WEEVILS OF THE AIR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 27

WEEVILS OF THE AIR

In ■■ response to a suggestion in the "Daily Telegraph" ■ that airmen who, without parachute, have survived collision in the air snould be grouped in a "club" to be called "the weevils," the incident recorded below is recalled.

It is suggested, that, like the. "Caterpillar Club," of those whose lives have been saved by parachutes, and the "Wira-Worms,", the suggested title of a : "club"; of airmen who have survived collision with balloon 1 cables, a "club" of; those eVen rarer birds, who havfe come; through the most critical of all flying experiences would be extremely, interesting. : :

Flying-Otecer G. Irwin, of No. 20 Squadron, R.A^F., was serving in India on the North-West Frontier, in 1928. and on one occasion a flight of four machines of the squadron was ordered to give a demonstration of close formation flying for-the late Air Chief Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond* during his tour of inspection.

Flying; Officer Irwih was No. 2 on the right of the leader. At a height of about 1000 ft they wheeled to the right. When about half-way through the turn Flying-Officer Irwin felt a bump, and his machine, a Bristol Fighter, immediately went into a right-hand spin, and dropped out of the formation. He writes:

"My-machine spun frantically for about 800 ft, whilst I thought of various things to do. My joy-stick was flapping about in my hands, useless.

"When about 150 ft from the ground the machine, without any warning, began to answer very slightly to' my efforts to centralise the controls— i.e., hold them in the normal position for straight flying—and the nose lifted slightly, and the circles of the spin became, a little wider and less steep. But the final'so feet were at a steep angle, although the result was not a complete wreck." .

A photograph shows that the rudder had been broken in the collision, and bent to the right, and that the elevator on the left side was broken and hanging down. In the circumstances, the fact that the machine did not spin violently all the way to the ground was very remarkable. .

■ It was found that No. 4 in the formation had struck Flying-Officer Irwin's rudder with his propeller, and that the only damage his own machine had sustained was a fracture in the leading edge of the right, wing. He returned to the aerodrome wondering what had happened. '■:.

Flying-Officer Irwin's only personal injury was a bruised jawbone. His observer had a slightly damaged slim.

The correspondence has 'brought another candidate for the "Wire Worms" to light.- Mr. W. G. Stewart flew into a balloon cable during the first battle of the Somme. The leading edge of his machine was broken, and the lateral controls put out of use. He sideslipped 1000 ft, but managed to flatten out.for a roughish. landing.