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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0096.PDF
50 FLIGHT 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. Fogs and L.A.P. TJERE we are in the fog season again, although it has not been ** a bad winter in most places, and all the perennial news about cancelled and delayed services, and the number of aeroplanes that have not landed, is back in the papers with the usual esti mates of revenue-loss to B.E-A. and the others because of the weather. Even a two-day strike stopping services to Paris costs £30,000, so what is the price of day after day of fog at London? It has been the same every year, although in another sense it is getting worse because more and bigger airliners are held up as time goes on. Why is there still no Fido or other device to get rid of the fog at London Airport? I have read that Fido costs hundreds of pounds an hour to run, but probably not as much as it costs the airlines, if we can believe the figures for the losses that are blamed on the fog we do not disperse. Also I sometimes think of the cost of petrol as I hear the big machines droning round above waiting for their turn to land. My brother, who used one of the first Fidos in the R.A.F. during the war, told me he thought it was quite safe even then, and that it not only cleared the fog but got you down more quickly at night by lighting up the whole airfield and giving the pilot something to aim for. The Government are going to have to do something about this fog one day, and I say the sooner the better, because each winter not only adds to the total of lost fares but also to the price for putting in Fido, or something like it, labour and material costs increasing as they do. Staines, Middlesex. R. WILLIAMS. Unproductivity M Y 15-year-old son, an ardent aircraft modeller and enthusiastic reader of Flight, knows of my interest in productivity, and has always been a litde cynical about it all. You can therefore imagine his delight, when thumbing through the pages of the Christmas Number of your magazine, to come across the article headed "Unproductivity"; you may rest assured he lost no time in drawing my attention to it. Having read it, I must say that I was highly entertained, and thank you for reminding those of us who are protagonists of productivity that we should not take ourselves too seriously all the time. E. L. TUFF, London, S.W.8. Chairman, S. London Committee, British Productivity Council. P ROFESSOR McGILLICUDDY'S interesting thesis in your Christmas Number is both lucid and convincing, but is too verbose (he must have received his legal training in a U.S. Patent Attorney's office). In effect, the whole thing is governed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which, besides being incontro vertible, incomprehensible and reprehensible, is recognized as being inevitable, and in its most general form is best expressed by the statement "Every day and in every way everything (and everybody) becomes more and more disorderly." A famous Fabian laid down the principle of the "inevitability of gradualness," but the Productivists (whose avowed aims are antidisorderly), in attempting to set up a false ideal of gradualizing the inevitable, are not only being reactionary (and, indeed, Fascist beasts) but are interfering with natural laws. This is Hubris and will inevitably attract Nemesis in the form of take-over bids by Unproductivist syndicates, who (rightly) realize that assets can better be employed in promoting disorderliness by dissipating them in riotous living. With most cordial wishes to Professor McGillicuddy and to yourself, Sir, for an utterly riotous New Year. MAX. ENTROPY, Former Professor of Misapplied Thermodynamics. University of Bogus (MittelEuropa). Bard of Avon CONGRATULATIONS to the author of the Shakespearian supersonic epic in your pre-Christmas issue. This was a brilliant effort, and I think your printers—who, I presume, were responsible for the very convincing antique type, and the general appearance of this "historic document"—also deserve applause. Incidentally, I am wondering if by any chance it was "Neville the Dvke" who aimed that much-publicized supersonic bang south of London's river on (I think) the very day that article appeared. Maybe, in retaliation, he sought to "Affright the fimple yeomanry" in your editorial offices? Liverpool. D. SMITH. Gay Firefly THE reference in "Aircraft Intelligence" in your issue of December 18th to a red and yellow Firefly 7 seen at Farn- borough reminds me of an interesting aircraft I saw at Croydon about 1936. It was an R.A.F. Monospar S.T.25, serialled K.8308, which, if memory serves me rightly, had a red fuselage with yellow wings and tail unit. The galaxy of wireless equipment aboard indicated experimental work in the radio field. The suggestion in your note that this colour scheme might be connected with pilotless aircraft gives interesting food for thought, as the cruising speed of the Monospar would have been about the same as that of the Queen Bees then in use as anti-aircraft targets. I am not sure of the size or the weight of the transmitters which were used to control the Queen Bees, but it might have been possible to install a set in the cabin of the Monospar. I never heard of Queen Bees being guided from another aircraft, but it is a possible explanation. Wraysbury, Bucks. H. E. SCROPE. FORTHCOMING EVENTS Dec Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Feb. Feb. Feb. 31. 13. 9 12 15 16 16 18 21 22 23 23 26 25-29 27. 4 5 6 National Schoolboys' Own Exhibition, Horticultural Halls, Westminster. British Interplanetary Society (North-west Branch): "Our First Goal—the Moon," by P. A. Moore, F.R.A.S. Institution of Civil Engineers: "Control of Movement at Airports," by Clifford Hayes and E. J. Dickie. Institute of Navigation: "Methods of Air and Surface Naviga tion," by W/C. E. W. Anderson, D. H. Sadler, Lt. Cdr. R. B. Michell, R.N., and G/C. E. Fennessy. British Interplanetary Society (Midlands Branch): Brains Trust. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Yorkshire Branch): Short-paper evening and Brains Trust. Photogrammetric Society: "New Stereoscopic Plotting Instru ment for Aerial Photographs," by Professor E. H. Thompson. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: First Mitchell Memorial Lecture, by J. Smith, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S. (at Southampton). Helicopter Association: Brains Trust. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Western Branch): "Astronautics in the Next 25 Years," by E. Burgess, F.R.A.S. Aircraft Recognition Society: All-England Recognition Contest, Royal Institution, London. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "X-ray Metallography," by Dr. G, L. J. Bailey. Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences: 22nd Annual Meeting, New York. R.Ae.C; Dinner to 1953 Air Racing Champion and winner of King's Cup. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Air Intake Efficiency," by F. B. Greatrex, B.A., A.F.R.Ae.S. Photogrammetric Society: "New Plotting Machine for Air Photographs," by J. E. Odle. British Interplanetary Society: "Progress towards Astro nautics," by K. W. Gotland. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. 10. Radar Association: "Secondary Radar," by K. Harris. 11. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: "Recent Developments in the Structural Approach to Aeroelastic Problems," by Dr. D. Williams, M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S. 13. British Interplanetary Society (Midlands Branch): "Astro- nautical Physics," by N. H. Langton, Ph.D. 13. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Yorkshire Branch): "Some Experimental Work on Rockets," by D. N, Hunter. 18. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Helicopter Research," by F, J. O'Hara, A.R.Ae.S. (jointly with the Helicopter Association). Feb. 20. British Interplanetary Society (North-west Branch): "Build ing the Lunar Base," by R. A. Smith. Feb. 27. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Western Branch): "Provisioning of Interplanetary Vehicles," by G. L. Garth- waite. Mar. 2. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Metal Sandwich Construction," by F. Tyson, B.A., A.F.R.Ae.S. Mar. 4. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: First Barnwell Memorial Lecture, by Major G. P. Bulman, C.B.E., B.Sc, F.R.Ae.S. (at Bristol). R.Ae.S. Branch Fixtures (to Jan. 27).—Jan. 11, Birmingham, joint meeting with Institute of Rubber; Holton, "The Propeller Gas Turbine," by A. C. Clinton. Jan. 13, Hatfield, "Stability and Control in Aircraft Design," by J. C. Wimpenny; Weybridge, "Sailplane Design," by K. G. Wilkinson. Jan. 14, Isle of Wight, "Large Press Forgings," by E. T. Stewart-Jones. Jan. 15, Glasgow, "The Pilot's Point of View," by Officers of Glasgow U.A.S. Jan. 18, Ha/ton, Branch Night. Jan. 19, Belfast, "Flight Testing Prob lems," by D. N. Scard. Jan. 20, Bristol, "Design Problems of the Trans port Helicopter," by R. Hafner; Coventry, "Recent Developments in Glid ing," by A. H. Yates: Leicester, A.G.M. and Film Show; Manchester, Lec ture; Preston, "Stability and Control of Delta Wing Aircraft," by W/C. R. J. Falk. Jan. 21, Southampton, Main Lecture (see above). Jan. 25, Halton, Junior Members' Night. Jan. 27, Weybridge, "Space Flight," by J. Humphries.
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