Frederick William Lanchester

“ It is more than possible that, in some respects and from certain points of view, flying by night may become less hazardous than by daylight, just as, for example, there are many conditions under which navigation at sea is actually safer by night than by day. ”

“ The machinery set up by the Government for dealing with a new and difficult question of the greatest national importance, has, so far as its allotted scope is concerned, worked with singular smoothness and undeniable effect. In brief, we have the Royal Aircraft Factory, which may be regarded as the headquarters of the national sources of production, and in itself of the character of an experimental or pioneer department rather than a national manufactory. ”

“ Beyond this, one of the latest models turned out by the Royal Aircraft Factory is by far the fastest machine in the world, being some ten or twenty miles per hour faster than anything the Continent can show. On the other hand, on the outbreak of hostilities we found ourselves without a thoroughly satisfactory fighting or gun-carrying type of machine — it is one matter to be able to mount a gun on an aeroplane, and quite another to design and construct machines expressly for that purpose. ”

“ The features in which we at present possess the advantage are those in which the flying capacity of the machine, rather than its more essentially fighting quality, is concerned. Thus superiority may be claimed for the British aeroplanes: firstly, as being better aerodynamically — that is to say, for given horse-power and weight they possess a greater speed and climbing power; secondly, they are more stable — in fact, our present-day machines are definitely automatically or inherently stable ”

“ The need for improvement in our flying grounds is very much emphasised, when the importance of night flying is taken into consideration. With bad or indifferent flight grounds, such as existent at the time of the outbreak of war, alighting by night is an operation of extreme risk, and is only possible for a pilot of great experience. There is no real reason why alighting by night should be unduly dangerous; flight grounds of adequate area, properly drained, and of good surface, are however essential. ”

“ In view of the peace-time exploits of the airmen of the three leading Western Powers, in which it may fairly be said that honours have been divided, it would appear that, without belittling the magnificent performance and daring of our flying men, it is in the matter of material—i.e., actual machines, etc.—that our superiority is most marked. ”

“ The large airship, until recently in contemplation for this duty, provides, in the author's opinion, a doubtful solution, without recapitulation of its other deficiencies, it is too slow; the key-note in matters of military or naval advancement is mobility, the measure of which is flight speed. ”

“ At present all raids, reconnaissances and other duties entrusted to the aeroplane are subject to the condition that the operation must be completed in time to return to headquarters before dark; infraction of this condition is prone to result in serious losses, both of machines and men. It is abundantly clear that no such restriction should be tolerated, and the solution of the difficulty is to be sought in the provision of flight grounds, worthy of our present day aircraft. ”

“ It is a serious reflection on our conduct as a nation that we have so far shown ourselves prepared to spend more money in the provision and upkeep of cricket fields, than we are ready to do for the safety of our flying men and the efficiency of the Aeronautical Arm.
Even before the outbreak of the present war, the author had more than once given expression to the opinion that our flight grounds stood more in need of immediate improvement than the machines themselves. ”

“ The peace training of these vast numbers of flying-men would represent an organisation of immense proportions, especially if the author's anticipations in such matters as aeronautical tactics, formation flying, etc., come to be realised. The multiplicity of flight-grounds, training-schools, workshops, sheds, etc., with the necessary staff of instructors, mechanics, and other non-combatant members of the organisation, will render the whole matter a very big undertaking. ”

“ It is not easy to form any real conception of what the future may have in store in the direction of numbers, but as a matter of guesswork it is difficult to believe that, sooner or later, the strength of the Flying Corps will not reach or exceed 1 per cent, of the number of bayonets. ”

“ Owing to quite wellunderstood conditions, it is necessary, before rising, to attain a speed on the ground not very much less than the normal flight-speed of the machine, and so, in the case of a machine designed for 120 miles per hour maximum flight-velocity, it would be necessary to acquire a speed round about 80 miles per hour before leaving the ground, which would necessitate a straight-line run of about 300 yards. ”

“ One hundred alightings on a good ground (with a fair surface and without obstructions) will carry less risk than, say, 20 or 30 on a poor or bad ground, and the man who has made his 100 alightings, with, if we wish, imaginary obstacles, is a better man than the one who has only done his 20 or 30, especially if the latter is disabled or dead. A man who practises jumping uses a light lath, which will do him no injury if he falls, in spite of the fact that his object may be to join a club of harriers and jump a five-bar gate. ”

“ The foregoing may be taken merely as samples of the many questions which have to be faced before the training of army pilots and aeroplane gunners and signallers can be attempted in the thousands, or tens of thousands, for which the warfare of the future may call. Without adequate consideration of these questions, coupled with appropriate measures, progress in the direction of increase of numbers and the practical development of aeroplane tactics on a large scale will be most seriously handicapped. ”

“ If the type is one which has been thoroughly tested in the first instance before adoption, and if the machines are properly inspected during manufacture, they will be far more reliable in the battlefield if they have not been knocked about by rough treatment over bad ground in peace-time flying. Testing to destruction is good in its way, but the particular article so tested must not be subsequently used. With regard to the men themselves, the argument that a bad ground is better than a good one is almost as gravely at fault. ”

“ It might be thought that the setting apart as flightgrounds of such considerable areas of land as above indicated would impose too serious a financial burden on flying, at least for some time to come, to be commercially possible. ”

“ The problems connected with the maintenance of the Fourth Arm in time of peace are numerous, and present difficulties which will certainly be found to increase as the numerical strength of the Arm is augmented. ”