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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0901.PDF
APRIL 8, 1937. FLIGHT. 339 The Outlooks Ancient — JlfHETHER one likes it or not, the English language YY is gradually being enriched (some would use a dif ferent adjective) by the introduction of some of those very descriptive American expressions which dismiss a whole sentence in a word or two. Purists may lament the fact, but there is no stemming the tide ; the words come into use, are gradually accepted, and finally are scarcely recognised as foreign to the language. Like most other things, a language must grow and develop; otherwise it must decay. In the early days of flying the English language adopted many French expressions and names, many of which are still in use. The reason was a very natural and obvious one: a great deal of the earliest flying in England was done on French machines ; most likely the pilot had been taught to fly in France, and there picked up the French names for the various components of the machine. When asked what these were called he might think of an apt English name, but would be much more likely to use the French. In that way reached us such words as fuselage, nacelle, and aileron. We could just as well have used body, boat, and winglet, but at the time they sounded rather silly, and the French names may have had the attraction which often accompanies the sound of a foreign word imperfectly under stood. When this journal was founded in 1909 a great many titles were suggested for it, but ultimately the then Editor and proprietor, Mr. Stanley Spooner, turned all of them down and decided in favour of Flight, a perfectly good English word which covered the subject. This shows that we were, from the earliest days, in favour of using English words in preference to foreign if they were equally descriptive. We adopted from the beginning the word " aeroplane " because at the time there appeared to be no English word as descrip tive, "flying machine" being rather cumbersome, and " flier " being ambiguous. —and Modern Z AST week the Royal Aeronautical Society threw some-^ thing of a bombshell into the aviation world by using in an Official Notice—a lecture announcement—the word "airplane." It is difficult to see any justification for this. '' Aeroplane'' has become accepted by this country, with the exception of a group of newspapers, and at any rate one would not have expected the suggestion to come from a body of the august ancientness of the R.Ae.S. (founded in 1866). "Airplane" is no more descriptive than "aeroplane," so there^is little excuse for making the change. If it is the " aero " part of the word to which the R.Ae.S. objects, as obviously it must be, then it is difficult to see how the Society can escape the duty of carrying out the objection logically throughout. We may, then, receive an invitation from the Royal Airnautical Society (with which is incor porated the Institution of Airnautical Engineers) to a Garden Party at Fairey's airdrome, at which all the latest airplanes and air engines will be demonstrated. Doubtless many of the eminent airdynamic experts of the Airnautical Research Committee will be present, as well as representa tives of the Directorates of Airnautical Inspection and Air nautical Production. Perhaps the secretary of the Royal Air Club will be invited, too. National or Local? P RECAUTIONS against damage by air raids are a form of insurance, but in the present case the premia appear to be very high. Of course, it is much better business to pay a high premium than to suffer grievous damage from an air bomb ; but the risks are not imminent. Bombing of cities which contain military objectives there will certainly be in any future war, and it is equally cer tain that some of the bombs will miss those objectives and will damage private property. Very elaborate plans have been drawn up, but local authorities are pausing before putting them into practice until the Government declares what proportion of the cost it will shoulder. In equity, all such charges ought to be borne by the central Government, and the money should come out of the taxes rather than out of the rates. There is much in common between taking precautions in good time and compensating for damage after it has oc curred. In 1915 Flight waged a long and persistent cam paign in favour of national insurance against air raid damage, and ultimately the Government started a national insurance scheme which worked very satisfactorily. The same principle ought to be applied now. We should hesi tate to urge that the Government ought to bear the whole cost of air raid precautions everywhere, and the local authorities have not suggested a thing. But the Govern ment contribution ought to be generous. " Expansion " Trainers O F all the blessings conferred on the R.A.F. none has been more vital than the uncompromising efficiency of its training machines. Perhaps '' uncompromis ing " is misleading, for the good primary trainer is, of necessity, a compromise, a paragon of intermediacy, neither too difficult nor too simple to fly, never concealing errors of handling, but impervious to everyday abuse. Hitherto our trainers have borne an almost monumental significance. Bombers and fighters passed by, but the Avro 504, periodically rejuvenated, continued as the trial horse for the young idea. Until a few years ago ab initio on a " 504 '' was regarded as the birthright of every Ser vice pilot. Masters of Camel and Gauntlet alike cut their teeth on this most beloved of all aeroplanes. '' Intermediate '' types, and by that is meant machines reproducing the handling characteristics of first-line Ser vice aircraft, have, in post-war years, been conversions from standard types, and no great study of this class has been necessary. The advent of the monoplane regime, how ever, focuses fresh attention on training equipment. The position in the R.A.F. to-day is that we have the Tutor, supplemented for special duties by the Prefect and Tiger Moth and, in the more advanced categories, by such types as the Hart Trainer and the single-seater Fury and Gauntlet. Under the Expansion Scheme the Air Ministry has placed orders for Miles Magisters, De Havilland Dons and Airspeed Oxfords. The Magister is an improved Hawk Trainer, and, as such, its qualities are well established. The Don is an entirely new design, while the Oxford, for twin-engine training, is descended directly from the well-tried Envoy. In this trio, each machine of which is designed to cover a specified range of duties, we shall undoubtedly have train ing equipment fit for the preparation of crews for the superlative front-line machines now being delivered. DIARY OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS—PAGE 54?
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