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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1923.PDF
728 FLIGHT International, 31 October 1963 LETTERS. he gave a public demonstration at Reval on Tuesday, September 12, at 4.30 p.m. The 14,000 cu ft balloon ascended in 2£min to 5,000ft, Leroux jumped with his parachute, but the strong wind drove him straight to Brigitten (Pirita) where he was drowned. A lady who was an eye-witness of this fatal accident died in a moment from heart failure. It was Leroux's 239th jump. On September 14 his body was found by four Estonian fishermen and on the 21st Leroux was buried with full honours in Kopli Cemetery, and a wreath was laid by HIH the Grand Duke Sergei. The Russian Technical Society sent Engineer-Colonel N. A. Kozlov (Ret), an inventor of aeronautics and aerial photography, to Reval to ascertain the true causes of the catastrophe and bring the parachute and balloon to St Petersburgh for technical examination, and to lay a wreath on the grave. On September 21 the members of the Society, Colonels Kozlov and Kovanko, inferred that Leroux's entrepreneur, the theatre director G. Paradies, was at fault in his death. The file about Leroux's fatal accident was burnt in Tallinn during a terrible air raid in March 1944. In admiration for the courage of the pioneer of parachute sport, Charles Leroux, who tragically perished in a foreign country, a group of Russian enthusiasts of aeronautics erected on his grave the aforementioned monument. For many decades the grave and monument were under care, but during the Stalin era Kopli Cemetery was razed to the ground, all graves, gravestones, crosses, etc, being destroyed—among others, the Leroux Monument. Now the Flying Sports Club of Tallinn intends to restore it. Tallinn, USSR E. MEOS Scottish Free-fall Parachuting SIR,—Since Flight International is one of the few publications which reports news of free-fall parachuting and at the same time is widely read by the owners of private aircraft, we should like to publicise through your columns the current difficulties of the Scottish Parachute Club. Until recently the club, the only free-fall parachute club north of Oxford, used Perth Aerodrome and the Cessna 175s of Airwork. Now, due to increased traffic at that airfield, we are without dropping zone or aircraft. Is there any private owner of a suitable light aircraft who can help us by the hire or loan of his machine? Most four- place high-wing aircraft are suitable. The D.H. Rapide is ideal. The dropping zone, yet to be found, will be in Central Scotland, possibly in the vicinity of Glasgow. Ultimately it is hoped to open a full-time parachuting centre in Scotland. I shall be pleased to correspond with or meet anyone who can assist us in any way. T. G. DICKSON, 47 Forest Road, Secretary, Edinburgh 1 The Scottish Parachute Club How to Make the Private Pilot Popular SIR,—It is clear from your correspondence columns that private and business flyers, and their machines, are hated by almost everyone in the United Kingdom. The futility of dwelling upon this hate is obvious. What is required is positive action to transform the hate into love and affection. Firstly, the reasons for the universal hate have to be defined, and when this is accomplished action can be taken to turn the hate energy into useful love and affection. I submit that the hate stems from two reasons, both of which are connected with the basic desire of all groups of animals to maintain conformity of type within the group. These reasons are as follows: (1) the private flying machine does not produce enough noise; (2) all the seats in private machines are almost invariably fully occupied. To eliminate condition (1) it will be necessary to fit private machines with noise generators, each of which should be ARB type-approved to produce a noise of 120 PdB at a distance of one mile. (The PdB is of course a new subjective unit, The Pretend Decibel.) The character of the noise could be selected by a cockpit switch, and would be related to the instantaneous flight regime, and the area being overflown. For example, a light aircraft on a cross-country flight would select repetitive sonic boom, whilst a similar aircraft taking off from London Heathrow would select multi-jet full-bore condition. The elimination of condition (2) above will be easier, for few technical problems are involved. What is required is a team of Ministry inspectors to ejisure that no light aircraft can obtain flight clearance unless a minimum of 50 per cent of the available seating is unoccupied. The USF (unoccupied seats factor) would of course be under continuous review, being related to the fortunes of the big carriers. So you see, when the private and business flyers become as other men, we will cease to be hated. Coventry, Warwicks JAMES GLANVILLE Safety Height: Maps and Charts SIR,—After reading the article entitled "Contour Envelopes" by Captain Freer in your October 17 issue, I was wondering if any advantage in legibility of charts would be gained by bonding a topographical map directly on to the back of the instrument approach/terminal area/radio navigation charts. The topographical map would be to exactly the same scale as the chart and by simply switching on a light behind the bonded-together chart and map, topographical features could be checked against the chart instantly at the touch of a switch. Brightness could be adjusted by means of a rheostat. When the light behind was switched off the chart would be as legible as ever without any clutter from contours. The only difficulty in producing a map/chart of this type by a manufacturer might be that of choosing the correct thickness of paper for the chart so that the map did not show through too much under ordinary daylight conditions. As a member of the aeronautical laity, it is quite likely I shall be told that for one reason or another this is an impracticable idea. However, on a subject as important as safety in the air, almost any idea on it is worth looking into. Newmarket, Suffolk J. E. COOK IN BRIEF Mr Alan R. Hunt, public relations officer of World Wide Tape Talk, is making a collection of air mail stamps and would be glad to have any information on early mail-carrying flights—notes, press reports or photographs. He is willing to refund postage costs and to pay for photographs. His address is 89A Royal Exchange, Newport, Isle of Wight. FORTHCOMING EVENTS United Kingdom Flight Safety Committee: One-day symposium at RAeS. British Institution of Radio Engineers, Southern Section: "Laser Communications," by M. Dore and G. W. Waters. RAeS, Derby Branch: Eighth Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture, by Dr S. G. Hooker. RAeS, Belfast Branch, and British Computer Society: "Automation," by R. E. King International Airline Navigators Council: 1963 European Regional Meeting, Dublin. Royal United Service Institution: "Progress in Space Vehicles," by S. Buchanan. Kronfeld Club: "Skydiving," by Sgt Don Hughes. RAeS Astronautics and Guided Flight Section: "Development of Blue Steel," by R. H. Francis. British Institution of Radio Engineers, Scottish Section: "Lasers," by A. C. Moore Edinburgh). RAeS, Brough Branch: "Man's Survival Equipment for his Voyage to the Moon," by P. W. Fitt. RAeS, Swindon Branch, and Swindon Engineering Society: "Rebuilding and Flying of Historical Air craft" by Air Cdre A. H. Wheeler. British Institution of Radio Engineers, Scottish Section: "Lasers" by A. C. Moore Glasgow). Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Internal Combus tion Engines Group: "Rockets Versus Air-breathing Engines as Satellite Launchers." Oct 31 Oct 31 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 5-6 Nov 6 Nov 6 Nov 6 Nov 6 Nov 6 Nov 6 Nov 7 Nov 7 V
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