Royal Flying Corps Monthly Safety Report

I got the following in an e mail, do you believe it or is it just made up?

ROYAL FLYING CORPS MONTHLY SAFETY REPORT

The following safety tips are excerpts from a Royal Flying Corps monthly
safety report. The report was signed C. St. John-Culbertson, Royal Flying
Corps, Colonel, and was dated 21 December 1917.

INTRODUCTION. Another good month. In all, a total of 35 accidents were
reported, only six of which were avoidable. These represented a marked
improvement over the month of November during which 84 accidents occurred,
of which 23 were avoidable. This improvement, no doubt, is the result of
experienced pilots with over 100 hours in the air forming the backbone of
all the units.

RESUME OF ACCIDENTS Avoidable accidents:

1. Avoidable accidents this last month.

a. The pilot of a Shorthorn, with over 7 hours of experience,
seriously damaged the undercarriage on landing. He had failed to land at
as fast a speed as possible as recommended in the Aviation Pocket
Handbook.

b. A B.E. 2 stalled and crashed during an artillery exercise. The
pilot had been struck on the head by the semaphore of his observer who was
signaling to the gunners.

c. Another pilot in a B.E. 2 failed to get airborne. By an error of
judgement, he was attempting to fly at mid-day instead of at the
recommended best lift periods, which are just after dawn and just before
sunset.

d. A Longhorn pilot lost control and crashed in a bog near
Chipping-Sedbury. An error of skill on the part of the pilot in not being
able to control a machine with a wide speed band of 10 MPH between top
speed and stalling speed.

e. While low flying in a Shorthorn the pilot crashed into the top
deck of a horse drawn bus near Stonehenge .

f. A B.E. 2 pilot was seen to be attempting a banked turn at a
constant height before he crashed. A grave error by an experienced pilot.

2. There were 29 unavoidable accidents from which the following are
selected:

a. The top wing of a Camel fell off due to fatigue failure of the
flying wires. A successful emergency landing was carried out.

b. Sixteen B.E. 2s and 9 Shorthorns had complete engine failures.
A marked improvement over November’s figure.

c. Pigeons destroyed a Camel and 2 Longhorns after mid-air strikes.

COST OF ACCIDENTS: Accidents during the last three months of 1917 cost 317
pounds, 10 shillings sixpence, money down the drain and sufficient to buy
new gaiters and spurs for each and every pilot observer in the Service..

ACCIDENT BRIEFS

No. 1 Brief No. 912 Squadron 3 December 1917
Aircraft type B.E. 2C No. XY 678,
Total solo – 4.20
Pilot Lt. J. Smyth-Worthington,
Solo in type – 1.10
The pilot of this flying machine attempted to maintain his altitude in a turn at 2,500 feet.
This resulted in the aeroplane entering an unprecedented manoeuvre, entailing a
considerable loss of height. Even with full power applied and the control
column fully back, the pilot was unable to regain control.
However, upon climbing from the cockpit onto the lower mainplane, the
pilot managed to correct the machines altitude, and by skillful
manipulation of the flying wires successfully side-slipped into a nearby
meadow.
Remarks: Although, through inexperience, this pilot allowed his
aeroplane to enter an unusual attitude, his resourcefulness in eventually
landing without damage has earned him a unit citation.
R.F.C..Lundsford-Magnus is investigating the strange behaviour of this aircraft.

No. 2 Brief No. 847 Squadron 19 December 1917
Aircraft type Spotter Balloon J17983,
Total solo 107.00
Pilot Capt. * * *,
Solo in type 32.10
Captain * * * of the Hussars, a balloon observer, unfortunately allowed
the spike of his full-dress helmet to impinge against the envelope of his
balloon. There was a violent explosion and the balloon carried out a
series of fantastic and uncontrollable manoeuvres, while rapidly emptying
itself of gas. The pilot was thrown clear and escaped injury, as he was
lucky enough to land on his head. Remarks: This pilot was flying in
full-dress uniform because he was the Officer of the Day. In consequence
it has been recommended that pilots will not fly during periods of duty as
Officer of the Day. Captain * * * has requested an exchange posting to the
Patroville Alps, a well-known mule unit of the Basques.

No. 3 Brief Summary of No. 43 Brief dated October 1917
Major W. de Kitkag-Watney’s Nieuport Scout was extensively damaged when it failed to
become airborne. The original Court of Inquiry found that the primary
cause of the accident was carelessness and poor airmanship on the part of
a very experienced pilot. The Commandant General, however, not being
wholly convinced that Major de Kitkag-Watney could be guilty of so
culpable a mistake ordered that the Court should be re-convened. After
extensive inquiries and lengthy discussions with the Meteorological
Officer and Astronomer Royal, the Court came to the conclusion that the
pilot unfortunately was authorized to fly his aircraft on a day when there
was absolutely no lift in the air and could not be held responsible for the
accident. The Court wishes to take this opportunity to extend its
congratulations to Major de Kitkag-Watney on his reprieve and also on his
engagement to the Commandant General’s daughter, which was announced
shortly before the accident.
.

FLYING SAFETY TIPS

Horizontal turns

To take a turn the pilot should always remember to sit
upright, otherwise he will increase the banking of the aeroplane.
He should NEVER lean over.

Crash precautions
Every pilot should understand the serious consequences
of trying to turn with the engine off. It is much safer to crash into a
house when going forward than to sideslip or stall a machine with engine
troubles.

Passengers
should always use safety belts, as the pilot may start stunting
without warning. Never release the belt while in the air, or when nosed
down to land.

Engine noises
Upon the detection of a knock, grind, rattle or squeak, the
engine should be at once stopped. Knocking or grinding accompanied by a
squeak indicates binding and a lack of lubricant.

WATCH THAT FIRST STEP.

The First Marine Air Wing had this write up in their Safety publication
Wing Tips. It was conceded by all that the pilot had accomplished a
brilliant piece of work in landing his disabled machine without damage
under the circumstances. It is not with intent to reflect less credit upon
his airmanship, but it must be noted that he is a well experienced aviator
with over 40 total hours in the air, embracing a wide variety of machines,
and this was his seventh forced landing due to complete failure of the
engine. It was doubly unfortunate that upon alighting from his machine
he missed the catwalk on the lower airfoil and plunged both legs through
the fabric, straddling a rib, from which he received a grievous personal
injury. Some thought should be devoted to a means of identifying
wing-traversing catwalks to assist aviators in disembarking from their
various machines