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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0497.PDF
AUGUST 6, 1925 AUGUST MEETI 1925AT LYMPNE Lympne, Friday, Jnly%3\.—Rain and low clouds hadreduced visibility to a few hundred yards when we arrived at the Lympne aerodrome this morning. The hangars,however, revealed considerable activity, although the per- fectly impossible weather had prevented many competitorswho had intended to fly their machines across from doing so. A tour of the sheds at 11.15 showed the followingmachines to be present, and more or less ready : The A.N.E.C., the Hawker "Cygnet," the Pixies II and" III, the Bristol" Brownie," the Beardmore " Wee Bee I," the CranwellC.L.A.3, and the Avro-Lynx. Minor adjustments werebeing made and finishing touches given here and there,but generally speaking every- body seemed to be a gooddeal nearer being ready than is usually the case. TheCranwell, as the only new- machine entered, naturallycame in for a close inspection, and the more one saw of itthe greater became one's re- spect for the members of theCranwell Light Aeroplane Club. The machine looked " right,"much more so than illustrations would indicate, and a shortconversation with Flight-Lieut. N. Comper, the designer andpilot of the C.L.A.3, confirmed one's own impressions of ii.The designer pointed out that there were a number of smallrefinements which he would have liked to incorporate, butfor which there had been no time, such as filling the gapbetween fin and tail plane, and fairing various points, strutattachments, etc. He had flown the machine for a veryshort time only at Cranwell, but the machine seemed to bewell balanced and to handle well. At the time of our visitthe gaps between ailerons and rear w-ing spars were beingcovered with rubber strip, and the same material was beingwrapped, around the axle and undercarriage cross-tubes. In our descriptive article last weekit was stated that it was hoped to obtain for the C.L.A.3 an " aerobutics " airworthiness certificate, but it seems that tubesof the right specification could not be obtained, and that, there- The A."\".!•".(", turns . •ut In be the 19'2'A single-seater withthe wing span cut dnwn t.> a minimum. A larger petrol gravity tank of brass has been mounted on top of the wing.This tank was. we are informed, built on to the machine in France, when it took part in the tcui dr h'nincc for " Avicni-ettes." Mr. " Jimmy " James tells us of troubles with propellers, it having been found impossible yet to get onewhich exactly suits the machine and engine. The latter, by the way, is a British Anzani of the same type as that fitted to the A.N.E.C. two-seater and Hawker "Cygnet " in last year's l.ympne com*petitions. Yory important improvements have, however,been effected, such as a different crankshaft, bettervalve material, different valve springs, plugs in front, etc.,and the British Anzani of 1925 is altogether a better proposi-tion than was the original type. The Hawker " Cygnet " isanother machine fitted with the British Anzani, mounted" upside down " as in the A.N.E.C, and covered by avery neatjcowl. The "Cyg- net " itself does not appear tohave undergone any changes, and is as pretty as ever;probably it will be held by most to be the prettiest of thelight 'planes. The Hawker- Sopwith organization appearsto have been very good, as might be expected from Mr.Jones, and the machine looks ready to start at once. Incidentally it is of interestto note that the " Cygnet," which is of extremely lowstructure weight, appears to have worn well, its fuselagebeing, as far as one can see, as good as the day it firstleft the works. When the machine first appeared therewere those who thought that, OFFICIALS AT LYMPNE : Col. F. McClean and Lord alt"°ugh the machine might Edward Grosvenor. gbe, and probably was, strong enough for all ordinary flyingstresses, it would quickly be damaged in handling on the ground. This contention doesnot seem to be borne out in practice. The Bristol " Brownie " entered for the present races isthe all-metal machine (i.e., the identical one which flew in fore, atthe moment the machine has only a " general " C. of A. last year's Grosvenor Cup Race) and has been flown a lot byHowever, later on when wing struts of the right steel have been fitted, the machine will presumably be officially sanc-tioned for stunt flying. The workmanship and finish are a credit to all concerned, and the C.L.A.3 looks as if it wouldbe very fast. It seems, however, a little doubtful whether a top speed of 100 m.p.h. will be attained until the machinehas been further " cleaned up." Mr. Uwins in the course of Bristol " Cherub " developmentwork. The machine itself appears unchanged, but the new Bristol " Cherub " has, we believe, been somewhat altered.An innovation which is revealed by external inspection is the fitting of two sparking plugs in series to each cylinder, so that,although actual dual ignition is not provided, there should be small likelihood of ignition trouble. 497
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