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IT is with regret that we record the death of Lieut‐Col. William Lockwood Marsh, O.B.E., M.A., L.L.B.,F.R.Ae.S., F.l.Ae.S., M.S.A.E., on March 10, at the age of 76, at his home in Woking. It is to him that this journal owes its very existence; he was its Founder Editor in 1929 and its guiding hand until his retirement some ten months ago.

UNFORTUNATELY, there is an almost complete absence of technical information about any of the machines built for this year's Schneider Trophy Race. The two Governments concerned are unwilling as yet to allow anything but the most meagre details to be published. What data are available of the Supermarine “S.6” are given in the table on page 274 of the winners and performances since 1913. The engine‐power is not given there because it is not permitted by the Air Ministry to say more than that the super‐charged Rolls‐Royce “R” installed develops “over 1,500 h.p.” It has, consequently, been impossible to give the figure for weight per horsepower, but it may, perhaps, be said that this is believed to be, in spite of the increase in gross weight, quite considerably below that of the “S.5.” Indeed, when the power actually developed by the Rolls‐Royce is made public it will probably cause something of a sensation. Though, of course, test‐bench figures are not always achieved in the air, those obtained in this case were most remarkable, and it is only to be regretted that it is not possible to mention them. No more can be said than that with this engine, and the series from which it was developed, Messrs. Rolls‐Royce have at one bound come back to the foremost position they used to hold in the aero‐engine world. The continued improvement in engines is, in fact, perhaps the chief feature of the racing machines of 1929 compared with those of 1927. The 900‐h.p. “Lion” of two years ago seemed to have reached almost the limit of development for a single type, but the Napier Company showed this year that that was by no means the end of their resources. They have added probably about another. 500 h.p. and still further reduced the frontal area, the increase of power being largely owing to the addition of a supercharger, which is also a feature of the Rolls‐Royce. This has been spoken of as an innovation in racing aeroplane engines, but actually the example was set by Mr. Fedden in the Bristol “Mercury” fitted two years ago to the Short “Crusader,” an engine which is only just overcoming its teething troubles as a production type but will shortly, it is expected, begin to take its true place as the fine piece of work it is. So jealously guarded are the details of those high‐efficiency racing engines that no details whatever of either the “Lion” or the “R” are available, and in the ease of the latter a photograph giving merely a side view of the exterior of the engine was deemed too confidential for reproduction because it showed the blower casing. Of the Italian engines nothing whatever is known except that the Isotta‐Fraschini in the Macchi M.67 is rated at 1,700 h.p. and the Fiat C.R. 29's Fiat at 1,000 h.p. Whether these are purely nominal ratings or represent actual powers developed on the test bench, or in the air, it is impossible to say.

ON the seventh of this month the fact was officially announced that there have been for some time a number of British designed jet‐propulsion aeroplanes flying in England and America and that these have proved sufficiently successful for the type to be put into production. In spite of the widely‐spread knowledge of this development, the secret has been, except for one regrettable lapse, extremely well kept and such references to machines of this type as have appeared have been confined to the Caproni‐Campini aeroplane, news of the existence and flights of which was rather surprisingly released by the Italian Government over two years ago.

DURING 1943, we published two papers, both from foreign sources, on electric gauges to measure the strains in aeroplane structures. The second of these, which logically should have come first, appeared in our April issue and was an MAP. translation from the German which covered the theory of electric resistance strip and ring gauges. The other, which had appeared earlier, in‐our February issue, was an S.A.E. paper by MR. C. R. STRANG dealing with practical technique in the application of strip gauges as developed by the DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY. Owing to the limitations on paper the February issue is now completely out of print—not, perhaps, a matter of great moment since the article is now mainly of academic interest—and there are only two or three copies of the issue containing Mr. STRANG'S most interesting account still available. We mention this to save disappointment on the part of those who may be led by the further article on the subject in this, issue to wish to obtain them. MR. KING now to a large extent completes the picture and rounds off what may be considered a series by giving information on the form in which the gauges should be applied and the method of interpreting the resulting readings.

We have long believed that the time would come when Aeronautics would need a monthly journal of its own, similar to those already possessed by other industries, specifically catering for the men engaged on the design and construction of aircraft and those occupied in research work. That is to say, a scientific and technical journal for aeronautical engineers and professional men. It is to interest and assist these that will be our main object. It will be no part of our duty to indulge in propaganda directed to the education of the public in the manifold possibilities of aviation. Nor, at the other extreme, shall we direct our attention to the commercial operation of aircraft as such. We purpose, however, from time to time to deal with general and special uses of aircraft and their economic characteristics as they affect design, and this in regard to service as well as civil aircraft. Our net will be sufficiently wide, including as it will any and every matter that affects the drawing office, the workshop or the aerodrome, to justify the appearance of a new aeronautical paper. We do not feel that we shall be trespassing on any other preserves, for we believe that there is ample scope for what we conceive to be our limited activities without encroaching in any way on the multifarious interests of already established journals.

A monthly feature giving news of recent Government and professional appointments, industrial developments and business changes, etc.

DURING the early part of June, Britain's contender for honours in the world heavyweight class of civil transports will take the air from Weybridge on its maiden flight. It is therefore appropriate that at this time we should publish an issue devoted to a full technical description of the aircraft concerned— the Vickers VC10 long‐range jet airliner. We feel justified in affording the VC10 this comprehensive coverage on several counts. To begin with, the whole VC10 project represents a major undertaking for the British aircraft industry, and in particular of course for Vickers‐Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd., at a time when competition is extremely keen. Being essentially a second‐generation long‐range jet airliner, the VC10 is in the forefront of applied design techniques in the aero‐dynamic, structures, power plant, and systems fields, and therefore provides an ideal opportunity to present a ‘state‐of‐the‐art’ report in these areas, while at the same time giving a detailed account of this important aircraft.

WE are afraid that this number may be considered by some readers to be unduly dominated by the Do 217. We had in fact arranged a carefully “balanced” issue to contain a variety of articles suited to most tastes. All these plans were, however, upset by the receipt from the Ministry of Aircraft Production of a number of official reports on different aspects of the design, construction and equipment of the 217. We had, at the same time, awaiting publication the Ministry's report on the FuG 16 type of radio equipment, which happens to be installed in this machine. Then we were informed of the completion of a translation of the German description from Flugsport ot the B.M.W. 801 engine, which is the type fitted and also, therefore, seemed appropriately suitable for contemporaneous publication. Rather‐than publish all this material relating to the same aeroplane in a number of issues spread over several months it seemed more convenient to publish them all together; a proceeding which, we feel, considerably enhances the individual value of each. Our chief regret is that it has entailed the holding over, of the second instalment of MR. LUSTY'S thoughtful series of articles on airline engineering management—for which we owe him our apologies.