in China A descent at an angle of about 10 degrees from sixty feet, an almost imperceptible bump as the wheels touch the earth, a forward run of less than a yard. That in brief scribes the landing of the [latest [Clerva autogiro, which was demonstrated at Lunghwa—Aerodrome on Friday afternoon by Flight Lieut.
D. Bennett before large crowd Of interested spectators, both foreign jand Chinese, This plane is the frst "Flying Windmil" to come to China, and its performance on Friday amply bore Out all that has been said and written faoout it. After starting up the rotor: blades by means of the rotor attachment to the engine—used in starting. only—Mr. Bennett released the wheel Drakes, and the coloured machine took to the alr after a forward run of less than a hundred feet. all the usual ' manoeuvre Once inthe ar, the plane performed standard open two-seater banked, dived, zoomed, Bennett put it through its paces. Ther came the test all had been waiting or. Heading it into the wind, ne; ut its nose up slightly, and it remained still in the air above the heads of the crowd. Actually, its minimum forward speed, as claimed by. the: makers, is fifteen miles an hou which means that in a twenty mile fan hour wind the autogiro would drift slowly backwards. The landing, too, Jproved another surprise, especially to pilots accustomed to rolling forward for a hundred feet or so alter the wheels have touch the earth.
Should the motor fail, the blades continue to revolve, but the machine forced to descend slowly' ike Parachute, remaining at all times under the pilot's control. "Due to the that the blades are always revely: ing, the machine is inherently stable; stalling is impossible, and the autogiro automatically tries to keep on an even Keel.
The controls, too, are entirely dif. ferent, Besides the throttle, the only control the pilot has is somewhat similar to the familiar joy-stick, which {mn this case hangs from the universally-connected rotor hub, to which It directly connected. Climbing, des-ending, and turning are all achieved by the use of this simple control.
Autogiro not "Fool-Proof"
It should not be assumed that the aulogiro is "fool-proof. Since a pilot can fly.it very badly indeed, however, 4 can be called "blunder-proof," and claimed to be the safest form of venal locomotion ever devised. Tt leaves the ground quickly, and climbs steeply; it can land in a still smaller; space, and if necessary, without any' forward speed at all, as demonstrated yesterday.
Its potentialities are enormous. While it will probably never replace the standard aeroplane, yet it pot sesses peculiar advantages for such varied work as feeder-line work on trunk air routes, police and forest patrol work, exploration and survey work, artillery observation, photography, deck' landing, and anti. submarine patrol work.
The autogiro lends itself to two further revolutionary advances in the fulure, the possibility of taking off without an initial run, and of being. wed as a combined air and surface means of transport.
Under the direction of Senor Don 'Juan de La Clerva, Messrs. A. V. Roe Ca, Lid. are at present at work on 4 five to six' seater cabin machine, ited with a 825 horsepower engine which is expected to drive it forward at a top speed in excess of 160 m.p.h.
Local representatives of the Clerva Autogiro Ca. Ltd, and of Messrs. A. V. Roe & Ca. the builders, are Messrs. Aireratt (China) Lid. hal service, the 18.000-ton Scharnhorst, tion arrived in Shanghai om Tuesday Wwe rebared several functions during the ship's when she begins her return voyage,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.