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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0021.PDF
JANUARY 3, 1935. FLIGHT. 11 take a very considerable number of days, and, often, the port for which she is making has no knowledge of when a particular ship is going to arrive. If the place which an aircraft is leaving is in the grip of an epidemic, the air port for which the machine is bound could easily be warned. Coming next to the consideration of more technical matters, I feel that this flight has shown quite con clusively that, for carrying out a serious job of work, a range of between 600 and 700 miles with a cruising speed of about 150 m.p.h. is absolutely necessary, and of these two things the range is more important. From my previous remarks it can be seen that the less time spent on the ground the better. Between Marseille and Baghdad the main stopping places are, more often than not, situated approximately 300 miles apart, and their geographical placing is frequently such that cutting off a corner to overstep one of them necessitates a flight of between 500 and 600 miles. This, when added to the head-wind, which must for safety's sake be anticipated by the provision of sufficient range, means fuel for approximately 700 miles. Also, of course, immunity from forced landings must be provided; the single-engined performance of the Dragon " is admirable in this respect, provided the machine is not overloaded. Unfortunately, people who make journeys of this nature and can afford to maintain machines in this class naturally and rightly expect a con siderably greater degree of comfort than is necessary on fiights of far shorter duration. They therefore include more comfortable seating and considerably more equip ment than is fitted in the standard machines, with the result that both payload and range are decreased. I feel, therefore, that possibly the tendency in design for the six- passenger machine capable of doing the world-wide work of a man who runs a machine for business purposes may be to revert to the three-engined type. The amount of equipment which is really necessary for a job of this nature is astonishing. A very full wireless installation for both telegraphy and telephony is important (in this connection it would seem that there is an opening for keen young ground engineers who are also expert wireless telegraphists). Again, the pilot must be prepared to fly above or in cloud, so, besides the wireless, he must have a full range of blind-flying instruments, and 'if possible, an automatic pilot. The machine must, of course, be fully equipped with lights for night flying and for landing. Another point which becomes of vital importance in hot countries is that of ventilation. The present systems of little spouts which blow a cold draught on the top of the passengers' bald heads lose none of their unattractiveness in hot countries, because very often the air sent through them is quite cool at high altitudes, so that colds are frequently caught. I feel that the general or complete ventilating system which deals with the whole of the cabin air is to be preferred, but it must be adequate, because nothing is worse in a hot country than a stuffy cabin. It is to be hoped, also, that the use of engine silencers will before long become general, as even the best of machines in the class under discussion do not yet approach the silence achieved in larger air liners. THE NEW YEAR HONOURS Recipients in the World of Flying : Sir Macpherson Robertson a K.B.E. ANUMBER of people well known in the aeronautical world appear in the New Year's Honours Lists made public last Tuesday. As will be seen from the names below, the recipients of Honours and Awards are mainly in the Service, though it will be noticed that Sir Macpherson Robert son, of Australia Race fame, has been granted a K.B.E. An O.B.E. is granted to Fit. Lt. W. R. May, D.F.C., of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and a note on a remarkable incident in the life of this officer appears on p. 3. HONOURS K.C.B. (Military) Air-Marshal Sir John Miles Steel, K.B.E., C.B., C.M.G., Royal Air Force. C.B. (Military) Air Vice-Marshal W. Gore Sutherland Mitchell, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., A.F.C., Royal Air Force. Air Commodore Charles E. H. Rathbone, D.S.O., Royal Air Force O.B.E. (Military) Sqd. Ldr. R S. Grandv. Royal Canadian Air Force. M.B.E. (Military) Fit. Lt. A. A. Poole, Royal Australian Air Force. K.B.E. (Civil) Sir Macpherson Robertson, Kt. O.B.E. (Civil) F/O. C. Haggerton Dickins. Fit. Lt. W. R. May, D.F.C., Royal Canadian Air Force (Reserve of Officers). British Empire Medal Fit. Sergt. H. Johnson Winney, Royal Canadian Air Force. G.C.I.E. F. Tymms, M.C., Director of Civil Aviation in India. O.B.E. (Civil) A. S, Lane, Chief Inspector of Aircraft, Civil Aviation Direc torate. AWARDS The Air Force Cross Sqd. Ldr. Vivian Steel Parker, D.F.C. F/O. George Norman Snarey. Sqd. Ldr. Douglas, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale, M.P., (Auxiliary Air Force). The Air Force Medal 4490 Fit. Sergt. (Pilot) Frederick Neal Paxman. Royal Red Cross (First Class) Miss Winifred Eveline Molesworth, Matron, Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service. • Diary of Forthcoming Events Club Secretaries and others are invited to send particulars of important fixtures for inclusion in this list. Jan. 7. " Imperial Air Routes." R.Ae.S. Lecture by Mr. F. Snowden Gamble. Jan. 14. " Aerodrome Design." Lecture by Sir Leopold H. Savile, before the Institute of Transport (Inst. Electri cal Engineers, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.2). Jan. 29. Newcastle-on-Tyne Aero Club Annual Dinner and Dance, Barras Bridge Assembly Rooms. Newcastle- on-Tyne. Feb 4. Jubilee Celebration of the Foundation of the City and Guilds College, Imperial College of Science and Technology. Feb. 8. " Ice Formation in Carburetters." R.Ae.S. Lecture by Mr. L. P. Coombes. Mar. 1. Mar 5. Fuels for Aircraft Engines. Mr. E. L. Bass. R.Ae.S. Lecture by Problems of Cold Presswork." Joint R.Ae.S. and Inst. A.E. Lecture by Dr. H. Gough and Dr. Desch. Mar 15. " New Developments of the Autogiro." R.Ae.S. Lecture by Senor Juan de la Cierva. Mar. 29. " Piloting Commercial Aircraft." R.Ae.S. Lecture by Sqd. Ldr. H. G. Brackley. Apr. 12, "Commercial Aircraft." R.Ae.S. Lecture by Capt. G. de Haviiland. May (Date not vet fixed). Wilbur Wright Lecture, R.Ae.S., Mr. VV. 1). Douglas. by
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