FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0686.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 8, 1932 THE HERMES IV : View from below of two cylinders, one with the valve gear cover removed. Starter and Auxiliary Gear.— Provision is made for the fitting of hand or compressed-air starter; also for the driving of fuel pumps, gun-gear mechanism or other auxiliaries, and these can, if re quired, be fitted at extra cost. Crankcase.—The lower portion is an aluminium alloy casting, and houses the main bearings, while the timing gears are carried at the rear end. Being a dry sump type engine, the upper half of the crankcase, which is in elec tron metal, merely acts as a cover for the moving parts. Lubrication.—Oil is pressure- fed throughout the lubrication system by an oil delivery pump from the oil tank. A scavenger pump is also fitted to take the oil from the crankcase after use. Engine Bearer Feet.—Resilient engine bearer feet are supplied as part of the equipment of the engine. Engine Cowling.—It will be appreciated that with the special design of cylinder head which has been adopted, it is now only necessary to provide a side chute for the cool ing air, and arrangements are being made so that this chute will be an integral part of the engine and will be supplied with it. SKY WRITING f n 'HE Select Committee appointed by the House of \ T • Commons '' to consider the use of appliances for _M_ projecting writing or other displays on the sky, or for broadcasting speech or other sounds from aircraft," has now presented its report. The committee was composed of Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, Mr. Buchan, Capt. Bullock, Mr. Cocks, Maj. Llewellin, Mr. Llewellyn- Jones, Mr. Lovat-Fraser, Mr. Mander, Mr. McEntee, Col. Moore-Brabazon, and Mr. Parkinson. The committee recommend that smoke-writing should not be prohibited or controlled. They do not recommend any change in the existing law as regards trailing adver tisement banners from aircraft. They recommend that sky-shouting (by means of a loud speaker) should be pro hibited by law for all private purposes, as they feel that its use, " whether it be added to the already considerable volume of noise that obtains in an active urban area or in the comparative quiet of the country-side, would be an unnecessary and intolerable imposition." Night sky-writing, by projection of light on to clouds at night, was considered at no little length. The recom mendations are made under the five heads of Area, Loca tion, Time, Number, and Matter. Under the heading Area, the committee recommends that legislation should be introduced to prohibit night sky-writing in rural areas for all private purposes, though a local council may permit it on special occasions ; but in urban areas night sky writing should be freely permitted. Under Location, the committee recommends that the use of a sky projector should be forbidden within a definite radius of any ancient monument or building of historic importance. Under the heading Time, the committee recommends that all private sky-writing should be forbidden in any area on Sundays. For control of the Number of machines in any area and of the Matter to be displayed, the committee recommends that a voluntary body should be set up, representing advertising interests, which should act with the other parties concerned in making what limitations are desirable. In arriving at these conclusions, the committee were impressed by the following considerations. No writing is possible on a clear sky night. Clouds are necessary, and only certain forms of cloud make a satisfactory screen for the purpose. The average range of good visibility is be lieved to be a circle of about a mile radius. In summer the period of darkness is short, and it is estimated that on the average through the year not more than one hour per night is suitable for projection. From the point of view of public safety, the War Office stated that there was a possibility of sky-writing search lights interfering with air defence searchlights, and that at present there was not sufficient power to control sky writing in such cases. At the same time, Maj. Savage's invention might be useful. The Air Ministry stated that in its present form the apparatus was not a danger to air navigation provided that the base was not moved during one night. There would be no objection to a change of base on successive nights. Trinity House represented that danger to life at sea might be caused if the projectors were used in proximity to a lighthouse or port. The existing powers for dealing with false lights do not seem to give the degree of control necessary for dealing with this point. As regards interference with natural amenities, the com mittee, after witnessing a display of night sky-writing, considered it " far more pleasant than many permanent forms of advertising to which the people of this country are unfortunately too accustomed." It is evanescent and its use causes no irreparable damage ; consequently it is peculiarly susceptible to intelligent control. If at some particular spot it is found incongruous with the surround ings, it is merely a matter of administrative machinery to ensure that the offence is not repeated. The committee do not consider that the present is a time at which a new industry, however small, should be unnecessarily hampered or driven abroad. SS Jg S§ 515 §5 Reid 8C Sigrist Turn Indicators ON June 20 Mr. Justice Luxmoore, in the Chancery Division, gave judgment in favour of Reid & Sigrist, of Canbury Park Road, Kingston-on-Thames, in their action against Mr. Douglas George King Moss, of Selby Road, Anerley, and Mechanisms, Ltd., of 6a, George Street, Croydon. The claim of Reid & Sigrist, Ltd., was that Mr. Moss was not the true and first inventor of certain designs of novel features of gyroscopic turn indicators. In giving judgment Mr. Justice Luxmoore said that he was of the opinion that certain turn indicators made by Mr. Moss were substantially in accordance with information and knowledge he had acquired when employed by Reid & Sigrist, Ltd. Reid & Sigrist were therefore granted an injunction to restrain Mr. Moss and Mechanisms, Ltd., from using or disclosing the methods of construction or features of the design of gyroscopic turn indicators. Judgment was entered accordingly with costs. 638
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
