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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0831.PDF
JUNE 26, 1919 THE AVRO "BABY" SPORTING BIPLANE 35-40 h.p. Green Engine IN the Avro " Milestones " series, published in our issue of March 20, was included a little single-seater machine designed for sporting purposes. In the article mentioned this machine was referred to as the " Popular." The name has since been altered to Avro " Baby." As the former title suggests, the machine has been designed with a view to producing a machine which can be sold at a reasonable price, to be used for sporting purposes, and, one would suggest, which would form a very useful school machine to form a step between the dual control type and the high-speed, high-power model that most pupils will probably be called upon to fty after leaving the flying school. For a solo machine for this class of work the Avro Baby would appear to be particularly well fitted, since it is fairly sensitive on the controls, yet possesses a great amount of natural stability which could not but inspire a beginner in solo flights with confidence. As the Baby, in spite of its re latively small power, has a very good performance accordance with modern ideas, as indicated by the single pair of struts on each side, by the outward rake of its centre section struts, and by the low placing of the top plane in' relation to the pilot. Constructionally the machine follows standard Avro practice. The fuselage, which is of rectangular section, with an arched deck fairing, is of the con ventional girder type. The longerons and struts are of spruce, and the bracing is in the form of steel wire. The well-known Avro body sockets and turnbuckles are used, as shown in one of the ac companying sketches. For such a small machine, the pilot's cockpit is surprisingly roomy and com fortable. The seat is of the aluminium bucket type, with an upholstered cushion. A padded head rest is provided, and the deck fairing behind the pilot contains a small locker for carrying small articles such as spares, etc. A three-ply floor covered with aluminium sheet forms the heel rest for the pilot's feet, and the foot-bar is so arranged that the pilot THE AVRO BABY, 35-40 H.P. GREEN ENGINE.—Front view. it should also become popular with pilots wishing to keep a little runabout for their own personal use, a machine which, while being inexpensive both in first cost and upkeep, is sufficiently in keeping with the modern idea of an aeroplane to provide one with quite good sport. As the accompanying photographs and scale draw ings will show, the Avro Baby has a very strong resemblance to the other members of the Avro family. This applies not only to the outward appearance of the machine, but also to a great extent to the internal construction. As regards the former, the main distinguishing features of the Avro two-seaters are : planes of high aspect ratio, pronounced stagger, a fuselage fairly long in proportion to the span, and semi-circular rudder with semi-circular balance. All these features are retained in the Baby, although others, such as rectangular planes and tail planes with corners rounded off, have been modified, as will be seen from the plan view. While thus retaining the typical features of its predecessors, the Avro Baby has been designed in can; by slightly shifting his feet, use either the toes or the instep for steering. The deck fairing in front of the pilot is so arranged that, while giving a good view, it deflects the air from the pilot's face, and it is not necessary to wear goggles when flying this machine. For those who object to feeling any draught at all on their face, a folding wind-screen is provided, but we imagine that most pilots will prefer a slight draught, as this generally helps a pilot to " feel " the speed, etc. For the man who likes to look after his own machine accessibility is of great importance, and this has been well looked after in the Avro Baby by arranging the body covering in such a manner that it may be quickly stripped off so as to afford examination of the body structure. The controls are of the standard type, with a foot bar for the rudder control, and a universally mounted steel tube actuating elevator and ailerons. As the control " stick " is mounted at its base, the elevator control cables pass round pulleys mounted on the foot-bar support, and thence to the elevator. The aileron cables pass over universally-jointed pulleys *3i F X
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