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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 2109.PDF
OCTOBER 12TH, 1944 FLIGHT 405 CORRESPONDENCE J he Editor docs not hold hnnselj responsible j or the views expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses 0/the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY Chanteloup Rolled in 1912 WITH reference to the letter from Air Comdre. Vernon Brown on the above subject appearing in your issue for September 28th, the roll was most certainly done before 1915, although I do not know who originated the manoeuvre. In 1912, at Hendon, 1 saw Monsieur Chanteloup execute a perfect roll on the little 1912 45 h.p. Anzani Caudron mono plane. I remember the incident well because it was very unexpected. The machine was very small (only 90 sq. ft. of surface), and Chanteloup was coming in to land. So far as I recollect, he could not have been more than 600ft. up, and he was approach ing the airfield from the hangars side. The roll was so neatly executed and so low down, being followed by a short glide and landing, that the confidence indicated leads me to feel quite sure that it was not the first time this excellent pilot had rolled. A. H. CURTIS (Sqn. Ldr., R.A.F.). since police authorities were given extensive powers to deal, not always too leniently, with the most petty offenders. It is my view that these limitations will be even more stringent for the owner-pilot of the new air age, and the number ot people who will ultimately be the proud possessors of aero-cars will be comparatively few. In fact, there will not be many cases of "irresponsible youngsters of the 'mad age,' Uncle Teds returning home far from sober, or Aunt Marys steering along wrth powder-puff in hand." In order to ensure that there shall be no aircraft stealing, it might be a good idea to introduce as a standing measure of protection, one wartime restriction which has proved itsell to be so highly satisfactory, i.e., immobilising engines whilst parked. So much for the pessimistic attitude which a certain per centage of the population has adopted. Enough of this! Let us get cm with the real jot)—of striving to put the British Empire in a prominent position in the air. ERIC LORRAINE ADLEM, M.R.S.S., A.A.R.T.S. POST-WAR OWNER PILOTS Necessary Restrictions and the Real Job to be Done IT would seem that there is a tendency to regard the progress of civil aviation in a very wrong light, so far as private ownership is concerned. This is to be regretted inasmuch as it casts a shadow of despondency on the whole proceedings and gives bad publicity to what will become a key industry in the aftermath of hostilities. The latter part of the afore mentioned statement is made with a certain amount of reserve, because I am of the opinion that a set-back is imminent if we are to allow unthinking individuals to pass scathing remarks concerning "lunatics in ancient Austers and Tigers showing off to the locals. No house in the country would be safe." Surely it requires only a little common sense for even the uninitiated to realise* that various air rules and regulations will be drawn up, under strict Government supervision, to cope with the air traffic of the future. Such was also the case with regard to motoring, as any car owner will readily agree, EARLY ROCKET EXPERIMENTS A Minor Mystery Explained A PICTURE published in Flight of September 21st showing German rocket-propelled gliders has brought from one of our readers the following interesting piece of information". These rockets were built by Remhold Tiling in 1931-33. They "were covered by U.S. Patent 1,880,586 of October 4th, 1932, and are thus not only pre-V.i, but pre-war and even pre- Hitler. They were simple powder rockets which rose to about 2,500ft. and glided to the ground on wings which folded along the body during the ascent. Tiling and his two assistants were killed in a powder explo sion on October nth, 1933. Details of his work are given in the appendix to Willy Ley's recent book " Rockets: the Future of Travel Beyond the Stratosphere," which was reviewed in Flight of September 28th, 1944. ARTHUR C. CLARKE, British Interplanetary Society. Hook lit* view* s< The Way of Recovery." By Sqn. Ldr. William Simpson, D.F.C. Hamish Hamilton, Ltd. js. 6d. net. ^QN. LDR. SIMPSON was a flight commander in No. 12 Squadron, and he was badly burnt in his Battle before the A.A.S.F. left Franee. His flight was taken over by Don Garland, who bombed the Maastrict bridge and won a •f' posthumous V.C. In thii book Sqn. Ldr. Simpson describes his experiences in hospital and convalescent home, and gives a good deal of information about plastic surgery. Interwoven with this is much cheerful philosophy about life, and thoughtful descrip tions of person whom he met. It is an unusual medley, but well written and interesting. "Aerosphere, 194^" Edited by Glenn D. Angle; published by Aerosphere, Inc., New York. THIS weighty volume must contain pretty nearly everything the American reader could reasonably want to know about current aviation, plus a fair slice of history. It has been referred to as the American "Janes," but such comparison is hardly fair to either publication even though they have much in common. Apart from the main sections giving abridged specifications of aircraft and aircraft engines, there is one illustrating all the types used by the U.S. Forces, and a series of "guest editorials " by senior air officers of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines. A potted history of man's attempt to fly from Upoado da Vinci to the 1903 solution of the problem by the \Wght brothers winds up with an account of the " unfortunate controversy" involving the Smithsonian Institution and the rebuilt Langley plane, and this is followed by some 30 pages devoted to "'The Evolution of the Wright Airplane," by E. W. Robischon, librarian of the Aeronautics Department at the California Institute of Technology, and included to com memorate the 40th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' triumph at Kittyhawk. Practically the whole of the second half of the volume comprises some 50 pages of statistics (mainly Ameridan) and a Buyers' Guide of more than 400 pages, some 360 of which cover the American firms. The Royal Air Force in the World War; Vol. 2. By Capt. Norman Macmillan, M.C., A.F.C. George Harrap and Co., Ltd. 12s. .(id. net. IT is always difficult to write the history of a war while that war is in progress. An official history depends largely 011 information released by the enemy after peace has l>een signed, when facts need no longer be concealed for security reasons. Capt. Macmillan is making a gallant attempt, however, to deal with a very difficult problem. He has amasssed an astonishing amount of information, and sets it forth in an attractive manner. The volume under review deals with the Battles of Holland. Belgium, France and Britain. Of the 300 pages in the book (apart from appendices) 150 are devoted to the Battle of Britain. Much of this space is taken up with stories of very gallant actions, and descriptions of them by the pilots who took part. There has already been an official publication entitled The Battle of Britain. No doubt this fact has cramped Capt. Macrnillan's hand. Yet, in truth, the time has not come to tell the story of this decisive battle in full. A string of gallant combats do not make a satisfying account of a battle. The student of air warfare wants to know the order of battle of Fighter Command, what squadrons composed Nos. n, 12 and 10 Groups, where they were stationed, with what machines each was equipped, what were the tactics of Sir Hugh (now Lord) Dowding and his Group commanders, the system ot reinforcements, and so on. These facts cannot yet be made public, and until they are this battle must remain somewhat of a mystery-
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