FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0715.PDF
NOVEMBER 3, 1921 The Supermarine " Seal " : View of the machine taxying. Note the wheel well clear of the water. a seaplane carrier or on an aerodrome, the hull is not subjected to landing shocks. The track is wide, and the wheels, as may be seen from some of the photographs, lift sufficiently clear of the water not to hinder the getting off from the sea. It should be observed that the upper and lower centre- sections form a complete unit, detachable from the hull, so that replacements can be made without interfering with the boat proper. The Napier " Lion " is very accessibly mounted on a system of struts resting on the lower plane centre- section, and the radiator is so mounted that it is not affected in the slightest by engine vibration. The monoplane tail plane is of the semi-cantilever type, giving a good field of fire for the rear gunner. As in previous boats, it is of the negatively cambered type, and is carried high, well clear of the water, which is a great advantage in a rough sea. The wing tip floats are of a type somewhat different from that previously used. Instead of the covered-in space between the lower plane and the wing tip floats, this space has been left open on the " Seal," it having been found better to leave the water free to get through the space thus formed. As distinct from previous Supermarine flying boats, in which the wings have folded forward, the wings of the " Seal " fold back as in the majority of other machines. This has been necessitated by the new arrangement of the machine as a tractor, so as to enable it to be stowed in the smallest possible space. If the wings had been folded forward, they would have projected a considerable distance forward of the H El London to Switzerland by Air ' ' A NEW air service which completes the connection between London and the Swiss winter resorts was opened by a French firm recently. The new air line runs from Pans to Lausanne. At present it is necessary for passengers leaving Croydon by one of the air expresses to spend the afternoon and night in Paris, leaving for Lausanne next morning. It is, however, hoped so to arrange the service ultimately that the whole journey can be completed on the same day, with just a short stop at le Bourget. _: . Aeroplanes for Siam . . IT appears that the Government of Siam is taking considerable interest in aviation. Recently, it is reported aerodromes have been opened in various provinces, and machines are being or are to be imported from France and England to Bangkok. As the roads are not of the best, aeroplane services should have the effect of speeding-up considerably the inter-communication between the various provinces. •""" Middle East Command to be Divided As from February i, 1922, the Royal Air Force Command now known as the Middle East Command ^and comprismg the Royal Air Force in Egypt, Palestine, Aden and Iraq will be divided into separate commands, one consisting of the Royal Air Force in Egypt, Palestine and Aden under theicommand of the Air Officer Commanding, Egypt, ana tne other consisting of the Royal Air Force in Iraq, under tne bows of the hull. Personally we prefer, for several reasons, the forward folding of the wings where practicable. Not only is the load on the tail skid greatly reduced thereby, but with wings folding forward the hinges are on the front spars. Thus, should one of the lockin'g pins come adrift or break, the wings would still be held in their place by the horizontal component of the air resistance. However, this is probably mainly a theoretical objection, and we must admit that we have never heard of any trouble arising out of having the wings folding back. As regards the accommodation, the " Seal " is designed to carry three people. The pilot, as distinct from the older model, occupies the front seat, whence he has an exceptionally fine view. A machine-gun mounting is provided in his cock- pit, the gun being withdrawn when not in use, and the opening through which it projects being provided with a cover which prevents water getting into the cockpit when the machine is taking off the sea or alighting. The other two occupants are placed aft of the wings, the wireless operator's cockpit being about level with the trailing edge, and that of the aft gunner slightly farther aft. Owing to the mounting and strutting of the tail plane, the aft gunner has quite a good field of fire. As already mentioned, few peiformance figures may be published, but it is permissible to state that the total military load carried, including fuel, is 1,790 lb., with a cruising radius of five hours. We understand that, in addition to the " Seals " being delivered to the Air Ministry, the Supermarine works have received an order froni_ Japan. command of the Air Officer and administered direct by the Air Ministry, instead of, as at present, by the Air Officer Commanding Middle East, which title from thenceforth will not be used. j •'•'•.' America Tries Catapult Launching _ THE question of launching aeroplanes from the. deck of surface vessels is one that has received considerable atten- tion in many countries. Numerous experiments have been tried with varying success. Platforms on the guns of battle- ships, long decks built on special seaplane carriers are among those best known. It now appears that America may decide to develop the catapult form of launching apparatus, in which a carrier runs along rails, impelled by a suitable power plant installed in the ship. Designs for such an apparatus have been in hand for some considerable time, and we now learn that the first experiment has been made with the actual apparatus, and has proved, so far as it goes, a success. It is too early to say whether or not this particular form of catapult will be suitable for all the types of craft required, but for comparatively light machines it is thought that the device will at any rate offer a good solution. The machine used in the experiment was a two-seater, piloted by Commander Richardson, and said to have dipped only about three feet after leaving the carriage of the catapult, and then to -have commenced to climb. While the catapult may prove very successful for launching a machine, it does not, of course, help in any way the even more difficult ; on a ship. 715
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
