BRITISH AIRCRAFT OUT OF DATE
DAY OF BIPLANE IN WAR HAS PASSED BOMBERS OUTPACED BY MANY RIVALS
IN
During the debate on the Air Estimates in the House of Commons emphasis was laid on the fact that the Royal Air Force has too many out-of-date. machines with a small radius of action and a relative- ly low speed and bomb-carrying capacity,
Captain Norman Macmillan, president of the National League of Airmen, sheds a clear light on this vital matter.
He was awarded the Military Cross in January 1918 for shooting down three enemy aeroplanes and driving down six others out of control. În 1919 he received the Air Force Cross in recognition of his war services.
The successes achieved by
44
The
of
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1935.
Rear Admiral J. A. G. Troup, of the British Navy, shown hurrying from the nava! barracks at Porte- mouth, England, after the morning session of the courts martial for four British naval officers impli eated H.M.5. Hood and H.M.S. Renown
in the recent collision of
uur
Jady Moira Ponsonby, daughter of His Excellency, Lard Bon. bore th, Governor-General of Canada and Lady Beisborough, ir znapped hero' skiing at the Seignary Club in Quebec. With her is Miss Hyacinth Lambert of Ottawa. Lady Moira had attended the women's iki races and was skiing back to the club.
IMPORTANT POINT
By CAPT. N. MACMILLAN
years Be mostly to the N the early days of aviation.jin recent
the monoplane. The pioneer workers sought the credit way to success through the dark- British non-stop light to India, by those two galiant ness of established knowledge carried out Flying was empirical-the subject officers the late Squadron Leader of trial and error. Standards for A. G. Jones-Williams and the inte
low over the ground, where their for military purposes was crushed. to lose. We are not only under the design of aeroplanes were un-Flight Lieutenant N. 11. Jenkins,
speed might exceed that of There is
overwhelming evidence strength; we are under-celent. known.
The minds of the men was made in a monoplane. The Schneider Trophy was won sul-
Oghtern designed for BAC nt throughout the world that the Our aeroplanes are neither fast who Frayed flight created
biplane type is obsolete. height?
enough nor able to fly far enough. assortment of different right by monoplanes. The aero- strange
toplane which Scott and Black New
In our bomber classes the dis
The Air Estimates provide for supposed each aeroplaner.
of to Melbourne in 71 hours was a
the re-equipment of only one-fifth parity is ominous. When it is special merit pusses SOBI
considered that our fastest heavy Some of the new Royal Air of the existing aquadrons in the stability, maneuvrability or lifting monoplane.
All these neroplanes were special bomber (a biplane) lins a top speed Force types now being built are next twelve mouths. This means puwver.
Gradually all this has changed, ly built for a given purpose. They of only 146 milés an hour, whereas monoplanes. I would like to see that more than two-thirds of our were monoplanes because efficiency foreign monoplanes of similar type this policy pushed forward swift equipment will be still more out of ratioun aeroplanes drove out the, quired that they should be mono- can fly at speeds of 200 to 214 ly. Speed is not the only quality date by the end of that time.
planes.
The lesson goes back to miles an hour; when it is consider gained by efficient aerodynamic Our Ale Force is a national in- designs which were grotesque 27. The lenders of our Air Aeroplanes that
dew tail fint. Porec have been slow to apply thated that our biplane light bombers design. Range-the distance that suranee; only the policy is not good maximum speed of only can be down by an aeroplane—is fenough." Our pilots are the finest the first Wright success are to be built. Sub- lesson, for, at the present time, not 135 miles an hour, while equivalent greater when the lines are clean. If the world in skill, courage, and one squadron of the Royal Air monoplane types in other countries or bombers that is all Important. technique, but for the protection variations rented vers Foren is equipped with aeroplanes fly at 237 to 247 miles an hour, it requent
With few excepilons, every of our people` and our prestige an largely up three principat types
will be realined, what a handicap{squadron in the Royal Air Force a nation we must get rid of our the monoplane, the biplane, find: of the monoplane type.
has been imposed upon var nation, needs new, up-to-date aeroplanes. ok neroplanes and re-equip our the triplane. Many French de The high-speed French and
It is time that this shibboleth Given a free hand our designers squadrons with modern muchines simmers were protagonists of the German air lines that come inlo
of the superiority of the biplane can build them. There is no time without delay. monoplane type.
· Croydon every day are monoplanes. In England, about two years The fastest air liners of the United before the War, there were A: States of America are monoplates. number of Catal accidents with monophase. The War Office for The new hambers and two-seater single-senter fighters IN bade the use of monoplana in the America are monoplanes. Mone- Royal Flying Corps. A Monoplane planes predominate in the latest Accidents Investigation Committee military aeroplanes of the Con- was appointed. Speed of light in tinental air Powers. The reason those days was comparatively slow. is elent.
not excced
A
ALL MONOPLANES
An aeroplane that flew at 100 miler Cantilever monoplanes require an hour was considered very fast: no outside struts or wires to brace. some 70 their wings. With the lay-wing most could milen an hour. Al then low typ the undercarriage gan
be speed-the-addition or absence of retracted inside the wings to wires and struts dragging through reduce resistance when in light. the air made comparatively little These qualities give speed. The difference in the performance of thickening of the wings to permit one aeroplane against another. internal raging gives a high The advocates of the biplane press-flag-value to the aeroplane, ed that as a type it could be strong-i The monoplane's smooth, clean ly braced by external wires and surfaces cut through the air with struts. The Monoplane Accidents the minimum of disturbing ripples. Investigation Committee gave its The biplane's parasitic struts and verdict against the monoplane. wires disturb the flow of air and
so restrict the speed.
C30
END OF MONOPLANES The Andings of this committee I know that the champions of spelt the death knell of the monn the old school will say we have a plane in British military aviation, squadron whose machiner Four monoplanes already ordered reach 230 miles an hour. I do not 'from al English designer were dispute this. But I do say that broken up without even – being that speed is only reached at grent flown. No monoplane of British heights, where the reduced density design was ever used during the of the air cuts down the drag War in any numbers. One of the through natural conditions. best aeroplanes of 1916 was 4. While this neroplane flies at a monoplane, but its use was reserved height of some three and a quarter to side show fronts. It was never miles above the surface of the sea employed as a squadron type with it can maintain its speed; when It the Royal Flying Corps in France. comes down to lower levels the Biplanes and au occasional tri- drag of struts and wires is present plane were the order of the day. and makes itself felt in the denser This policy, handed down to us air. from a committee of scientists who sat in 1012 in the days before the Who is there in this modern science of aeronautical who can safely say that if there design had passed beyond the is fighting in the air that fighting chrysalis stage, has persisted in must take place at heights more British military acronautical than three miles above the surface circles
of the earth? What would happen The great achievements in flying if enemy bombers wore to travel
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
country
have a
cuatom
With the signing of the Franco-Carman agreement governing the Saxe transfar, 500. Naxi- Customs guards, armed with carbines and bandoliera, began a procession moving the barrier from the Garman border of the region to the French liga. Above is shown the head of the torchlight colobration that got under was at midnight of the day when, Germany 'took over the restoration of the larrl tory to the Fatherland. ́ ́
Qustav.
King
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