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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0702.PDF
in the centre-section, and terminates at each end in a ball joint. The socket portion of this joint is formed in the ends of the wing tubes, and is slotted as shown in one of our sketches. The ball in the centre-section tube has a pin through it, the ends of which engage in the slot in the wing tubes, thus transmitting the torque. When the wings are folded the ball comes out of the socket, and on spreading the wings again all that is necessary is to ensure that the wing tubes are so placed as to allow of the slots engaging with the pins. The slots in the lower plane are similarly operated, but the control for these runs from the starboard side of the pilot's cockpit down to the bottom centre-section, and upper and lower slots are separately controlled. The gearing between the worm and worm-wheel is such that it requires about 20 turns of the control handle to change from slot fully open to Slot-operating mechanism of the Handley Page "Hanley." slot fully closed. Means are provided for preventing the pilot from " overwinding " the slot gear. The method of locking the wings in place when spread for flight is interesting. The locking bolt extends aft for a dis tance of several inches from the front spar. Its rear portion has flats machined on it, and works in a guide mounted on a small bracket, as shown in one of our sketches. Behind this bracket is a'slide, in which is a slot of just sufficient size to let the rear end of the bolt pass through. When the slide is raised until this opening coincides with the bolt, and not until then, the bolt can slide back and unlock the wing. While the slide is down it effectively prevents the bolt from coming out accidentally. As it has been found that the bolt is likely to bind somewhat in the wing spar fittings, means have been provided for facilitating the sliding backwards and forwards of the bolt. This takes the form of a short lever, normally carried in the cockpit, which is inserted in a slot in the bolt, and, using as a fulcrum one of the three holes in the small bracket shown on the sketch, the bolt is easily shifted. The object of the flat on the rear end of the bolt now becomes apparent. It prevents the bolt from turning into such a position that the slot in it is no longer vertical, in which case the lever could not be inserted. We have, perhaps, devoted an unnecessarily large space to a description of this fitting, but it appears to us that it is just in the care of the design of such details that the daily use of a machine will show the difference between practical and impractical design. The ailerons of the older machine are of the balanced type, with brackets supporting the ailerons some distance from their leading edge. Thus the balance is provided by the portion which lies between the rear main spar and the front spar of the aileron. Both the control cables and the cables connect ing the leading edges of upper and lower ailerons pass inside the fairing of the rear inter-plane struts, the former being shown passing over a pulley in one of our sketches. On a later model, slotted ailerons, similar to those described and illustrated in our description of the Handley Page W. 8 C. in the issue of November 16, 1922, are used. These combine the slot effect with the balanced aileron, and have been found very effective in use, even at large angles of incidence. The Tail Both in omtward shape and in internal construction, the tail of the " Hanley " is built on orthodox lines. The tail plane is of the trimming type, to which the divided elevator is attached. The rudder has a triangular balance working in a cut-out portion of the fixed vertical fin. The controls also are of standard type, with a foot bar for the rudder and a vertical column for the elevator control. • NOVEMBER 30, 1922 The Undercarriage As will be seen from the general arrangement drawings, the under-carriage is of the divided type, necessitated, of course, by the fact that the machine is designed to carry a torpedo. Regarding the latter and its mounting, nothing may be said ; but it is permissible to point out that in a later type of machine, photographs of which we also publish this week, the undercarriage structure, which is somewhat compli cated in the original model, has been very considerably " cleaned up." The wheel track is wide, and landing shocks are transmitted through the sloping struts to the fuselage. The tail skid is a long straight tube, sprung by rubber cords inside the fuselage. The Pilot's Cockpit Owing to nature of the machine, a certain amount of restraint is necessary in describing the " office." The pilot's seat is placed just aft of the trailing edge of the top plane. In front of him he has an instrument-board with an unusually great number of " gadgets." Apart from the instruments necessary for flying, such as air speed indicator, altimeter, clock, compass, revolution indicator, radiator thermometer, etc., there are others whose functions are connected with the " freight " for which the machine is designed. The handles for operating the slots are placed, one in the top centre-section and one on the starboard side of the cockpit coaming. Then there is the handle for trimming the tail plane, and a wireless set with aerial, etc. The controls, as already mentioned, are of usual type, with a wheel for the ailerons, fore and aft movement for the elevators, and a foot bar for the rudder. The cockpit is electrically lighted, with a number of small lamps illuminating the various instruments, and each capable of being switched on or off as required. The necessary current is generated by windmill-driven generators, placed outside the fuselage, in the slip stream from the propeller. At the moment it is not thought advisable to publish figures relating to the weight and performance of the Handley Page " Hanley," except to state that the total loaded weight is about 6,400 lbs., which, with a wing area of 584, gives a wing loading of nearly n lbs./sq. ft. It is also of interest to note that the " cleaning-up " of the latest model has resulted in an astonishing gain in maximum speed. For this no doubt the simpler undercarriage is mainly responsible. Standard fuselage fitting of the Handley Page "Hanley." although a good deal of the credit should probably be ascribed to the new Watts-Lang two-bladed propeller. The ailerons of the first machine were found to give rather inadequate control at large angles of incidence. This meant that it was difficult to take full advantage of the low landing speed which the slotted wings made possible. In the new model the slotted ailerons have been found, during a number of recent test flights, to be extremely effective right up to the angle of maximum lift, with the result that it is possible to land the machine as slowly as the extra lift obtained with the slotted wings will allow. It thus appears that a necessary complement to the Handley Page slotted aerofoil is slotted ailerons. The manner in which these work has already been described in our recent article on the W. 8 C, in which they are to be used. It might be pointed out, however, that even on ordinary wings the slotted ailerons have been found very effective, and as the majority of machines could be landed considerably slower if the controls were effective at large angles, there would appear to be excellent reason for a wider adoption of ailerons of this type. Apart from the extra effectiveness, the slotted ailerons have the advantage that they are balanced, and consequently easy for the pilot to operate. 702
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