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THE Tampier system of control transmissions for aircraft was developed a year ago by Monsieur René Tampier, who formerly constructed Tampier aeroplanes at Boulogne‐sur‐Seine, near Paris. The system, which makes use of “ball lever joints” and “ball tube joints,” has been developed for engine controls and has been mounted on the new Bréguet “Bizerte” three‐engined, naval reconnaissance flying boat described on p. 183 of this issue, the first important multi‐engined machine to be so equipped. The system will be developed for flying controls and for bomb dropping gear.

NO student of aviation can doubt that one of the principal obstacles to the much wider use of aeroplanes than anything achieved today is the comparatively distant location of aerodromes from the centres of most towns. A number of ingenious minds have at various times suggested different methods of overcoming this fundamental handicap.

In aircraft alighting gear having landing elements directionally settable in parallel relationship for cross wind landing and take‐off, mounting means for each landing element comprising, castorable part and a fixed anchorage, a landing element mounted by the castorable part on each mounting said landing elements castoring during an initial stage of a landing operation to achieve alignment with the direction of taxiing travel, steering means operative between the castorable part of each mounting and the fixed anchorage, means of operative interconnexion effective between the several steering means, and locking means operative to couple the castoring part of each mounting to its associated steering means subsequent to the achieving of alignment of the landing elements with the direction of taxiing travel.

In an airfoil system tapered spanwise in thickness, a fixed airfoil having a substantially flat trailing edge normal to the airfoil chord plane, hinge means defining two hinge axes one close to one side of the airfoil trailing edge and one close to the other side of the airfoil trailing edge, said hinge axes converging toward one another, spanwise, in accordance with the taper of the airfoil system, a spanwise tapered control airfoil having devices engaging said hinge means, mechanism to move the airfoil upon said hinge means, and reliefs at said hinge means to allow of control airfoil movement to one side of neutral about the hinge axis closest to the one side, and to allow of control airfoil movement to the other side of neutral about the other hinge axis closest to the other side.

In an aircraft control mechanism, an auxiliary airfoil fixed on spaced support arms, said arms being mounted on guideways and in parallel relation for chordwise movement, and means for moving one arm a greater distance than the other, comprising interconnected differential means constituting integral pairs of rotating members, one member of each pair being of different diameter than the other member and being positively engaged with one support arm, the second members of the pairs of integral circular members being of the same diameter and being coupled for joint rotation by flexible means passing around the peripheries of both.

IT rather looks as if the aeroplane was on the point of becoming interesting again. This perhaps appears a somewhat startling statement, and it may be controvertible from two aspects. In the first place, the real enthusiast will no doubt say that the aeroplane is always interesting; whereas others will sec no reason why we should suddenly visualise advances.