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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1164.PDF
252 FLIGHT, 23 August 195? CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flighf is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the toriters, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. The First HangarM Y claim for the first use of a building as a hangar (as distinctfrom the use of the word "hangar," which the Oxford gives as being in Henry Esmond) is Lunardi's "advertisement" of 1784,in which he said: "The gallery, oars, and wings are already made, and to be feen at theLyceum, Exeter-change, Strand, where the Balloon is now conftructing and will be finifhed in about a fortnight." London, W.I. F. H. SMITH,Librarian, The Royal Aeronautical Society. IN reply to friend Hurren (B. J.)Sir, what do you think I should say? Should I join with dear Geoff, who'd a spank: From the very first flyer, a Yank? Or listen to Bill in a mazeOf his flights round the world in two days? Or p'rhaps I could earn a few dibs withThat Harvard historian, our Gibbs-Smith? •.. - Or should I be a little bit sharperAnd write as Reporter the First, Harry Harper? No. I think the occasion well warrantsDignified silence. Brighton, Sussex. PRITCHARD QOHN LAURENCE). I HAVE just seen the interesting letters about the first hangars.To be pedantic, the first aircraft hangar in actual use was the so-called tent abri with which Napoleon's aerostiers used to beddown their observation balloons in the year 1794: it consisted of a great tough sheet which was thrown over each balloon—keptinflated for economy—and then tethered to the ground like a tent, which of course is what it was. Built-up wind-breaks for balloonswere in use certainly in 1785, if not in 1784. Historically, the first proper hangar—i.e., an "architectural"structure specificially for housing aircraft—was designed in great detail, but never built: it was the remarkable and prophetic hangarthat General Meusnier drew for his brilliant and equally prophetic dirigible airship (also unbuilt) in 1785: the unique detailed draw-ings are still preserved in Paris. I have a feeling that Santos Dumont's first airship shed was builtin 1901; at least I have a photograph of a shed of his taken when under construction in July of 1901. I think priority in airshipsheds (practical sheds built for the airships) must go to Zeppelin, who built his great floating shed on Lake "Constance in 1900 forhis first dirigible. Harry Harper is certainly correct in his claim for Lilienthal, whobuilt the first shed specifically for gliders on top of his artificial hill about 1893. Next came the Wrights, who erected a tent tied toan oak tree at Kitty Hawk in 1900 to house themselves and their first glider. Then, in 1901, they built a frame hangar especiallyfor their gliders four miles or so south of Kitty Hawk at the Kill Devil Hills: here they housed their gliders of 1901 and 1902, andtheir powered machine of 1903. The first hangar on the first specific airfield for powered aero-planes was the Wrights' wooden hangar on the Huffman Prairie (pasture), some eight miles east of Dayton, which was completedin April 1904. London, W.I. C. H. GIBBS-SMITH. Belgian Enterprise ACCORDING to Flight of July 26 (page 101, "Pressing on at•**• Gatwick") this airport will be the first in the world to combine air, rail and road transport. Contrary to most information appear-ing in Flight, this is wrong. Brussels Airport has been connected with the city of Brussels for more than two years by direct railservices, by helicopters and, of course, by a road which you might call a "super-highway." In addition, for boating fans, the Brussels-Antwerp Canal is only two miles away from the air terminal. Brussels. R. LECOMTE, Director General, Regie des Voies Aeriennes. No ComplaintsI WAS most interested to read the letter from Mr. Norman Jones.While agreeing with his remarks I would like to make the point that only a few weeks ago the Ministry granted us permission tocarry out aerobatics over Croydon Airport during our At Home. An excellent display of aerobatics was put on by the team of Czechpilots and by some of our own members, and this was much enjoyed by all present. At no time did the pilots go higher than1,200ft above aerodrome level, nor did they go outside the aero- drome boundary. As far as I know there were no complaints from local inhabit-ants, and we even received two letters of appreciation. We are hoping to make this display an annual event. Croydon, Surrey. A. SpROXTON.C.F.I., Surrey Flying Club. Apache DemonstrationL AST week the latest American Piper Apache to arrive in thisJ country was demonstrated before a large number of company representatives and Government officials at Croydon Airport. Theaircraft was handled by Captain A. C. Morgan, who had brought it across the Atlantic on its delivery flight. The demonstration last week was arranged by Irish AirCharter, Ltd., of 62, Merrion Square, Dublin, who have been recently appointed the sole distributors for Piper Aircraft Cor-poration of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The price of the stand- ard Apache is $34,990. The aircraft is also available in two deluxe forms, the "custom" model at $37,945 and the "super custom" at $39,755. For delivery in the U.K. there is an addi-tional charge of approximately £1,000. Irish Air Charter are negotiating with the A.R.B. for the requisite approved mainten-ance schedules and clearance is expected shortly. Dufaylite French Applications TCROM Dufaylite Developments, Ltd., 24 Coleman Street,-*• London, E.C.2, comes information about Dufaylite honey- combs being used in the construction of several French aircraft,including the E.C.A. 56 target and the Sud Aviation Djinn helicopter. The body of the E.C.A. 56, which has been described [in Flightfor May 31 last, p. 742] as "in every way (even to colour) reminis- cent of a goldfish," is of sandwich construction. The corematerial is glassfibre Dufaylite honeycomb of 10 mm cell size and 8 mm thickness, impregnated with polyester resin; and thelaminates are of glassfibre materials stabilized with polyester resin. In the Djinn, Dufaylite—which for French applications ismanufactured by the company's licensees, Construction Carton Bois, 57 Rue Pierre Charron, Paris, 8e—has been used as corematerial in the construction of the rotor blades. Appointed aircraft sales manager of I.V. Pressure Controllers, Ltd., on his retire- ment from the R.A.F. A. Cdre L R. S. ("Dick") Freestone, O.B.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., formerly Director of Aircraft on the M.o.S. staff in Washington, is here seen receiv- ing a F.100 Super Sabre model from Mr. A. T. Burton, rice- president of North American Aviation. Mr. A. M. A. Majendie (left) and Mr. L C. Harman, who (as reported on p. 242) have been appointed directors of Smiths Aircraft Instruments, Ltd.
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