-edge of the wing. This is no seamless tube, butsimply a flat, rolled up into a conical shape and riveted with a single row of rivets (double row in earlier models). In theexhibition piece the tube was revolved, so that the seam was not visible at a casual glance. Thus, this member is reallyvery cheap to fabricate. The other point is that the Junkers firm do not insert rivets from one end of a tube in any case.Only the " holding-iron " is inserted in the tubes, while the rivets are inserted from the outside, hammered with airor hand-hammer, the head being formed on the inside by reaction against the holding-iron. The heads on these" Junkers rivets " are very carefully inspected by inserting lighted " telescopes " into the tubes and checking everyhead. These cylindrical-shaped heads are far easier to inspect than the usual rounded type, as there is no possibilityfor a workman to try to cover up bad work. This is also the type of riveting used in riveting the skin to the circularframes in the " Junior," this being done from the outside with an air-hammer. With even a little examination thistype of riveting is easily recognised, as the round heads on the outside still show the tiny circle which indicates thatthe material is dural, which could not show if the head was formed on the outside. I hope that you have no objections to these corrections,which I am just making for the purposes of accuracy. Fliegerlager Wasserkuppe, B. S. SHENSTONE. Gersfeld, Rhoen, Germany. March 5, 1931. AVIATION INSURANCE [2369] CAN it be that insurance companies are demandingpremiums higher than are justified by statistics, and thus discouraging the development of civil aviation at a timewhen its fostering is a matter of premier national importance. Not only do such high premiums tax the resources of pilotand passenger, but also must create, by implication, an un- justifiable feeling that aviation is much more dangerous thanother forms of transport. In the case of my own firm, an aeroplane being kept forbusiness purposes, we do all we can to encourage our staff to travel by air and develop " air sense." They are more thanwilling to avail themselves of such opportunity, but some are restrained by the fact that it is necessary to take stepsto amend their insurance policies and pay additional premiums varying from £2 to £5 per cent, to cover the alleged risk of anoccasional trip by air. The policies held by some others cannot even be amended to include flying. As a firm we takeout a policy covering passenger risks, but this does not affect the fact that the private individual's policy is nullified. May I appeal to insurance companies to give a helpinghand to aviation by fixing premiums commensurate with the risks really involved. I recall the exaggerated premiumsdemanded in the early days of motoring. ALEXANDER DUCKHAM.Cannon St., London, E.C.4. February 16, 1931. OUR AIRSHIP POLICY [2370] A discussion in FLIGHT between your readers on ourairship policy and some articles on the subject would, I think, be welcome.The position as I see it is this :—America is building two very large rigid airships, has recently tested an all-metal oneof possibly revolutionary design, and is planning the con- struction of a larger ship of the same type.Germany is making headway with the successor of the magnificent Graf Zeppelin, and at least two other countries,Japan and Soviet Russia are experimenting and building. Great Britain has probably more to gain from the airshipthan any other nation, and the fate of their development in this country will be decided in a few months by an Air Ministerwho has no technical knowledge, a short time after the most terrible disaster that has ever befallen aviation. Withoutdoubt, Lord Amulree will give his unbiased opinion on the type of airships of which R 101 and R 100 were the mostmodern examples, but we cannot expect him to say whether we should continue to build all-metal airships or those ofelliptical section. Commander Burney and Mr. Louis Coatalen have ideasconcerning airship design very different to those embodied in R 100 and R 101. And I would say that the construction of aclass of aircraft, one single example of which has flown round the world in record time, which holds the world's distancerecord for all types of aircraft, and has crossed the Atlantic five times, should not be discontinued without the mostcareful consideration b)' the greatest aeronautical brains of the nation. P. D. B. Haywards Heath, Sussex. February 23, 1931. IN PARLIAMENT Air Services to the Channel Islands - MR. MONTAGUE, in reply to Mr. Everard, said no recent proposal forestablishing an air service between England and the Channel Islands has been received by the Air Ministry. Post Office and the Indian Air Mall THE ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL (MR. VIANT), in reply to Sir NairneStewart Sandeman, said.—The air fees to the public for the Indian Air Service are fixed at the lowest figure which will ensure that the transportand other charges incidental to the service are covered. This result has hitherto been achieved ; but the general finance of the Indian Air Serviceis not, of course, a matter for which my Department is responsible. All possible steps have been taken to bring this service and the advantages itoffers to the notice of business houses and all persons likely to be interested. India Air Mail Service THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (MR. WEDGWOOD BENN), i« septy ™Lt.-Com. Kenworthy said the Government of India estimated, in ,192s! that the cd»t of subsidising a weekly air mail service between Karachi andCalcutta via Delhi in both directions, if operated by a commercial company- would amount in the first year to about £100,000, and in subsequent years toabout £95,000. The idea is that the Government of India should r«a »« services.Launching Aircraft by Catapults MR. ALEXANDER, First Lord of the Admiralty, on March 4,ia reply *°="Nicholas Grattan-Doyle, said five vessels of the British Nary are eqiipp60 with catapult devices for launching aircraft. Eleven new catapults are onorder or completed. Tests of launching aircraft from various types of •»*»' pults have been carried out with satisfactory results. 238
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