Thirteenth Annual National Forum of the American Helicopter Association: A Report on the Meeting held in Washington, D.C., on May 8–11, 1957 Available to Purchase

A WELL‐BALANCED programme of lectures was presented at the Thirteenth Forum, dealing with design and development of engines, auto‐pilots, rotor blades, investigations of VTOL concepts, rotor blade dynamics, and helicopter operations. The technical contributions were of the high standard normally associated with American work in this field, while the ‘commercials’ extolling the merits of a particular product were, with one exception, restrained, by local standards. The exception was notable for the use of full‐blooded TV commercial presentation techniques, including sound recordings of the first engine run (preceded by the inevitable countdown) and the phased presentation of slides at the rate of two a minute. It may be that this innovation will be taken to its logical conclusion, and that future ‘lectures’ dealing with proprietary designs will be delivered by a professional commentator, to the accompaniment of suitable background music. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you today the engine of tomorrow, the fabulous XYZ!’ (Triumphant chord.) ‘The engine that only Blank Inc. could make!’