AVIATION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19413, 12 September 1928, Page 9

AVIATION.

PROGRESS OF PfttVATB CLUBS. A &BCORD OF SAFETY. LONDON* August 24. The Air Ministry's Seport on the Progress of Civil Aviation refers to the excellent progress made by the light aeroplane clubßi On the termination of the dg?ee~cnts With the five original "approved*' light aeroplane- clubs on July 80th, 1687, it States, the basis of the Air Ministry , BQheme was completely revised, go as to ' make a continuance 0? financial assistance dependent on the .number of pilots trained oil tilub aircraft, dll the) hmoufit ' of flying carried dut, and on the number of qualified pilfltß enrolled. The j total amount of the gJarit made to each club will not exceefl £2OOO in any car. Id all, thirteen clubs will bo assisted. Although more membr- re required by the clubs to place them on a sound i footing, .thA nesitten is being rapidly stteflglhened By the enthusiasm of the Cllib's luMOrtttfj The total membership the '"bi la operate ob Beuefflbflr Slat, 1837, was 8180, of , which number 833 held licenses as civil pilots and 196 had qualified tot Umm cm olab aircraft, Ehese figuwa m more than double these recorded at the end of 1680. ~..*. ,* A valuable result of the flying, club movement 1b the large increase which Is taking place in the number of ftWßttl of private aircraft. This is a direct, oonasffiienee of th Incre^edlnterest In i flying, improved facilities for tuition, and lowering of e*p'e*B6B bw- -M about by the clubs/ Oae hundred and tea pHVately-otyned aircraft, including 97 belonging *«> Mbsidtod*'' 1 - were-in servii* a* the end Jrf 1B», as compared/ withfft at the en* of 18&0~a> increase of nearly'loo pe* cent,. T"» British " •-'■">ment of flying-has, moreover.' pfomoted a-simi-lar movement in many other parts of the "world, and the repr-ted pro " have been,,siven of the £ liability and eMnW of British -light aeroplanes have gained for makers a good Jead .hVanpplyfog' the overseas demand &?ra^^ Ifctlon'ftf. mads 1 predticti<m methods in light.aeroplane cohstfuctiota has altead^ blgufi} one tm being proved at a *ate • approaching one machine a day, " 3[ * few* raluetion ifl pride taw*' lied" ' '~' v ' , SdMai' donirttftidtion. The outstanding feature of the yea* of*ti§ technical development af.ftgthe ribatU IMS ay»«Sboat « an ewmple - of thhVnew method Metal construetioit has the advantage,, of gwater therefore provide* a larger margin oi ZSS Collision-#itb a Wing oblect , »~ would penetrate a wooden huU SelfSntß ft metal 3»5V«r« .materially reduced, and ScVn be made by maw Portion. Srtsidwabto Advanoee have been made it f the ,t»ee of, non-torosive metals and £ method., of ■ protecting metaf m* faces from corrosion v -FtnaUy, the savnTin weight by th* use of a metal hull forJ&* average flying boat w mbZfat* old.iyPe oi wooden buU after the Jatter ha* absorbed water, to . urn. v So far< the atage of complete metal coiwtruotion with a m«* ftl -«S**ing for fuselage 1 Md top m addition to a metal stMctnre has not been reached generally in thii oonntry, but pto- ' Settive reauits have been accomplished t in, thbj direction. , , , A . N * .There was, the report etates. no ser> ous accident in reenlar awit*? 800 ?: daring the year, ahd for the third year , in SweSion no fart-paying passenger was injured through'a;mishap to any aeroplane registered in the British Isles, ffhe total number of accidents was 24. Bnt only eitjht had serious oonsequencesheyond »tr«etaraliia ma** V& aircraft, five bein« fatal, and in the majority of casesi the_ occupants of the machines escaped injuries of any kind. _-; TEMPUfc FUGIT. 1 An Interesting of the big : 'flight that made the 'plane, and its. 1 crew famous ir*a «]«£«}«£ " down-ftt McWllliams in , the navigating cabin. It is marked "Pacific Ooast Time/' an« ia: t set in the wall of the cabin beside another . that tells the Greenwich, mean time,- . and a third, that records,ship's time. , Literally now, as- well as figuratively. - time flies. v '. , .