BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 23130, 2 December 1938, Page 3

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

by Gypsy moth

THE FIRST LOOP. The late Captain Andrew Lang, who ■was an Australian test pilot during the Great Warj has set down for posterity the facts of the first loop that was looped in the following words:—“The Caudron G.2 was the first machine-to be looped. A young French military pilot, Lieutenant Chanteloup, who was attached to the Caudron Escadrille, got it into his head that a. machine should be able to loop, provided there was sufficient power behind it. He accordingly went up over Issey aerodrome, near Paris, and succeeded in the attempt; making five good loops. “ On coming down he was informed that if he repeated the performance he would be placed under arrest and courtmartialled. The following day be went off on a cross-country flight, and when over Buc, another' French military aerodrome, he decided to show them the latest feat. Not content with about 10 loops, he came down to observe the effect upon his brother pilots.

The officer commanding this aerodrome was so excited about the exhibition put up by Chanteloup that he telephoned Issy 'aerodrome to congratulate it on its” magnificent pilot. Chanteloup was promptly placed under arrest by order of the commandant at Issy. “ Pegoud, the chief Bleriot pilot, happened to be on the Buc aerodrome at the time. He worked hard on his own machine, reinforced its tail, and thereafter performed a series of loops, from which he obtained credit of being the first man in the world to loop. The army authorities then released Chanteloup, feeling that enough punishment had been meted out to him in the loss of the credit.” FIRST FLIGHT IN AUSTRALIA. The following account of the first flight to be made in Australia by an aeroplane appeared in the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald ’ of December 10, 1909 : “ The first aerial flight in Australasia by a motor-propelled machine was accomplished yesterday at Victoria Park racecourse. The machine, handled bv Mr Colin Defries, flew about 115yds, the time of flight being registered as SJsec. The height attained varied from 2ft to 15ft, and there was every prospect of soaring aloft had not the engine worked badly . . . Certainly no better day could have been chosen. When the first , test was made .the breeze, which was south-easterly, was scarcely felt. The aviator faced the wind, and made several trials unsuccessfully. Then he turned to the north, intending to run into the wind at the turn. The result was a success. When travelling at about 35 miles an hour, and handling the machine alone, Mr

Defries suddenly raised his elevating planes, and at once rose into the air. As he left the ground there was an involuntary cry from about 150 spectators. ‘He’s up,’ and he was up. As the machine rushed forward it kept in the - air, and rose quickly from 3ft to fully loft or 20ft, and then tapered down again to earth, after covering about 115yds. According to the time taken over the measured distance the aeronaut covered 100yds in osec, which will give some idea of his rate of travelling.” THE HUMAN FACTOR. Elaborations in the design of modern aircraft tend to increase the possibilities of human error. This is shown by the numerous crashes caused by pilots forgetting to lower their retractable undercarriages before landing, and by the accident to the Imperial Airways flying boat Cygnus in Brindisi harbour on December 5. This accident has been held by Wing-commander V. S. Brown, chief inspector of the Air Ministry Accidents Branch, to be due to the pilot attempting to take off with the landing flaps in the fully lowered position (writes Group-captain L. G. S. Payne, in the ‘ Daily Telegraph and Morning Post ’). Presumably they had been left in that position after landing, and this was not noticed before the take-off. Trials with another flying boat of the same type have shown that an attempt to take off with the flaps lowered makes the aircraft ” porpoise.” and if this movement is not Immediately corrected the machine quickly gets out of control. This indicates the advisability of a connection between the flaps and the throttle control, which will ensure that the flaps are'automatically raised when the throttle is opened.