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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 1058.PDF
1/OGHT to leave things alone, is an absolutely safe and stable machine in the air. To that extent, therefore, he has added to the sum total of our knowledge of the conditions and dynamics of flight, and beyond doubt his contribu tion in this respect is an immensely valuable one. So much for that aspect of the matter. Now, it is inevitable that others will follow along the lines Pegoud has indicated, and we think they will rightly follow since it is only by experiment that we can learn. It is no use blinking the fact that there is danger to the novice in these performances, but Pegoud has shown us that given the essentials we have set forth, that danger is a relatively minor quantity. But evolutions such as those we have been witnessing at Brooklands during last week-end are not to be lightly undertaken by everyone, nor do we think that they should be under taken, even by tried and skilful aviators, simply as "circus stunts." Anything of the sort we should strongly deprecate, since we do not believe that the kind of spectacle it involves is good either for the public which witnesses it, or for those who undertake it, or for the movement as a whole. Holding these views, then, it is very gratifying to hear that Mr. Hamel, who has an nounced amongst others that he intends to emulate the performance of Pegoud, proposes to carry out his experi ments privately. Therein, we think, he shows the true spirit of research in place of the unwholesome seeking © © THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS. The following appointment was announced in the London Gazette of the 19th ult.:— R.F.C-—Military Wing.— Special Reserve of Officers.—Second Lieut, on probation) Lionel S. Metford is confirmed in his rank. OCTOBER 4, 1913. after notoriety which, for a variety of reasons, is of no use to the movement and its future development. It has been asked if the Royal Aero Club intends to place its prohibition on such feats as those we are dis cussing. For our own part we should be sincerely sorry if the Club did anything of the kind, always supposing that experiment and consequently development is at the bottom of things. To our way of thinking, the Club is in rather a difficult position regarding these freak—we use the word for want of a better—flights. On the one hand, nothing must be done which will in any way interfere with progress, but on the other the public looks to the Club to put its foot down upon exhibitions that are obviously dangerous. But after what we have seen Pegoud doing, who is to define what is dangerous and what is not ? It was only recently that a Russian military flying officer got into serious trouble for putting to the test one at least of the self-same theories which Pegoud has so triumphantly demonstrated to be not only correct in themselves but safe in their execution. The fact is that the absolutely unsafe of to-day is the entirely safe of to-morrow, and at that we must be content to leave it for the time being, trusting in the meantime to the good sense of our ambitious aviators to keep within those bounds which will preclude the necessity of interference which could only be distasteful to the ruling body to im pose, and detrimental to the development of the science. © * The following appointment was announced by the Admiralty on the 27th ult.:— Lieut. E. R. C. Nanson, R.N.R., to the " Hermes," additional, for course of instruction at Central Flying Schcol. To date September 25th. " Flight " Copyright AT HENDON AERODROME.—Machines about to start for the military cross-country race. On the line are the biplanes and, ranged behind, the monoplanes waiting to take their place on the starting line after the biplanes have got away. K>84
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