I may as well confess at once to the fact that when I was asked to lecture some time ago the term “Airmanship at Sea” was selected as the title whilst my subject was still at the back of my mind. On settling down to my task, however, I found that the field was too wide for me to attempt to cover it conveniently in one paper. I propose, therefore, with your kind permission, to confine my remarks to that part of airmanship which concerns the handling and maintenance of seaplanes on the water, or as has been suggested to me the “harbour” side, rather than the “deep sea” side, which covers rising from the sea and landing, flying over the sea, and the many important air duties the pilot must be master of before proceeding on patrol, reconnaissance or a bombing expedition. I trust that I shall be forgiven if it is found necessary to deviate into side issues occasionally for the purposes of illustration and comprehensive understanding.

When I was invited to deliver this lecture I proposed to deal with some aspects of Aeroplane Photographic Survey in which I have been especially interested, but in view of an event which happened on October 13, 1923, viz., the death of Major J. C. Griffiths in a flying accident at Coventry, I have felt that it is my duty to devote some part of this lecture to a consideration of the contributions made by my late friend to the advance of our knowledge of some of the fundamental features underlying the practice of aerial survey. For morethan three years, Griffiths, working under the direction of Prof. B. M. Jones, toiled at certain problems which were by no means easy to attack, which were absolutely of first-rate importance as a basis for certain types of survey work, and which when fully investigated provided results which had nothing spectacular about them, but which have laid a firm foundation for future work. Underconditions which were seldom easy and were frequently most discouraging, he worked unremittingly towards the solution of the problems which he was investigating, and has produced results which are of lasting worth.