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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0342.PDF
FLIGHT. FEBRUARY 6, 1936, for public help m the first year 01 two; this not only because a stronger core of pilot-experience is necessary, but also because this ability implies several other possessions at least as vital to success as money. Among them are a suitable gliding site, a certain membership, enthusiasm, adequate instruction and maintenance, and good management. The lack of any of these invites failure, and because the State can supply only money, elementary requirements for the others were laid down to avoid waste of subsidy funds. Previous financial failure—although not to be over-rated as an omen of subsidised success—is no bar to the subsidy pro vided other essentials are present in reason; but the prime need is an efficient nucleus of clubs, founded on previous success and well distributed geographically. These become clearing houses of experience and training grounds of instructors for those clubs which at present find the qualifications '' definitely exclusive " and are therefore not yet good public investments. The subsidy is granted only for'capital assets such as site, buildings, gliders and training equipment, and a percentage must be borne by the club. All claims must be supported by documents as to cost, delivery or completion, condition, etc., before the trustees may approve them, and the fact that the Federation considers these ordinary business usages '' restricted and absurd " illustrates their necessity. A Club and the Subsidy Another item in Flight of January 30 provides an example. A member club of the Federation demands an enquiry into the subsidy administration, and stoppage thereof in the mean time. This club asked for subsidy. In reply to enquiries it repudiated as wasteful formalities such things as approved chief instructor, approved ground engineer, agreement ensuring the use of a gliding site, services of an accountant, and R.Ae.C. Glider Pilot's Certificates. This attitude is no doubt sincere, but a less honest club dealing with more trustful trustees might well cause the taxpayer to sit up and repudiate the wasteful formality of issuing subsidy cheques. No good election is complete without a modicum of class hatred, so familiar-sounding charges of opulence and ill-faith are levelled by your correspondent against a body identifiable as the London Gliding Club. They concern me only as they impugn the subsidy administration of the British Gliding Asso ciation. The L.G.C., with more than 250 members, includes a few " of means "; but the taunt of bloated wealth is misguided. Success came not from riches but from some years' hard pulling through the doldrums of inexperience. Only comparatively recently has it borne fruit in those spectacular flights upon which, the letter alleges, the club bases its claim of efficiency. So it may, partly, but these flights have no bearing whatever on the subsidy, which is allotted solely on pilots trained in the preceding year. They merely help the club to qualify for that disqualification which the Federation would impose upon success. The insistence of the Air Ministry on the reaffiliation of the L.G.C. before entrusting to the B.G.A. the administration of the subsidy is attributable not only to the fact that the L.G.C. included considerably more than half the certificated glider pilots in the country, but also to the experience which led to its admitted success, and could not lightly be ignored for the task in hand. The reforms in the B.G.A., demanded by the L.G.C. t>efore consenting to "gain readmission," were submitted to the Air Ministry and all found desirable, being the outcome of difficulties overcome—by no great margin at times—during the past six years. Precisely the same difficulties have reduced many clubs to being " unable to carry on without aid." The subsidy scheme, as now in effect, exploits proven capa bility as a quicker and less wasteful means to more and better gliding than the repetition at public expense of the same old mistakes in thirty localities at once. In the latter half of 1935 were issued 182 Glider Pilot's Certificates. Of these 162 were gained by trainees of the four clubs already qualified for subsidy. The purpose of the grant is not being defeated. F. D. BRADBROOKE, Honorary Secretary, The British Gliding Association, Ltd. London, S.W.i. Autogiro Efficiency . Forced Landings TN your correspondence columns in Flight of January 16 two -*• letter? interested me greatly, namely, "Autogiro Efficiency " by Mr. James Buchanan, and "Forced Landings " by Mr. \V F P Johnson. In the first instance I would like to ask one or two questions that I have never been able to answer to my own satisfaction, and in the second I would like to put forward one or two suggestions. Regarding fixed wings there are aircraft in operation capable of lifting forty to sixty passengers, whereas I think I am correct in stating that Autogiros have not exceeded 10 per cent, of that lift. Direct-control Autogiros are at present limited to one rotor,, apparently, as the control of the aircraft is seriously hampered if a greater number is employed; in fact it almost appears that normal controls would have to be reinstalled in such a case. In view of the fact that aircraft of from 50 to 200 tons are undei discussion as a practical proposition commercially I would De very pleased to know if any technical expert can inform me whether a multi-rotor Autogiro is a sound possi bility, or, if a single xotor can be designed to withstand a 50- to 200-ton lift. If not, then I do not see a great future to auto-rotatien Turning now to the matter of forced landings I .entirely agree with the suggestions put forward by Mr. W. E. P. Johnson, but, in addition, I think there is another trait evident in some pilots which will account for a number of the type of accidents under discussion. The subtle and dangerous facLor to which I refer is "pride," and it is some times disgui.ed as "over confidence." In a genuine forced landing the pilot's mind is fully con- centratea on one objective, namely, to get into the field in one piece, and his judgment is not impaired by any out side influence. In an ordinary landing in a small field the proud (V.r over-confident) pilot frequently slightly misjudges his approach and, in addition, has either a passenger in the machine or friends on the ground whom he wishes to impress. Whether the approach is rumbled or otherwise he finds him self slightlv overshooting, either due to rumbling in too fast or coming in too high ; then, instead of putting his pride in his pocket and his engine on, and going around again, he determines to sit down at any price—which is generally fairly high. He then generally either fails to stop and hits the far hedge or puts his engine on too late and hits it harder still; or he endeavouis tc sideslip very low and late and probably touches down with drift with equally damaging results ! I think that during the training period a little time spent in impressing on the pupil the fact that it is not a crime, or anything to be ashamed of, to put on one's engine and try again, is well worth while. Power, approaches should be practised as much as forced landings by a commercial pilot as they are extremely useful in avoid ag any fairly steep turns or anything in the nature of aerobatic landings which are likely to disturb his passen gers ; tnerefort, I would hesitate to rule out power approaches even for comparative beginners. fn closing, i would like to say that I would be very interested to know if Mr. Johnson or others agree with the above, as 1 haven't his experience, in so far as I am not an instructoi R. P OPIE. Bou-nemouth. Cables, Organic and Otherwise THE increase in electrical apparatus on aeroplanes has ren dered it necessary to discriminate between electric cables and those used for the mechanical controls. The wires used for transmitting movements in old-fashioned organs were called "trackers," and I would suggest the use of the term "tracker cables " for those used on aeroplanes. Portsmouth. YV. H. LAWES. In Brief Provided that sufficient support is forthcoming it is proposed to form a gliding club for Croydon and the surrounding district. A site for primary training has been selected and in due course an effort will be made to start soaring in earnest. Those interested should get into touch with Mr. F. Lindsley, of 132, Coldharbour Road, Waddon, Croydon. * * « Commenting on a recent paragraph regarding the fitting of night-flying equipment as standard, General Aircraft, Ltd., point out that the S.T.25 (" Jubilee ") Monospar is not only fitted with night flying equipment as standard, but also with radio, including homing device. They claim to be the first manufacturers of twin-engined aircraft in the world to sell a fully equipped aeroplane as standard. A " Jubilee " Mono- spar, they point out, can be bought just in the same manner as one buys a car; it can be flown away directly from the works, finished in every detail, complete with all necessary equipment' for an inclusive price
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