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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 2435.PDF
JLJGHT, 28 October 1960 679 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns.The names and addresses of the writers, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. Red-tape Measures "V THE Government red-tape measures that you rightly publicizedrecently (September 30, p. 550) is not confined to passengers alone; crews too have recently been confronted with a new form,albeit by a different department. The form, devised by Customs and Excise, is claimed to speed up Customs procedure—which intheir opinion (probably working to one of Parkinson's Laws) it does in fact do. My own personal experience is that it has taken far longer onthe whole, and that, since the clearing is done on board the aircraft, the operators are unable to service or tow away until Customs pro-cedure is through. However, the operators have no one to blame but themselves inthis case, since it is with dieir collaboration that the system was instituted. As for us I know the third interested party, the crews,were never consulted. Meanwhile, while I read of passenger complaints and frustra-tion, perhaps HM Commissioners would consider the introduction of this form for all returning UK residents since they are so con-vinced of the time saved. On the other hand, perhaps the scream of public outcry would be too great even for this Governmentdepartment. St Albans, Herts R. BARNARD The First Night Flight ALL historians will be delighted to see Mr Nettleinghame'sfascinating piece of history (Correspondence, October 14) which came straight, as it were, from the horse's mouth. An addedinterest to me lies in the fact that the note is not in Henri Farman's hand, and is a translation of what Farman must have said to thewriter; Farman then signed it. At that time Farman could speak next to no English, despite the fact that he was to remain of Britishnationality until 1937. But as he said, "I consider myself a French- man in every acceptance of the word" (in a slightly odd transla-tion of his French!). By the way, there is still an unresolved claim to be dealt withhere, about the first night flight. The French claim that Henri Farman himself made the first night flight earlier than spring,but I cannot so far find out the date on which he is supposed to have made it. I am pursuing the French authorities with raucouscries of "Grahame-White did it first in the early morning (2.50 a.m. I think he started) of April 28, 1910," and I will report if andwhen the French can produce a date for your distinguished ex- patriate Englishman. London Wl CHARLES H. GIBBS-SMITH Poetic Penance Apologies to Charles Gibbs-Smith.I fear I need a spanking For jailing to distinguishBrootdands' pull-up from the banking. However, one thing made my day.I never thought I'd find him Agreeing that any but the WrightsWould shun "the wind behind him." Surbiton, Surrey YOUR REVIEWER [A comment on the final paragraph of the letter from Mr Gibbs-Smith published in our issue of October 14.—Ed.] "The Flying Years" T WAS pleased to see that your correspondent Mr Geoffrey-*• Dorman (Flight, October 14) drew attention to the myth con- cerning Gustav HameFs nationality, perpetuated in the abovetelevision programme. Old-timers remember Hamel as the foremost pilot of the day,and if he had disappeared into Germany he would certainly have come into prominence in the months which followed August 1914.In fact, he was not heard of again and was drowned in the Channel. It was a custom in those days to fit a more powerful (andheavier) engine into an aircraft to improve racing qualities. Some- times it broke up the airframe and, in any case, it impaired thegliding angle. It was fairly obvious that Hamel left Villacoublay on his racing Morane-Saulnier and that, over the Channel, hisengine cut, giving him no chance whatever, and his body was not seen till some time later. He was the son of a Danish doctor andflew for Great Britain. It seems incredible that a programme purporting to be a historyof flying should contain so many clangers. For instance, we were told that we were seeing a Sopwith Pup squadron in Franceand were promptly shown a Sopwith li-Strutter two-seater. Pups I flew were—as always—single-seaters.It was indicated that the 201b bomb was standard, whereas in fact that 20-pounder was merely a type of bomb sometimes carriedwith the more standard 1121b HE bomb. There were several more clangers and the so-called early historycertainly did not highlight the outstanding events. What a pity, especially since there were all sorts of "credits" given for research!Was there any? Potters Bar, Middx A. H. CURTIS, ARAeS True Ultra Lights CO Mr David Armstrong, chairman of the Popular Flying Asso-^ ciation, the ostensible stalwart of Great Britain's ultra-light aircraft movement, wants to postulate as inadequate power-unitsbelow 90-100 h.p. Surely in this day and age, it is high time a really ultra-light aeroplane, with power-unit developing little more thanabout 5 h.p., was incorporated in a man-powered-type machine. Mr Armstrong, in his enthusiasm, overlooks the fact that theengines and spares he wants us of the ultra-lights to abandon are obtainable from Rollason of Croydon, whose ultra-light beauty,the Turbulent, using their Ardem engine of about 30 h.p., only recently won the King's Cup. London NW10 ' DOUGLAS USHER Erasmus Darwin's Prophecy TT might interest your readers to know that although Tennyson•*• is often given the credit for having foretold the aeroplane with his airborne argosies "dropping down with costly bales," it wasCharles Darwin's grandfather Erasmus who made prior reference to it in the following verse: — Soon shall thy arm, unconquer'd steam! afarDrag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car; Or on wide-waving wings expanded bearThe flying chariot through the field of air. Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk FREDA MAY ARNOLD (MISS) Retired Aeroplanes ,.:. ;'.I NOTE on page 479 of your September 16 issue that RogerBacon requests knowledge of other retired aircraft "continuing to render service." Although it has been a number of years sinceI have seen it and it may well have long since passed out of exist- ence, I do know that from along about 1932 or so until past theend of World War 2 one of the old Fokker F-32 four-engined transports used by Western Air Express between Los Angeles andSan Francisco was used as an automobile filling station. I should be able to give you the exact address, but I have been away fromthe Los Angeles area now for more than a dozen years, and I wouldn't want to be guilty of making a misstatement. I am sure,however, that some of your correspondents, such as this character Tom Towers you have mentioned, would be able to give you thehistory of that particular intriguing installation. There were only three F-32s built, if I remember correctly, andthe four engines were mounted two in tandem on either side of the monstrous box-like fuselage. It is said it wasn't much of anairplane, but it made one hell of an impression on me as a neophyte airport engineer in the San Francisco Bay area, and gave me aninkling of things to come. We here at "Arizona's Airport" enjoy Flight very much andalways seek "Straight and Level" as the first order of reading. Tucson, Arizona R. W. F. SCHMIDT, A.A.E. Executive Director, Tucson Airport AuthorityP.S. There's an airplane in Fairbanks, Alaska, I believe a B-17, in use as part of a night club called the Squadron Club. It was in active servicewhen I left Fairbanks in 1954.—Sandy Duckett (Mr Schmidt's secretary). .-:• Memories of the A. V. Roe Triplane I WAS interested in the reproduction, in your issue ofSeptember 30, of the painting by Christopher Storey of the A. V. Roe triplane on Hackney Marshes in 1909.I was one of Mr Roe's helpers from 1908 until towards the end of 1909 and I am able to point out a number of discrepancies inthis painting. In the first instance the No 1 arch from which the machine is being wheeled was die first one in which the endswere boarded up and this was in fact the first arch which A. V. rented from the railway. Subsequently he rented No 2 hangar,which is shown as being boarded in, some time later. Secondly, I notice two spectators on the railway embankment
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