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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0179.PDF
6 February 1953 177 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. Inexpensive Club Flying I N support of the excellent article entitled "Have the Flying Clubs failed?", by Capt. R. E. Gillman, D.F.C., D.F.M., may I point out that his cost figures are not unduly low when you take into consideration his proposed method of operation, i.e., ex- R.A.F. instructors and fitters giving their services free, so that they themselves might enjoy cheap flying facilities? Cardiff Ultra Light Aeroplane Club (Cardiff Airport) has been operating on those exact lines for the past five years, charging its members 32s 6d per hour (whether dual or solo) and levying a weekly subscription of 2s 6d, with no entrance fee whatsoever. Membership is restricted to 40 and there are no vacancies. With no initial capital whatsoever, 12 founder-members sub scribed 5s per week for approximately twelve months, then pur chased a cheap aircraft requiring a C. of A. With the aid of a Kemsley Flying Trust loan, they purchased a second aircraft, and are now in the happy position of being completely solvent, owning two serviceable aircraft plus three spare engines, plus various social amenities such as a billiard table, table tennis, large club- room, film shows, wireless, etc. The club operates during week-day evenings and week-ends only, and each member is required to provide an average of four hours manual labour per month according to his qualifications, the basic foundation resting on one ex-R.A.F. flying instructor, two ex-R.A.F. pilots, three newly-qualified civilian pilots, one ex-R.A.F. fitter and one or two "handymen" who assist with the maintenance. The club is affiliated to the Ultra Light Aircraft Association and to the Vintage Aero Club, and takes part in as many rallies and races as possible. Capt. Gillman's figures of £144 p.a. for hangarage, insurance, maintenance and C. of A. are in perfect proportion to the Cardiff Club's expenditure during the past five years, and the fact that the club is not only solvent, but also has a market value exceeding £1,000, speaks for itself. For those who display the necessary initiative and "guts," nothing is impossible. R.A.F., Kirton-in-Lindsey. H. G. DAVIES. AS a member of one flying club and with no knowledge of any - other I am perhaps not in a position to be able to answer fully Capt. Gillman's rather dumbfounding accusations on the failure of the clubs, nor able to judge the pre- and post-war differ ences. However, I can assure him that there is at least one club which is not failing. On the contrary, it is on the up-grade. The weather has been against us with unfailing monotony for the last four months, but the slightest indication of a lifting of the numerous clamps has been the signal for members to leap into the nearest aircraft and do a few circuits before the next clamp. Does this indicate failure ? Prices are high—but if the wish to fly is there, so is the money. The social side of the club is growing propor tionately, with an increasing programme of entertainments. The supposed "failure of flying clubs" is, to a great degree, "failure of the C.F.I.s". A keen instructor, interested in both the flying and social activities and with the ability to organize and lead these activities, is a very vital bridge to success. London, W.n. A CONTENTED MEMBER. Before the Wrights T HE letter of Mr. Tatton Winter in your issue of January 9th concerning the late Gustave Weisskopf's machine, which he claims was flown in the late 'nineties (some years before the Wrights' first flight) compels me to make the following state ment :— The Wrights' first flight was the first practical power-driven man-controlled flight with the system of control as used in all aeroplanes of the present time; their engine gave about 12 h.p. on the Kitty Hawk flight of 1903. They used an engine of a linle more power in 1905 when they flew 24 miles. Weisskoff's machine, like Henson's, Maxim's, Adler's, etc., were not practical flying machines. Southampton. L. HEATHER. A de Havilland Autogiro Y OUR Helicopter Number is, like all your special numbers, well worth preserving as a record of achievement. But, if a minor criticism may be allowed, surely the historical survey of rotating-wing aircraft does less than justice to the de Havilland- built Autogiro of 1931 ? This was the first Autogiro which looked at all like a civilized means of transport, and its general appearance was so different from that of other machines of the time that I would have thought it worth an illustration. The D.H.-built Autogiro referred to by Mr. Alec Davis. In case you think so, too, and could still find room for it as a "flashback," I enclose a photograph of the machine in question, taken just over 21 years ago at what was then Stag Lane Aero drome—now swallowed up in suburban London. Boston, Lines. ALEC DAVIS. Methane Fido ? TN regard to the recent correspondence in Flight on subject of A fog dispersal, would it not be cheaper to use Methane gas for this purpose, instead of petroleum? At the Fawley refinery an enormous quantity of this gas is "burnt-off" each year because the Southampton Corporation will not accept it for domestic purposes and, apparently, no other use can be found for it. Would it not be possible to store methane in cylinders which could be laid in covered trenches alongside the runways at air ports ready for use in fogs? It should be a simple matter to con nect these cylinders to a main pipe which would be fitted with burners every yard or so along its length. Igniting the gas would be simple enough. Apart from the initial cost of the cylinders, transportation thereof, and preparation of runways for installation, this form of Fido should be far cheaper to operate and maintain than that in use at the moment. London, S.W.17. S. D. BRIDGEMAN. Historic Military Aircraft IN your issue for January 9th, your correspondent Mr. R. S. L. Boote quotes some Bristol Fighter serial numbers which he is unable to tie up with the batches quoted in Mr. Bruce's article in your November 7th issue. Those serials in the 4000 series, namely, 4294, 4295, 4331 and 4523 fall in the F series, mentioned by Mr. Bruce as being built by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Co., Ltd. The other serials, however, probably carried H as their suffix, thus being Hi402, H1411, H1604, H1605 and H1617. Batches in the H range com prised H926 to 1060 and H1240 to H1739. Many of these latter were turned into Bristol Tourers and it is believed that this latter batch was not completed, the order probably being cut at the end of the 1914-18 War. It would belnteresting to know with which squadron Mr. Boote was serving when he collected these serial numbers in his log-book. Ewell, Surrey J. D. R. RAWLINGS. I WAS interested in the article on the F.E. aircraft in your issue of December 12th. My mind went back to the summer of 1918, when I was a draughtsman in No. 8 T.D.S., Netheravon (3rd class air mechanic !). We had, in addition to our large Handley-Pages, one or more of almost everything else that would fly, among them some F.E. 2Bs. On the instruction of a Capt. Dabbs (?) who was, I believe, a one-legged ex-Guardsman, I was given the task of designing a tail-trimming device for an F.E. 2B. I produced a Heath-Robinson effort which consisted essentially of a vertical fast-leadscrew attached to the apex of the triangle formed by the longerons (in plan) and a nut fixed to the rear spar of the tailplane, which was hinged at the front spar to the tops of the longerons. At the bottom of the vertical screw was fitted an ordinary bicycle chain wheel round which passed about a yard of chain. From the ends of the chain, stranded-steel cables were taken forward to the pilot's seat in the nacelle, where a further yard of chain went
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