§ Mr. OLIVERasked the Secretary of State for Air the date on which the rudder control of aircraft was introduced; whether this country was the first to introduce this control; and, if so, who was the person who submitted the idea?
§ Sir S. HOAREI am unable to give the information asked for in the first part of the question, except to say that the rudder as a means of controlling the direction of flight appears to have been an integral part of most of the designs put forward by inventors long before the advent of the practical flying machine. The earliest practical application of rudder control to aircraft, both dirigible balloons and flying machines, appears to have been made in foreign countries, namely, France, Germany, and the United States of America. The answer to the second part of the question is therefore in the negative, and the third part does not arise.