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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0608.PDF
,l££" SEPTEMBER 25, 1924 fuselage, so that the elevator has but one crank, placed underneath and just aft of the stern post. The undercarriage is of very simple type, and consists of two " legs " of steel tubing running through the floor and up to the top longerons where the upper ends are anchored To these tubes, at the lower end, the axle is secured, and there is neither lateral nor fore and aft bracing, the " legs " and axle being all cantilevers. The " legs " have an oleo- pneumatic type of shock absorber incorporated in them giving a fair amount of travel so that what with the movement of the telescopic tubes and the deflection of the axle the springing should be all that can be desired. The tail skid consists simply of three pieces of Malacca cane, each forming a 120-degree sector, glued,and taped together. It is extremely light, but should be well up to its work. The Bristol " Cherub " engine is mounted on a tubular structure in the nose of the fuselage, and is, as the photograph shows, entirely cowled-in except for the cylinder heads. The petrol tank is mounted under the deck fairing, behind the engine bulkhead. Altogether, the Parnall " Pixie III " impresses one as being a most business-like proposition, the simplicity of the structure and the ease with which the wings can be folded and again erected without requiring any trueing-up being particularly valuable features, especially for the private owner-pilot of the future. The Biplane (No. 18) Most of the foregoing remarks apply equally well to the Parnall biplane, with the exception that an Anzani engine is fitted, and with such extra remarks as the addition of the top plane requires. Reference has already been made to the fact that the biplane is in all essentials the monoplane with a top plane added, tnus converting it into a biplane. FLIGHT suggested more than a year ago that some such arrangement be adopted so that the private owner could use his machine both for carrying an extra passenger and for flying somewhat faster when solo. In the case of the Parnall biplane the addition of the second wing was not so much, we believe, chosen from such considerations as with the idea of providing larger wing area and thus giving a lower landing speed for the purpose of the competition, where a premium is placed on low landing speed. That the top speed will be pulled down somewhat by the presence of the second plane seems likely, but even so it may well be that the biplane will collect more marks than the monoplane. At any rate, it will be interesting and instructive to compare the per formance of the two. <•> <$> <5> <•> THE RAINE MONOPLANE (No. 13) OF NO. 13, the machine entered by Mr. Frank E. Raine, of engine was designed for this machine, but this could not be Christchurch, we have not been able to obtain any general arrangement drawings, nor any photographs, and but very scant data. We learn, however, that the machine will be a semi-cantilever, low-wing monoplane with compression strut wing bracing. A four-cylinder in line air-cooled got ready in time, and the designer states that " the usual type will be used." The estimated speed range is 38 to 80 m.p.h., and the main dimensions are : Length overall, 21 ft. 9 ins. ; span, 38 ft. ; wing area, 176 sq. ft. ; total loaded weight, 710 lbs. <•> <3> <S> <•> THE AVRO "AVIS" LIGHT BIPLANES (Nos. Bristol "Cherub" and Blackburne Radial Engines 10 AND 11) ALTHOUGH two machines have been entered by A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd., there will, in reality, be only one machine flying, and the reason for entering the machine as two different ones was that by so doing it became possible to use two different engines, thus avoiding " putting all one's eggs in one basket," so to speak. Last year, it may be remembered, the Avro monoplane flown by Hinkler had an extra pair of wrings of smaller area than the standard, but the machine was not permitted to fly in the competition as it had not been separately entered. To guard against a recurrence of some such dispute, two machines were entered, although actually but one will be flving, but with different engines. The engines chosen are the Bristol " Cherub " and the Blackburne radial. Our general arrangement drawings show the machine with the " Cherub," while the photographs illustrate it with the Blackburne installed, so that an idea of both arrangements should be obtainable. Remaining a true Avro in general lines, the " Avis " nevertheless shows many novel and interesting features, especially as regards the wing bracing. It is an equal-span, equal-chord biplane with a single I-strut on each side, but with only one set of bracing wires. A " thin " wing section is used, built up with I-section spars and Warren girder ribs. The drag bracing is solid piano wire, but an unusual feature is found in this bracing close to the I-strut attachment. From about the centre of the strut, or rather the special rib under the foot of the strut, diagonal struts run to front and rear spars. Where the struts meet the spars a fore-and- aft tie-rod is placed in a position usually occupied by a com pression member of the drag bracing. The stresses are THE AVRO " AVIS Three-quarter rear view. 608 Note the single bracing.
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