realise the importance of streamline struts and fuselages towards
the end of this transition period. These efforts were at first
not always successful and showed at times a lack of understanding
of the problems involved, but there was a very marked improvement
during the year 1912. At the Paris Aero Salon held early in that
year there was a notable variety of ideas on the subject; whereas
by the time of the one held in October designs had considerably
settled down, more than one exhibitor showing what were called
'monocoque' fuselages completely circular in shape and having
very low resistance, while the same show saw the introduction of
rotating cowls over the propeller bosses, or 'spinners,' as they
came to be called during the War. A particularly fine example of
stream-lining was to be found in the Deperdussin monoplane on
which Vedrines won back the Gordon-Bennett Aviation Cup from
America at a speed of 105.5 m.p.h.--a considerable improvement on
the 78 m.p.h. of the preceding year, which was by no means
accounted for by the mere increase in engine power from 100
horse-power to 140 horse-power. This machine was the first in
which the refinement of 'stream-lining' the pilot's head, which
became a feature of subsequent racing machines, was introduced.
This consisted of a circular padded excresence above the cockpit
immediately behind the pilot's head, which gradually tapered off
into the top surface of the fuselage. The object was to give the
air an uninterrupted flow instead of allowing it to be broken up
into eddies behind the head of the pilot, and it also provided a
support against the enormous wind-pressure encountered. This
true stream-line form of fuselage owed its introduction to the
Paulhan-Tatin 'Torpille' monoplane of the Paris Salon of early
1917. Altogether the end of the year 1912 began to see the
disappearance of 'freak' machines with all sorts of original