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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0916.PDF
26 FLIGHT, 1 July 1955 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. Ten of the BestI N selecting the best air books of the two wars I consider thefinest air fighting book of the 1914-18 war was Major J. B. McCudden's book Flying Fury (Five Years in the Royal FlyingCorps), because of its wealth of details regarding types of aircraft, colour schemes, and varying flying conditions. Far from beinga "Flying Fury," McCudden was a methodical and careful fighter. Even in the heat of battle he took in every detail of the enemymachine and he wrote without bombast. Another classic is Maurice Baring's book R.F.C. H.Q., 1914-1918. This is beautifullywritten. The third is Hans Schroder's book An Airman Remembers.He wrote such charming letters to his parents, including all the gruesome details. Fourth comes Norman MacMillan's epic Intothe Blue, which describes some fine fights with Austrian airmen of whom we know so little. The fifth is Bert Hall's One Man'sWar, the story of the Lafayette Escadrille—fine stuff. Regarding the 1939-45 war, the best in my opinion (so far) isPierre Clostermann's The Big Show. Like McCudden, he is a stickler for details, and the action he puts into his book has neverbeen surpassed. Second is Heinz Knoke's book I Flew for the Fiihrer, which is packed with action from beginning to end. Byway of contrast is E. C. Cheesman's book Brief Glory, the story of the Air Transport Auxiliary or, as they called themselves, the"Ancient and Tattered Airmen." This deals with the ferrying of aircraft during the war by airmen and airwomen all over theballoon-infested British Isles and, after D-Day, right into Germany. Guy Gibson's book Enemy Coast Ahead, Fighter Pilot, byPaul Richey, and W/C. William Anderson's book Pathfinders are all equally brilliant, and I could add a dozen more of a similarhigh standard. Billesley, Birmingham. MAURICE AUSTIN. "History and Secrecy" "CUBTYPE'S" letter (May 20th) draws fresh attention to the•^ increasing difficulty of writing history in the face of secrecy's growing suppressio veri.I am trying to write a history of the Royal Aeronautical Society, with special reference to the work of its members. In doing soI meet not only the effects of the so-called Official Secrets Act, but the Private Secrets acts of those now engaged in providingaeronautical history. A ventilation of the fundamental dangers of this secrecy business is long overdue for the very safety of thiscountry, and for freedom's sake. If I speak too strongly on this, then I commend to any who doubt, the statement of Govern-ment security policy made on behalf of the University of Harvard on March 15th, 1955, by McGeorge Bundy, Professor of Govern-ment and Dean of die Faculty of Arts and Sciences, to a committee of the United States Senate. I quote only one sentencefrom his statement, made on behalf of the University. "I there- fore believe that a thorough review of our policies and proceduresin the field of security is not only desirable but urgent." With regard to the mystery of Dunne, I am not able to solveit, but perhaps I can give a few dues. J. W. Dunne was elected a member of the Aeronautical Society in July 1904, in the dis-tinguished company of Lord Rayleigh, W. H. Dines and Eustace Short. On April 27th, 1904, General J. H. Dunne, his father, wroteto Major Baden-Powell, President of the Aeronautical Society, asking for advice on an enclosed memorandum by his son, Lt.J. W. Dunne. In his letter the general remarked that Lord Ray- leigh thought very highly of his son's ideas. The memorandum not only made claim to have "finally solvedthe problem of stability in gliding aeroplanes," but outlined the severe tests the author had carried out with models to provethat claim. He also noted in his memorandum that Lord Ray- leigh had urged the immediate publication of his theories andexperiments, but Dunne preferred to build a new machine, than to let his ideas be tried out on an existing one. In the memorandum and correspondence (unpublished)Dunne explained his ideas more fully. On May 2nd, 1904, writ- ing to ask Baden-Powell to come and see him, he wrote "We canhave a field day at die flying machine. I cannot hope to explain to you the results of some four years work on entirely new linesin the course of an hour or two . . ." It is clear from this that he was contemporarv in his work withthe Wright Brothers, starting from at least 1900. Dunne was not physically strong and progress was slow. InJanuary 1906 he sent one of his models to Lord Rayleigh (and wrote a full description of it in another letter some years after- wards), who replied "It behaves very well and it is wonderful tonotice the effect of such small differences." L. R. Liddell, in his excellent lecture before the GlasgowBranch of the Aeronautical Society on June 16th, 1952, on the History of Aviation in Scotland, stated of Dunne, "His experi-ments received War Office support and in 1906 the first British Army aeroplane (a glider) was constructed at the FarnboroughBalloon Factory." Liddell reported that he had obtained his in- formation from P. R. Gurr, who was appointed assistant toDunne at the Factory in July 1906, and he gives details of various experimental large models which were tried. Liddell continued, "A full-scale man-lifting glider was thenconstructed to the sectional drawings secretly in the Balloon Fac- tory workshops. It was built of pine framework covered with.,doped fabric and braced with 12-gauge piano wire. In July 1907 ~i a party of men selected from the Balloon and Kite Section R.E.^;together with Dunne, Lt. Westland, R.E., and two civilians, Gurry and F. Smith, a woodworker, left Farnborough to carry out,:trials." ** That was to Blair Atholl. Present at the first trial were GeneralHadden, General Ruck, the Marquis of Tullibardine, Colonel Capper, and Lt. L. D. L. Gibbs, who was to act as pilot, as Dunne'shealth did not allow him to "fly to the extent he wished." Gurr relates that the weather (it was October) was cold and windy, andthe glider somersaulted after only, 20 yards, and was broken beyond repair. The weather turning worse, the party returned to Farn- borougli. "On his return to Farnborough," continues Liddell, "Mr.Dunne put in hand the Dunne D3 biplane. This was fitted widi two 12 h.p. Buchet engines and in July 1908 this was taken toBlair Atholl . . . The engines were started by a flywheel and . considerable difficulty was experienced in getting both to run atthe same time. The machine was piloted by Colonel Capper on its first run, but it is doubtful if it actually left the ground, owingto lack of power. A number of runs were made but the machine did not actually fly." There were wild rumours that powered flights had been madeand reports appeared in various papers to that effect, but Gurr's account does not substantiate the stories. In April 1909 the WarOffice withdrew its support both from Dunne and Cody and the Blair Atholl Aeroplane Syndicate was formed to enable Dunneto continue. What happened after that is fairly well known. With regard to Gurr's report it should be noted that theMarquis of Tullibardine, writing on August 16th, 1913, to the Daily Mail, said: "In 1907 the aeroplane was finished, but theWar Office would only send us a 20 h.p. Green engine which, good engine though it was, had only sufficient power to drive themachine along the ground. Dunne's suggestion that he should have at least a 50 h.p. engine was scouted, and it was pointed outthat if aeroplanes required such terribly expensive engines there could be no future for them. Eventually the conclusion was cometo by the War Office of that time that machines that were heavier than air would never fly, and both the machine and Lt. Dunnewere scrapped in consequence." Dunne's description of his glider of 1906 contains a sketch ofhis early design, a sketch which might have been made of the Vulcan! It is unlike all his later machines. I might add that the second Rex Pierson Lecture, deliveredbefore the Weybridge Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society on December 9th, 1953, dealt faithfully with the dangers ofsecrecy. The aeronautical papers ignored it, so future historians of the Aeronautical Society will be totally unaware that onemember, at least, had publicly protested in the cause of freedom. Brighton, Sussex. J. LAURENCE PRITCHARD. Captain McCudden, V.C. YT^ITH reference to Mrs. Zahn's letter (June 17th) the story™" that Captain McCudden, V.C., was killed in the experimental Vickers Fighter, has turned up quite often but actually he waskilled in the aircraft he liked best of all, the S.E.5. He had been Chief Fighting Instructor at the Air FightingSchool at Turnberry and had just been given command of an S.E.5 squadron in France. The S.E.5s we were flying at Turn-berry were very light, usually without guns or ammunition and when he took off in a steep climbing turn on a fully operationalmachine, he stalled and spun in. Safe and wonderful pilot that he usually was, I think the thrillof getting back to operational flying in France overcame his natural caution and skill. Alresford, Hampshire. GERALD C. MAXWELL.
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