Mr. Foord: It has been truly said that “lubrication is the heart of an engine,” and I think this saying applies in the strongest possible sense to aircraft engines.

The reasons for this are manifold and one has only to consider the overall thermal efficiency, the low weight/power ratio and consequent minimum scantlings and bearing surfaces, and the high working temperatures of this class of prime mover compared with other types, to realise that the duty the lubricant has to perform is far and away more severe than is the general case.

If one takes into consideration all the various properties which the aircraft engine designer demands for the lubricant, it must be recognised that from an ideal point of view, there is no really satisfactory lubricant for the work and that the only thing that can be done in order to give the best all round results is to effect a compromise.

During the past quarter of a century great strides have been made in perfecting the science of aviation. Too much credit cannot be given to the men who have laboured untiringly in the laboratories in an endeavour to determine with mathematical certainty the physical laws that govern the mechanical devices which mankind is using in his conquest of the air.

Science has done more for civil aviation, however, than unravel the mysteries of aerodynamics and internal combustion engines. It has provided many important aids to air navigation, such as improved lighting facilities for airways and airports, wireless as a means of communication between ground and aeroplane, and also as a beacon to guide the pilot on his course, and numerous instruments which now adorn the cockpit of every aeroplane.

While at times the development of air transport may suffer because of lack of co–ordination between the laboratory and the factory, it will suffer far more should a similar condition exist between the scientists and those charged with the duty of regulating and promoting civil aviation.