Special Displays Every Sunday Afternoon. Admiss., 6d., 15., 2s. 6d. (Children Half-Price) Motors, 2s. 6d. PASSENGER FLIGHTS DAILY FROM £2 2s. London Aerodrome, Hendon, N.W. 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. One of the Short "folders" (160 h.p. Gnome engine) taxying home to Calshot after alighting in Southampton Water from a trip round the Fleet on Saturday. Note the funnel for the exhaust gasses. The •Bristol Figing school THE PREMIER SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTRY TUITION on All Types of Machines. KINDLY MENTION "THE AEROPLANE" WHEN CORRESPONDING WITH ADVERTISERS. The Editorial and Advertising Offices of "The Aeroplane" are at 166, Piccadilly, W. The Editor cannot undertake to return unsolicited manuscripts, 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. Telegraphic Address: AILERON, London. 'Phone: MAYFAIR 5407. The Royal Naval Air Service in Being. For the first time in its brief history the Royal Naval Air Service carried out on Saturday last a job of work as an integral part of the Royal Navy. The programme was that the twenty serviceable seaplanes assembled at Calshot should fly in the early morning to the moorings prepared for them off Haslar, to the north of the ships, and tie up there during the day, while the King inspected the Fleet, flying back round the Royal Yacht and down the centre line of ships in the evening "at a height not exceeding 500 feet," according to orders. This is a nice height at which to exhibit a seaplane, but it is just where the bumps caused by the wind eddying over the ships, and the heat remous off the funnels, would be worst. I have a very distinct recollection of flying through the smoke of a small passenger steamer in a bat-boat at about 250 feet one day last year and of feeling a most complicated thump all over the machine as we hit the smoke trail, and it seems likely that the heat spirals off the funnels of battleships would be very much worse. However, the modern naval aviator does not seem to trouble much about his altitude so long as his machine stays more or less in one piece. ་་ Lest the Air Department at the Admiralty should be suspected of inhumanity it may be well to explain that the seaplane pilots and their passengers were not intended to stop on board their craft all the time. As each machine arrived at its moorings and tied up, the crew was taken off by a picketboat and conveyed to H.M.S. "Niger," a gunboat of an obsolete type employed as tender to the "Vernon," and more commonly known as the "Nigger"-a name which seems to fit, for her appearance somehow suggests a superannuated negro light-weight boxer. On board the "Nigger," one gathers, there was assembled the staff of the Air Department, come to view its handiwork, of which it may justly be proud, and, as one irreverent pilot put it, "simply bristling with canaries"remark called forth purely by jealousy because the supply of the gold eagle badges of the R.N.A.S. is not yet sufficient to go round, so the pilots of the coast defence air stations had not been able to get any and headquarters staff had. -a The Air Service carried out its programme to a nicety, though naturally the non-arrival of the King was a grievous disappointment, and one hopes that at the next Review, or Test Mobilisation, whichever it may be, there will be many times the number of seaplanes to be seen, as well as several special aeroplane mother ships and some real airships, for the show made on this occasion should convince even the most hardened disbeliever in aircraft that it is worth while to spend a good many millions on increasing the lead our Naval Air Service already holds over that of any foreign country. Where the Work Was Done. Being naturally desirous of seeing how and where the real work of the day was done it seemed good to go to Calshot, whither on Friday evening, accompanied by one Harold Perrin, of the Royal Aero Club, I went by road. There we learned that the first batch of seaplanes was to push off for their moorings at the unholy hour of 5.30 a.m. on Saturday. Now Calshot Air Station is a small place, and the influx of pilots and shore parties from the up-country stations was more than it could accommodate, so a number of officers and men had to put up elsewhere, unless they "went out and stood along the seashore for multitude"-according to the Scriptures. Therefore, having deposited the aforesaid H. P. at Hythe, where he was to board a lordly yacht and see the Fleet in luxury and idleness next day, I returned to Southampton, where, at the Dolphin hostelry, I discovered numerous and assorted flightlieutenants who spoke words of wisdom concerning seaplanes, words which would inevitably produce many libel actions if published verbatim. Still, “out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,' etc., and some of their criticisms carefully conveyed to the right quarters may assist in improving the breed of seaplanes. Being, above all things, endowed with common sense, and having the shadow of a 4 a.m. boat to Calshot hanging over them, the pilots went to roost early, and at 3 a.m. the tramp of many feet betokened the beginning of the day's work. Arriving at Calshot by road-a horrible curly road on which extreme caution is recommended-shortly after the boat, I found everyone already hard at work. By courtesy of the officer commanding at Calshot I was allowed to watch the proceedings, and I only regret that the various constructors of aeroplanes, and more especially of engines, were not there also, for they would have learned much to their ultimate advantage. The Start. Most of the visiting machines were housed in big Piggott marquees, and a Bessonneau portable shed, all of which seemed to do their work well. The first to start, due out at 5.30 a.m., was the Isle of Grain "war flight," consisting of Short "folders" with 160-h.p. Gnomes, under Squadron Commander Seddon (Lieut. R.N.). There was some trouble all round in getting the engines to start, one machine being delayed till after 6 a.m. One gathers that these "double-row" engines-i.e., two rows of seven cylinders each-are by no means as satisfactory as the others. Apparently the gas coming in through the crank-shaft is cut off by the first row of connecting rods as they whirl round, with the result that the back row of cylinders gets too much gas and the ffont row is starved. By skilful juggling with valve setting it has been possible to increase the time for which the engine will run, but it seems that a radical alteration in design is needed, Perhaps outside inlet pipes, as in the Le Rhone, might do it. On the other hand, the 9 cylinder single row 100-h.p. Gnomes are said to give no trouble at all, and to give very high efficiency all round. There seems a feeling, also, that the 100-h.p. is about the limiting size for a rotary engine, owing to the amount of metal whirling round in the bigger engines. A "monosoupape" g cylinder the same size as the present 100-h.p. ought to be a useful engine. However, when the engines did get going they made no doubt about lifting the machines when once they got off the water, though, owing to there being a flat calm, the getting off process was somewhat longer than usual. The next batch to get away was the Dundee flight, under Squadron Commander Gordon (Major, R.M.L.I.). This flight consists of Short tractor bipanes with 9 cylinder 100-h.p. Gnomes. The wings do not fold up, as in the bigger machines, and they are somewhat smaller and lighter all round, but they fly excellently, and seem to lift the standard Admiralty load quite easily. These machines had been living in a Piggott tent at the top of a steep bit of beach, and there was a great deal of work in getting them into the water, but they were away fairly well on time, except for one machine which cracked a propeller in getting off and came in to have a new one fitted. The third lot off was the Felixstowe under Squadron Commander Risk (Capt., R.M.L.I.), all on Maurice Farmans, three with 12 cylinder V type 100-h. p. Renaults, and one with a 130-h.p. Samson--this last being a rebuild of the 1913 Monaco machine flown by M. Gaubert. All four should have been Renaults. but one engine sprung a leak in its crankcase before leaving Felixstowe and could not start. Another came unput on the way to Calshot, but it was possible to get one to replace it. These engines seem to have given a great deal of trouble in one way or another, and one would like to see one of these "Maurices" tried with a 120-h.p. Beardmore-Daimler, or 120-h.p. Sunbeam-like that on Mr. Alcock's machine at Brooklands, which seems prepared to run for ever-or one of the smaller Salmsons. The 130-h.p. Salmson seems a trifle too big to be quite right for so light a machine, except in the hands of a pilot who has the sense not to use the full power. These "Maurices" appear to fly very well, and the floats do their work effectively. This batch, which was housed in a huge new shed, had an easier beach to get down and up than the others, and they were very smartly handled by their landing-crew. The Felixstowe men have adopted a new kit for the handling of machines in the water, consisting of the regulation jumper and cap on top of white running shorts and sand shoes. The effect is very neat, and much preferable to either bathing suits and sweaters, or rolled up cloth trousers. Even when wet the white shorts do not hamper the men's movements, and they dry quickly. So long as the present unnecessary and clumsy method of launching and landing machines by hand continues in use this seems about the best possible uniform, unless a paternal Government suddenly becomes generous and serves out proper, and well made, and therefore expensive, waders such as fishermen use. While the Maurices were getting away, the Yarmouth flight, under Squadron Commander Courtney (Lieut., R.N.), all on Henri Farmans with 120-h.p. Gnornes, started at intervals from the opposite side of Calshot "Island," where they had been housed in a big Piggott tent. These machines get off and fly beautifully with 120-h.p. Gnomes (14 cylinders), behaving as lightly in the air as do the ordinary land-going 80-h.p. Farmans. The sprung floats are also good in a slight sea. They are, however, on the light side for really heavy sea work, which demands a larger machine of much heavier construction and therefore much heavier loading to the square foot. One hopes before long to see Mr. Farman tackle the problem of big seaplanes seriously. He has been the pioneer of "pusher" type biplanes for so long that he should produce something really good when he starts on high-powered machines for rough water. Or perhaps Mr. de Havilland, who has now begun his work with the Aircraft Company, will produce the desired "pusher" seaplane which is light enough to be buoyant in the air and yet strong enough to be really safe. The last flight to leave was the "home" flight under Squadron Commander Longmore (Lieut.-Commander, R.N.). In effect, the Sopwith gun-carrier (200-h.p. Salmson) which the commanding officer was to have flown refused to get off the water, chiefly owing to a defective propeller, but partly because an experimental alteration had been made to the tail and partly because the engine took a fit of sulks, and there was no time left to get things right. It was uncommonly hard lines because Squadron Commander Longmore had had all the work of organising things at Calshot for the other flights, and had superintended the departure of all the other machines that morning, so that by leaving his own start till last he deprived himself of the chance of starting at all. Consequently, this flight was under Flight Commander Bigsworth, who started first on the Short gun-carrier (160-h.p. Grome), a huge machine which seems able to lift anything, but otherwise does not seem to fly as well as the Short tractors, and appears to me to need more surface aft to counteract the big projecting nacelle and gun. The next off was the Sopwith tractor (100 h.p. Green), which seems to fly very well. It is in fact the same machine which Mr. Hawker flew in the Circuit of Britain last year, but with a few minor alterations. The engine runs like a clock-not of the American variety-and seems to give plenty of power. One would like to see a Green of the most modern type tried on a fairly light land machine specially built to suit it, for I have a strong suspicion that it gives more power than some of the German engines about which we have heard so much lately. Also, these German performances have caused a more favourable feeling towards ordinary vertical engines. This feeling has been aided by the good flying of the R.E.'s with Beardmore-Daimlers. Further, I hear from an indirect but reliable source that the Green is doing very well in the Naval and Military Engine Competition at Farnborough. Therefore it looks as if some enterprising aeroplane maker might do well to try and beat a few records with a Green. The gun on the Short is a 13-pounder, more or less like to the pom-poms used by the Army some time ago. It is the biggest weapon yet used in aircraft. It was first used on the Sopwith, and later was used to test the Short's ability to stand the recoil. The last machine to start was the Sopwith bat-boat (90-h.p. Austro-Daimler), one of the most extraordinary craft in the Navy, and quite the most comfortable thing to fly in I have yet come across. The huge hull, the comparatively low power, and the apparently small planes would lead one to expect a clumsy, sluggish machine very hard to get off the water, and awkward to bring down properly. In practice she gets off easily, provided there is not too much sea-for she is small, considered as a boat-and flies very well indeed. A Night Flying Performance. On Friday night, just before midnight, Flight Commander Travers had taken this Sopwith bat-boat out over the Fleet. He had an ordinary electric headlight off a car fitted on the bow, and a mass of accumulators as well as a passenger, and with this he flew from Calshot right out to the other end of the Fleet by Southsea, reaching about 1,000 feet as he came to the first ships and getting to 1,500 feet at the other end of the line. This performance rather "wiped the eye" of the airships which are supposed to be particularly the weapons of darkness. On returning Flight Commander Travers had an experience which demonstrated the use of a self-alighting machine. After leaving the last of the Fleet, at 1,000 feet or so, he started to come down by throttling the engine so that he was just sinking slowly. His dash-board was illuminated as usual and he was taking his height from his aneroid, intending, when it showed he was getting near the water, to alight in the usual way. Suddenly, when the instrument showed a height of 200 feet, there was a bump and a crash and much splashing, and he found himself on the water. What had happened was that, as the aneroid indicated in 200-foot jumps, he had reached the bottom of the last 200 feet before the indicator moved, just as in a taxi one may be on the verge of ticking up another tu'pence without actually doing so. The boat fetched herself up quite easily without a particle of damage, and was moored out for the night, doing her trip on Saturday as well as anything in the air. Before this night-flying business the same machine had taken half-a-dozen or more Naval passengers, one at a time of course, round the Fleet. She is, I think, the oldest machine at Calshot, and certainly one of the best fliers, now that triangular fins have been fitted under the tail and forward of the rudders. Of course, she is too small for real sea work, but a similar kind of machine in a really large sizesay a 500-h.p. twin-engine job-is something like the beginning of the real flying ship. One thing that will be altered in such a type of machine will be the tail-booms. At no time have I liked the idea of a heavy propeller and engine buzzing round inside four little sticks which one could break with one's hands, and in the big, powerful, fast machines of to-day it is positively terrifying to see the tail-booms whipping about when the engines are running on land or water, and it is not good for one's nerves to watch them when in the air, for some of them bend visibly when the rudders are put full over. If the "canard" type does not come, or until it comes, and pending the arrival of the big twin-engine "pushers" with central fuselages, something might be done by fitting a very deep and very narrow |