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to fine measurements. Previous aeroplane experience desirable.-Apply, Chief Inspector, Austin Motor Co., Ltd., Longbridge Works, Northfield, Birmingham.

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EROPLANE erectors wanted. Only experienced men need apply.-Write, stating age, wages required, and full paticulars of experience to the Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hendon, N.W.

SITUATION WANTED.

DRAUGHTSMAN, with five years' practical and technical

aeroplane experience, wants job.-Box 617, THE AEROPLANE, 166, Piccadilly, London, W.

PRACTICAL MAN (late engineer in charge of well-known

aviation works); 6 years' aeroplane experience; all branches of the trade; now disengaged; requires situation in any capacity.-Box 616, THE AEROPLANE, 166, Piccadilly, London, W.

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THE TRUE GERMAN VIEW. Translated by J. ELLIS BARKER. Of all Booksellers, or post free, 2/3. from WM. DAWSON & SONS, Ltd., Rolls House, Breams Buildings, E.C.

LUNCH, TEA, or SUP at

"THE AERO RESTAURANT." (Just outside the gates of the Hendon Aerodrome.) Pretty Tea-Gardens, with awnings, for fine weather. Glass-side "Sun-Parlour" for cold weather. Best of Food, well cooked and neatly served. Lunch from 1s. 6d. Tea from 6d.

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MODELS.

T. W. K. CLARKE & CO.,
HAMPTON WICK, MIDDLESEX.

Supply British Built Model Aeroplanes, and all Accessories for making. Send stamp for Lists.

M.S.C.

Compressed Air Motors for Model Aeroplanes. Twin cylinders; weight, 2 ozs. ; price, 6s. 6d. Air container for above engine; weight, 8 ozs. ; price, 6s. 6d. We stock everything for models. Send Stamp for catalogue. --Murray, Son, and Co., 387a, High Road, High Cross, Tot

Sunn

The Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd.

CONTRACTORS TO THE ADMIRALTY AND WAR OFFICE

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Printed for THE AEROPLANE AND GENERAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, LIMITED, by BONNER & Co., The Chancery Lane Press, Rolls Passage, London, E.C.; and Published by WM. DAWSON & SONS, LIMITED, at Rolls House, Breams Buildings, London. Branches in Canada, Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg; in South Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban,

"THE AEROPLANE," FEBRUARY 3, 1915.

THE

FROPLANE

Edited by C.G.GREY. ("Aero Amateur")

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VOL. VIII. [REGISTERED AT THE G.P.O.
AT THE G.P.O.]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1915.

No. 5

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Above, a Naval gun-carrying biplane at rest, in charge of an officer since resident in a neutral country. Below, a Naval

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KINDLY MENTION "THE AEROPLANE" WHEN CORRESPONDING WITH ADVERTISERS.

The Editorial and Advertising Offices of "The Aeroplane” are at 166, Piccadilly, W.

Telegraphic Address: AILERON, London. 'Phone : MAYFAIR 5407. Accounts, and all correspondence relating thereto, should be sent to the Registered Offices of "The Ac.oplane and General Publishing Co., Ltd.," Rolls House, Breams Buildings, E.C.

The Editor cannot undertake to return unsolicited manu scripts, whether accompanied by stamps or not, though every endeavour will be made to do so.

"The Aeroplane" is not connected with any other business at the same address, whether associated with Aeronautics or not.

Subscription Rate, post free: Home, 3 months, 1/8; 6 months, 3/3; 12 months, 6/6. Abroad, 3 months 2/2; 6 months, 4/4; 12 months, 8/8

Night Flying

When the late Richard T. Gates first investigated at Hendon the possibilities of flying by night, somewhere in 1913, and afterwards made night flying a regular feature of the exhibitions at the aerodrome under his energetic management, he probably never thought how soon many of the points then discovered about the practice of flying in the dark would be of use in actual

war.

Actually, it is doubtful who was the first person to fly in the dark, but I fancy the credit is due to a young aviator, now an officer in the Royal Naval Air Service, who experimented near New York with electric headlights on his aeroplane as the only illuminant to show him where to land. In any case, Hendon was the first aerodrome to take the subject up seriously, and it was the irony of fate that the man who had done so much to add to the store of knowledge of this phase of flying should be the first to be killed in its practice. That so much which is now of high value to the Services was learned at Hendon adds to the great debt all connected with aviation in this country owe to Richard Gates, who made a success out of most unpromising material, and did more than any one man to make the people of this country appreciate the possibilities of flying as a sport and as a means of locomotion.

Now, in war time, night-flying becomes a matter of considerable importance, both as a method of offence and defence, and it is likely to become more so. Take, for example, the raid by night on Brussels, which was recently reported, though it has never been officially confirmed. A surprise attack by night is not only likely to have greater moral effect than one by day, but it is actually safer for the fliers, provided they have thoroughly reliable engines, for they are very unlikely to be seen and fired at till they reach their objective, and the only risks they take are at starting and when landing on their return. They are not even likely to be attacked in the air when bomb-dropping, for they probably drop their bombs and get away again before any hostile machines can be turned out to chase them.

The risks from anti-aircraft guns are also likely to be reduced, for if the attacking machine is discovered by a searchlight, which is by no means certain, it seems that it would be harder for the gunners to judge their range than it would be in daylight. Even in bright moonlight, when objects on the ground are clearly visible, an aeroplane at a height of anything over a few hundred feet is hard to see from below, as those who were at Hendon during the first night-flying show, which took place on a very bright night, will remember.

In the case of a long-distance raid, say, for instance, if a big raid from our present lines were made on Essen the report of the raid of a week or two ago being still without confirmation-there would be an obvious advantage in starting in the dark, timing the the departure so as to arrive at dawn.

[It is a curious coincidence that since the notes above were written, the official Eye-witness records an attack by our aviators on a town in Flanders, which was timed to arrive at dawn, in just the manner indicated.]

Not only would the aeroplanes have a good chance of getting there without their advent being expected and anticipated, but they might safely fly low for the first hour or two, and thus might carry a bigger load of bombs and petrol than they could do if compelled to fly high to avoid being hit, and they would not have to waste perhaps half an hour or so in climbing to a safe height before starting out over the enemy's lines.

Having dropped their bombs, and being relieved of the weight of petrol expended during perhaps two and a half hours' flying in getting there, the machines would be so lightened that they could climb to a very great height soon after starting on their return journey, and so could get back over the enemy's country without being seen on the way, and thus they could minimise their chances of having their retreat cut off by enemy aeroplanes on approaching their own lines.

As mentioned above, the success of such raids by night or any other long-distance raid, for that matter -and the safety of the pilots in any form of nightflying depends entirely on the reliability of their engines. Fortunately, we are able to obtain quite a goodly supply of sufficiently trustworthy engines from France, and before long we shall have supplies of British-built engines coming through-if, indeed, the first batches are not already being delivered. The fact that we have not had an unlimited supply of home-made engines is another sin to be laid at the door of that noxious establishment the Royal Aircraft Factory, which, as it did with various promising makes of aeroplanes, set itself out at the start to condemn everything of British origin which was not of its own devising.

Unfor

Four years ago at least the Green engine had already showed its ability to stand up to severe tests, but, instead of encouraging its makers with small orders for existing types, and asking the firm to produce bigger engines with more cylinders, the R.A.F. people laid themselves out to prevent the naval and military authorities from buying these engines-presumably because, as in the case of aeroplanes, they had something of their own they wanted to develop. tunately for them their own engine proved a failure, and it is only during the last few months that they have succeeded in producing one which gives somewhat more power for its weight than the 70-h.p. Renault from which it was cribbed, and, naturally, duplicates of it cannot be delivered in quantities for some time. Even when they do begin to arrive in numbers it seems that an engine somewhere in the region of So h.p. is only about half the size required in any machine which is to be of real use for war, according to modern ideas, except in single-seater scouts, to which the Renault-type engine has never yet been adapted.

If, on the other hand, the Green and one or two other promising engines of the early days, such as the E.N.V., had been encouraged, we might by now have been producing enough first-class engines to supply ourselves and our Allies as well. In the Green, at any rate, we should have had at least the equivalent of the

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