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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 2603.PDF
SEPTEMBER 15, 1938. FLIGHT. 24 T Did you watch him at all?—On these occasions, no. Was that because you had too much else to do?—No. I had confidence in him. It was no one's duty to watch him if you did not?—No. Mr. T. Greenslade, of Hatfield Aerodrome, said that the Rolls-Royce engine of the aeroplane was in perfect condition and fit to he flown. It had been flown two and three-quarter hours by other pilots the same morning, and there were no complaints. On Sunday morning he tested the machine to see if the petrol, oil, and water were satisfactory. The CORONER.—Am I right in saying you do not inspect the engine after every flight?—Not if there is no adverse report on the machine. It is tested by an instructor, who passes it O.K. Capt. F. S. Wilkinson, Air Ministry Inspector of Accidents, said all the routine inspections of the machine had been carried out. Mr. E. Stancombe, a rigger at the aerodrome, said the con trols of the machine were all right. They were examined on Saturday evening and looked at again on Sunday. There was nothing wrong at all with the machine and he signed the certifi cate of safety. Mrs. Florence Sheen, of Dunholme Lane, said that when she was indoors at about 2.40 on Sunday afternoon she heard a loud noise of an aeroplane which was flying very low. It caught the corner of her house, and the wheel came off and fell into the road. It then went on and struck another house. She saw the man in the machine waving his hand over the.side as if to the children. Mr. W. B. Spall, of Chalfont Road, Edmonton, said he heard an aeroplane whistling, and saw it coming from the north about 3ft. above the houses. It just missed his house. There was no smoke or flame. The pilot was leaning over the side of the machine, and seemed to be shouting. The CORONER said he was satisfied that they would gain nothing from adjourning the inquest to see if they could get a report from the Air Ministry. It was not the custom to give the information, and they had had a lot of evidence to show that the machine was in perfect working order. The pilot had been seen the same morning in another district of London, a good many miles from the aerodrome, although he had had instructions to carry out certain exercises on the aerodrome. When he signed the book afterwards he signed that 'he had done what he was supposed to do, but he did not say that he had done more. Dealing with the question whether there was sufficient super vision, the Coroner said they had been told that the pilot was experienced and would be expected to be obedient and cam- out his duties. If he were disobedient he would be reported to the authorities, who would have something to say to him. It was clear that Morris was with the machine over a populous area, and he was there obviously not only against instructions, but against Air Ministry regulations. It was quite sufficient for the jury to say that there was no culpable blame, that is, blame amounting to manslaughter on the part of the pilot. It was quite sufficient to record an " Accidental death " verdict, rod to add nothing more. No-claim Bonus ! T LOYD'S UNDERWRITERS are making a presentation of •L' a gold cigarette case, together with a cheque, in recog nition of F/O. Clouston's recent record flights, and in appreci ation of the good work he did in landing the Comet with a broken undercarriage at Cyprus and flying the machine back in a jury-rigged condition. The gold cigarette case is, in the words of a well-known jeweller, "a masterpiece of the gold worker's art," and is inscribed: "From Lloyd's Underwriters to F/O. Clouston, to mark their admiration and gratitude for his flights in the Comet G-ACSS, 1937-8: Damascus Race; Croydon-Cape- Croydon; U.K.-N.Z.-U.K." With typical bashfulness Clouston was reluctant to come up to the City to receive the case and the F/O. C. F. Hughes- den, representing the brokers—Stewart, Smith and Co., Ltd., —who have handled all the insurances on the Comet since it was rebuilt, is making the presentation to Clouston at Farn- borough. News of the Week Another Automatic S.O.S. f~\N the face of it, there seems little justification for equip- ^S ping an aeroplane with an automatically operated distress radio transmitter in districts other than the more remote territories encountered in Australia, Africa, and the Americas, not forgetting the two Poles. But it is a fact that machines have been lost for days in the British Isles. From this it would seem that a crash-proof unit would be useful. In Flight of September 1, 1938, brief details were given of a distress radio transmitter designed by an Englishman in America. But as long ago as April this year, Mr. R. V. Wrightson took out a provisional patent in London to cover a simple type of distress-call transmitter designed to work under the most adverse conditions. Briefly, it is a two-valve transmitter with an electrically driven drum which, in contact with suitably placed studs, causes a distress signal and the call sign of the aircraft to be transmitted. This instrument is slung by rubber cords in an asbestos-lined case, which in turn is similarly mounted inside an outer case that is also lined with asbestos. The outer case houses one accumulator and two 120-volt dry cell batteries. The top of the outer case is an air-tight cell, shaped to con form to that portion of the fuselage in front of the tail fin, which is where the instrument would be placed in medium- sized aircraft, for the tail is usually the least damaged portion in a crash. The outer case is designed to be carried between the longerons and attached with special soluble mountings, so that in the event of the machine becoming waterlogged, the instrument would float free and still operate. This p a r t- section shows the interior of the Wrightson apparatus. At the moment the set is designed with an aerial lying loose, in a V-channel, along the bottom of the fuselage, but experiments are to be made with a coiled- strip spring steel aerial. It is Mr. Wright- son's intention that the set should begin to operate in the event of the undercarriage breaking or if the engine stops with the ignition switch on. In both cases a breakage in a circuit would set it in operation. The set will be designed to transmit on 70 metres, with a smaller model available for 5 metres. Mr. Wrightson is a member of the recently formed firm of Morrisons, Ltd., of Purley Way, Croydon. Morrisons, Ltd., was formed to take over the manufacturing side of Wright- ways. Under the guidance of Mr. McGiveney and Mr. Wright son—both of whom played a big part in the formation of Wrightways—this new firm, with its large, modern factory, is concentrating on many types of work involved with Ad miralty and Air Ministry contracts, including the manufacture of wing tips, oleo fairings, leading edges and various types of panel and riveting work. G. H. Welsh F/O. G. H. WELSH, D.F.C., until recently chief flying instructor at the Beford School of Flying, Barton, states that he no longer has any connection with this school. F/O. Forthcoming Events September 11-18. Swedish Civil Aviation Week. September 20. R.Ae.S. Graduates and Students Section: Annual General Meeting, 7, Albemarle Street, London, W 1. September 21. Aero Golfing Society: Cellon Trophy, Richmond Golf Club. September 27. R.Ae.S. Graduates and Students Section: Inaugural Address, 7, Albemarie Street, London, W.l. October 14. Northamptonshire Aero Club: Annual Ball, Salon de Danse, Northampton. October 15. South Coast Flying Club: Annual Dinner and Dance, Grand Hotel, Brighton. October 20. R.Ae.S. Lecture': " Light Alloys in Aircraft Construction," by M. le Coeuvre. * All these Lectures take place at 6.30 p.m., at the Institution November 3. R.Ae.S. Lecture*: " The Meteorological Prob lem of the North Atlantic," by Capt. F. Entwistle, B.Sc. November 9 (Wednesday). R.Ae.S. Lecture*: "American Aircraft," by T. P. Wright, F.I.Ae.S., F.R.Ae.S. November 17. R.Ac.S. Lecture*: " The Work of the D.V.L.,'-by Dr. F. Seewald. November 18 - December 4. Paris Aero Show, with Air Transport Congress. December 1. R.Ae.S. Lecture*: "Flying Controls,' by Prof. G. T. R. Hill, M.C., M.Sc, F.R.Ae.S. December 15. R.Ae.S. Lecture*: " Some Results from the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fur Segeiflug Smoke Tunnel," by Herr A. Lippisch, A.F.R.Ae.S. o( Mechanical Engineers, Storey's Gate, London, S.W.t.
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