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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0237.PDF
APRIL 23, 1925 „ THE BOULTON AND PAUL " BUGLE " : The tail skid and one undercarriage leg. Both are of the oleo- pneumatic type. The small inset shows, in section, the arrangement of the air-pressure gauge which can be put in series or out by means of the needle valve. The gauge is, of course, in communication with the air in theleg during the process of pumping-up only, or when inspecting the pressure in the leg. somewhat smaller chord than the upper, and the aspect • ratio is relatively high, i.e., in the neighbourhood of 8. The wings are of rectangular plan form with the corners rounded off. Ailerons are fitted to both upper and lower plane, and are balanced by projections working in cut-outs in the main wing tip. The balances are not symmetrical, but have a fairly flat bottom camber and a deeper top camber, the lower wing curve following the contour of the wing section (R.A F. 15) when the aileron is in the neutral position. The tail is of normal type, with trimming tail plane and unbalanced elevator. The rudder, however, has a very large balance, working in a cut-out in the fin. The area of the balance is a very large percentage of the rudder area, and would normally cause over-balancing. Since, however, the balance works in an area sheltered by the fin, it does not commence to work until well clear of'the fin, and thus for ordinary turning the presence of the large balance does not upset the pilot's steering as it otherwise would. That the rudder and its balance is effective will be realised when it is pointed out that it is actually possible to switch one engine off and to fly not only straight, but actually turning towards the running engine, overcoming the turning moment. Locking devices are incorporated in the rudder operating gear, which enable the rudder to be set permanently over to one side or other while still retaining the movement of the rudder to a sufficient extent. As a matter of fact, a better description than locking device would be spring- loading device, for, of course, the rudder is not definitely locked ; what happens is that levers on each side set the rudder bar to any desired angle, according to the difference in thrust of the two engines, and springs incorporated in the gear enable a further movement to be made. Finally, there is, in the extreme nose of the fuselage, a small handwheel operated by the bombing officer, by which very fine adjust- ment of the rudder is made. This gear forms, as it were, a vernier adjustment of the rudder, and when operative works independently of the pilot. The question of form, size and disposition of the control surfaces of the " Bugle " have been very carefully gone into, with the result that the machine is stated to handle particularly nicely, and to fly very slowly while still being under perfect control. While on the subject of controls, mention should be made of the fact that the ailerons are mounted in self-aligning ball bearings, so that a slight deflection of the wing spars does not cause them to work stiffly, and as a matter of fact. the ailerons, in spite of their large area, are remarkably easy on the controls and require surprisingly small effort on the part of the pilot, a fact of great importance during a long flight. Constructionally, the " Bugle " is of fairly normal Boulton and Paul type. An exception is found in the attachments of the inter-plane struts which are now secured to plates straddling the spars. The spars are always in the plane of the wing bracing, and there is thus no offset torque moments. The struts themselves are of highly interesting construction, THE BOULTON AND PAUL " BUGLE " : Side and front elevations and plan of tubular engine structure for mounting the Bristol " Jupiter " engines. The actual engine mountings in front are arranged to swivel so as to facilitate inspection of the back of the engines. 237 c 2
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