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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0558.PDF
SEPTEMBER 28, 192* THE BELLANCA CF 5-SEATER " SESQUIPLAN " : Three-quarter front view. 1 arge window gives a good view ahead, looking over the engine. Air intakes provide for the ventilation of the cabin, and if necessary the front window can be opened as widely as desired. As the engine compartment is completely separated from the cabin, it is possible to smoke in the latter, whilst the noise from the engine is reduced to a minimum. At the rear of the cabin is the pilot's cockpit, aft of which the fuselage tapers sharply to a vertical knife-edge. The pilot's view forward is, we should say, somewhat restricted by the top of the cabin, but by looking over the sides he has a fairly clear view forward under the main planes. The main characteristic of the wing construction is extreme simplicity. The spars are of Port Orford cedar I-beam cross- section, and the ribs are a combination of bass wood, ash and fabric. The average strength of these ribs, which weigh about 9 ozs. each, is stated to be 700 lbs. The wing spars extend beyond the wing roots, and pass through the top of the cabin to the attachment within, so that port and starboard spars abutt, forming thereby what is practically a continuous beam. Thus, the main stresses of the wings are not transfered to the fuselage. Extending from the lower longerons of the fuselage up to a point on the main wings about midway out from the roots are the auxiliary planes, the spars of which are splayed out near the extremities, so as to attach to the front and rear spars of the main wings ; they are left uncovered at this portion, and practically speaking take the form of struts. These auxiliary wings thus take the landing and flying stresses, thereby eliminating the usual bracings, streamline struts and wires, and so con siderably decreasing the weight and head resistance whilst at the same time adding to the lift. They have the further advantage of improving the lateral stability of the machine, by virtue of their pronounced dihedral angle. The load factor for the lifting stresses is 14, the lift being taken by \ in. cables attached to the spars of the main wings at the cantilever points, and passing through the auxiliary wings and through the fuselage. The load factor at the cantilever point of the rear main spar is 9—this being the weakest point in the machine—and for the front spar 10J. The safety factor for the reverse air load is 5 \, which is claimed to be more than sufficient. While on the subject of safety factors, it may be mentioned that the fuselage is capable of withstanding a load of 70 lbs. per sq. ft. applied at the tail, •the f.s. of the various members having been figured at 2. The stabiliser and elevators are made to withstand a load of H H A League of Nations Air Force? IN the course of a speech at Ripley, Derbyshire, on the 19th inst., General Seeley, referring to the Near East trouble and the necessity for the League of Nations to be equipped with an efficient police force, suggested that this force should be a naval force and an air force. "With these two powers you can cut the communications of any hostile array. Had the League of Nations had both the authority and the power, this latest war could never have occurred. The Greeks were warned not to advance. International sea power would have cut their communications and rendered their advance impossible. Hud Mustapha Kernel attempted to advance, 50 lbs. per sq. ft., and the rudder a load of 35 lbs. per sq. ft. The f.s. of the landing gear is 8. The main wings are of fairly thick section, and have an L/D of 20, the centre of pressure displacement being 10 per cent, of the chord ; the drift at low angle is very small, making the wing well adapted for high speed. The cross- section of the lower wing—the thickness of which is 16 per cent, of the chord—is such that its L/D is 16-4 ; the combined" L/D of, the complete supporting unit (main wings, auxiliary- planes, and resistance of short wires and struts) is 18, which compares very favourably with the internally braced wing, in that it gives lighter construction, higher L/D, and smaller drift at low lift coefficient. The tail group is composed of a non-lifting fixed stabiliser, with divided elevators and rudder. The attachment of the stabiliser is such that it can easily be detached by removing: four cotter pins. Control cables pass within the fuselage. A 90 h.p. 10-cylindered air-cooled Anzani engine is fitted within a neat streamlined nose piece, only the cylinder heads being exposed to the open. The tractor screw, designed by- Prof. Bellanca, is 8 ft. diameter by 8 ft. pitch, and is fitted with an aluminium spinner having air vents which cool the covered part of the engine. Two magnetos are fitted, and a double oil pump assures ample lubrication under all conditions. The landing gear is of the conventional V-type, consisting of stout ash streamline struts—glued together with birch veneer —and rubber sprung axle enclosed by a fairing having a lifting cross-section. The principal characteristics of the Bellanca CF are :— Span (main) .. Span (auxiliary) Chord (main) Chord (auxiliary) Overall length Total wing area Weight empty Weight loaded Weight/sq. ft Weight/h.p Useful pay-load Speed range (full load) .. Climb in 10 mins. (full load) Range (full speed) Miles per gall, of fuel .. 40 ft. 22 ft. 6 ft. 6 ins. 2 ft. 6 ins. 23 ft. 10 ins. 290 sq. ft. 950 lbs. 1,990 lbs. 6-85 lbs. 22 • 1 lbs. 680 lbs. 40-108 m.p.h.^ 5,000 ft. 440 miles. 16 miles. H H international air power would have cut_his communications, and broken up his concentrations." Experiments with Helicopters IT is reported that M. Damblanc intends to carry out some interesting experiments with helicopters in November, with the object of making observations on their fall through the air when dropped from a balloon at an altitude of about 4,000 ft. The helicopters will not, of course, carry pilots, but will be fitted with instruments which will record the various phases of the descent, which, according to M. Damblanc, will not be more than 30 ft. per second. 558
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