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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1366.PDF
1370 FLIGHT. DECEMBER 20, 1934. NEW BOOKS C. W. A. Scott's Story * Scott's Book: The Life and Mildenhall-Melbourne Flight of C. W. A. Scott. Told by Himself. Things move quickly when Mr. Scott is on the job, and this book about his life, which includes a cabled account of his win in the MacRobertson race, appeared in record time. His pub- lishers explain how the seeming miracle was worked. Naturally enough, the reader hopes that the piece de resist- ance of the book will be the chapter about the Mildenhall- Melbourne race, and, equally naturally, he is disappointed. Cables hardly allow expansiveness. But if the reader has been conscientious (as this reviewer invariably is!) and has read Straight through the book from the beginning, he will already have followed Scott on three other record flights between Australia and England, and will almost rejoice that the fourth account is not too verbose. It is a very plucky thing for a man to go struggling on when he is half dead from want of sleep; but one cannot keep up one's interest if one reads too much of that sort of thing. Apart from the records, there is a good deal of interest in the story of Scott's life. He gives a very good account of his time in the R.A.F. as a short-service officer, and another very interesting account of flying on route and on special charter for Qantas. The story of his crash from a spin in a cloud is very well told, and he is very modest about the gallantry with which he dashed into the flames to rescue his mechanic. That, of course, was the finest thing he ever did. Scott has made his name because, as he admits, regular work has always bored him. That kind of character makes flying history, but the trouble may come when there are no more records left for him to break. Perhaps a rocket journey to the moon will take his fancy. F. A. DE V.R. (* Hodder and Stoughton, 7s. 6d. net.) A Pilot's Reminiscences * Wings. By H. C. Biard Flying meetings have been less genial affairs since H. C. Biard ceased to be test pilot to the Supermarine firm. When Biard felt inclined to make himself amusing no one could keep the company in better humour, and few men were more gener- ally popular. He was withal a great pilot, a winner of the Schneider Trophy, and twice the holder of the world's air speed record. It is right that such a man should publish the story of his career. He has earned the right to blossom forth into print. In this record of his twenty-five years of flying it is chiefly his capacity for telling a good story which comes to the top. The book is less an autobiography than a collection of really good yarns, mostly very well told. Apart from the humour of the book there are some very fine passages of descriptive writing. Best of them is the account of the Schneider race at Naples in 1922, when Biard, in the " Sea Lion," brought the trophy back to Great Britain. Another good piece of writing tells of his crash in the Supermarine S.4 monoplane at Baltimore in the Schneider contest of 1925. We were then learning about wing flutter, and Biard was unfor- tunate to suffer from the lack of full knowledge at that time. That 1925 affair was the last time that British firms put in private entries for the Schneider contest. After that year the R.A.F. took up the task of challenging, and Webster, Waghorn, and Boothman made it certain that the Trophv should finally remain in this country. Still, one cannot help sympathising with Biard in that he was not allowed to fly the S.5. We are glad to hear of Biard again through this book. We assure him that he is not forgotten, and we trust that the sales of his book will provide a substantial contribution to his domestic budget. F. A. DE V. R. (* Hurst and Blackett, Ltd., gs. 6d. net.) (j.A.P.A.N. Annual MeetingT HE annual meeting of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navi-gators of the British Empire was held recently at the Royal Aeronautical Society, and forty members were present to hearthe Master's report. Printed copies of the report were circu- lated to the 186 members and 141 associates of the Guild. In his report, the Master, Captain the Rt. Horn F. E. Guest,P.C., C.B.E., D.S.O., referred to the steady progress that had been made during the year. Among the matters dealt withby the Guild, he said, had been the marking on aeronautical maps of wireless masts over sixty feet in height; the appoint-ment of two representatives to the Aerodromes Advisory Board; and a recommendation to the Air Ministry regardingthe second-class air navigators' examinations, as a result of which the results of the examination just held would be an-nounced in six weeks instead of being delayed for a much longer period. The Guild, continued Capt. Guest, had had under considera-tion the question of a standard uniform for pilots; when the time was ripe this matter would be carried further. Otherpoints were that the Guild had prepared and printed a standard form of contract for air pilots, with clauses designed to repre-sent a fair engagement as between employer and pilot; that it was accepting, as probationary associates for a year, officersleaving the R.A.F., to assist them to enter civil aviation; that the number of Instructors' Certificates issued by the Guild wasnow 253 ; and that winter classes for instruction in the syllabus necessary for the second-class air navigators' examination werenow being carried out simultaneously in London and Liverpool, while arrangements had been made for special wireless classesas well. The adoption of the report was moved by Mr. G. M. Cox,M.C., and seconded by the Most Hon. the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale, M.P., who in a short speech outlined a num-ber of ways in which the Guild might augment its sphere of usefulness. A vote of thanks to the Master and to the retiringDeputy Master, Mr. O. P. Jones, was proposed by Captain Norman Macmillan. Air Navigators' Examination—Successful Candidates The Air Ministry announces that the following candidatesnave passed the examination for Second Class Civil Air Naviga- tors' licences held during the week commencing October 15, 1934 : —London Centre.—Ashton, R., Bliss, R. E. P., Bredenhamp, V. J. W., Burt, E. T- E., Capper, N. J., Cass, K.N., Finnegan, E. J., Hill, E., Messenger, L.V., Wood, G., Woodhouse, H. O. Heliopolis.—Mathieson, J. M., Paterson, A. Singapore.—Collins, H. B., Gaine, M. L. Hinaidi.—Dobson, J. A., Noyes, L. B. Twenty-four candidates sat for the examination in London, three at Heliopolis, two at Singapore, and three at Hinaidi. The next examination will be held during the week commenc- ing March 18, 1934. "Some" Diesel! Readers will probably have guessed that the power of theDeschamps diesel engine mentioned in the report of Capt. Forsyth's recent lecture is not as high at 12,000 b.h.p.,which was the figure inadvertently given. The designers will, we imagine, be quite pleased if they get 1,200 b.h.p. out of theengine. o <> <•> o NEW COMPANIES COMETAL LTD. Capital £100 in 1/- shares. Objects: To carry on thebusiness of manufacturers of and dealers in iron and steel, alloys, precious metals, metallic ore and sheet metal, motor car and aeroplane components,etc. The first directors are : Hubert D. Cooper, Park House, Church Street, Stoke Newington. Frederick W W. Wootton, Newfield, 103, Green Lane,Northwood, Middlesex. O *> O *$>• PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED Seaplane Design: By William Nelson. Price 21/- net. London : McGraw-HillPublishing Co. Air Publication 1465. Volume 1. The Seal Aeroplane Panther HA, Aero-Engine. Price 3/6d. net. London: H.M. Stationery Office, W.C.2. <5> «$>• <$> O AERONAUTICAL PATENT SPECIFICATIONS APPLIED FOR IN 1933 Published, December 20lh, 1934. 21691. BLACKBURN AEROPLANE & MOTOR CO. LTD., and PETTY, G. E. Appara-tus for suspending torpedoes and the like from aircraft. (419,895) 24063. BRISTOL AEROPLANE CO., LTD., and BARNWELL, F. S. Engine mountingsfor aircraft. (420,025) 29737. FAIHEY AVIATION CO., LTD., and ORDIDGE, F. H. Undercarriage of aircraft. (420,120) APPLIED FOR IN 1934. 5738. WALTER MOTOR CARS & AERO ENGINES, LTD. Charge-forming devices for aircraft internal-combustion engines. (420,034) • 21927. IRVING AIR CHUTE OF GREAT BRITAIN LTD. (Lundholme, C. H.)Parachute equipment. (420,059)
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