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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0011.PDF
JANUARY 7, 1926 Bags " variety (viewed from the front there is a decidedbandiness) ; as well as having a comparatively wide track, this landing gear is also very strong.The Wright "Whirlwind" engine is installed in a steel engine mount hinged to the nose of the fuselage so that itcan readily be swung to one side, allowing for inspection or adjustments at the rear of the engine. This engine mount ismade from welded steel and tube chrome molybdenum steel, and weighs only 13^1b. The oil tank is located in this mount. From a profit-making standpoint, the Wright-Bellancawould appear to offer great possibilities, seating five pas- sengers with light luggage, or six passengers without luggage.For express and mail carrying the large cabin space (122 cub. ft.) provides a great amount of cargo room. Having a quick take-off (900 ft. per min.) and short " roll,"the Wright-Bellanca could be used in any locality when ordinary landing field facilities are found. Once in the airand under norma.l cruising conditions only a low output of power is necessary, which means a low fuel cost. With the high speed figure of 138 m.p.h., attained at theNew York air races, this machine cruises easily at 100 m.p.h. at 1,500 r.p.m. At this rate the fuel consumption is about12-5 gallons per hour. It was also noticed at the New York air meet demonstrations that the Bellanca could fly at low-speeds with the tail well down without any danger of pan- caking or stalling. This makes for a short " roll " in landing,which, together with the low landing speed of 42 m.p.h., is all in its favour as regards commercial work. Other more important characteristics of the Wriehl-Bellanca are as follows :— Span . . . . . . . . . . 45 ft. 0 in. Chord 6 ft. 7 in.O.A. length 24 ft. 9 in. Height 8 ft. 5 m. Wing area 272 sq. ft. Weight, empty 1,790 1b.Weight, fully laden 3,230 lb. Weight per h.p., fully laden . . . . 16-1 1b.Weight per sq. ft., fully laden . . . . 11-8 lb. Pay load.. .. ' 850 1b. Fuel capacity . . . . . . . . 63 gals. Oil capacity . . . . . . . . 5A gals. WITH SEAPLANE AND SLEDGE IN THE ARCTIC* THE author of this remarkable and brilliant publication,brilliant not only for the narrative of all absorbing interest, but also for the fine literary story-telling style in which it iswritten, is only 24 years of age, and has been responsible for organising three Oxford Expeditions in the last four years,and has also been leader of the last two detailed in this book. Mr. Binney's volume will be found to be of invaluableinterest to those interested in Polar exploration, or anyone engaged in studying any of the numerous subjects whichcome under this title. Explorers in general will find the Appendices of great assistance in planning or organising aparty for exploration of anj^ kind, whether it be raiding the great African jungles or endeavouring to conquer MountEverest, his notes on the " Handling of an Expedition's Press and Film Rights," " A Form of Agreement for EnrollingMembers of an Expedition," or " Salient Points of a Ship's Charter in the Arctic, Insurance, etc.," will be found to beboth instructive and informative, and not of little value to those desirous of following the footsteps of the Vikings, aswell as scientists. This thrilling story of adventure reveals how, with the aidof a seaplane, two ships, and three sledging parties, the work of exploring North-East land was carried out in the face ofmisfortunes and adversity. Interwoven into the story there is a mass of information on all manner of subjects connectedwith Arctic exploration. It is stated that it has been Mr. Biimey's particular aim to initiate those who are desirous ofundertaking Polar exploration, and who are handicapped by lack of experience, into the ways and means of fulfillingtheir wishes. We do not know of any book of recent years dealing with this subject in such a practical manner sothoroughly and exhaustively. The courage, resource, and dauntless resolution wh'rfidistinguished every member of the expedition, is justly paid tribute to by Professor W. J. Sollas, P.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., ina comprehensive preface. " The purpose of the expedition was threefold," writes Prof. Sollas, " first, and most general,to test the powers of a new method of attack by observation from the air. This was successfully accomplished. Thepossibility of using a seaplane in arctic waters as an instrument of research was established, and, by its means, used in con-junction with observations on the land, a topographical survey of parts of North-East Land—the most northern surveyof this kind ever attempted—was achieved." The Council of the Air Ministry was not slow to recognisethe value of this work, and they have formally expressed the opinion that the report of the aircraft work of the expedition is'' a material contribution to the solution of the difficulties attending aerial surveys in arctic regions." The second purpose of the expedition was directly scientific,dealing with the structure of the land, the movements of the ice, and phenomena of the atmosphere, etc. The BritishIsles, scientists aver, were, twenty or thirty thousand years ago, subject to all the rigours of an arctic climate, and thoseengaged in the study of problems of this kind will find much profitable information in the report of the Oxford expedition. * " With Seaplane and Sledge in the Arctic." The accountof the 1924 Oxford Arctic Expedition, by George Binney. Hutchinson and Co., 21s. net. Thirdly, the purpose of the expedition was to serve as aschool for explorers—though it proved to be a hard school for the members of the expedition. Nevertheless, it places at tin-disposal of all direct knowledge of facts which will prove of inestimable service to those engaged in the field of science.Prof. Sollas sums up the crowning success of the expedition with a notable sentence : " Peace has its victories no less thanwar, and this was one of them." To Major-General Sir Sefton Brancker the expeditiontenders its thanks for his support, but we cannot do better than quote the reference to the conservative attitude of theAir Ministry itself, the last sentence illustrating the true sportsmanship of the Leader. "The Air Ministry itself gave little support—and thatcharily, in spite of the recommendation of two ex-Air Ministers. They were not prepared to lend either a pilot or instrumentsfor experimental work. Finally, they were induced to loan certain instruments and to construct an aerial camera, but atso late a stage that the camera could undergo no tests prior to our departure. In return for this loan we were to carryout certain experiments and to furnish a report ; but, lest the seaplane should crash in the course of these experimentsand the instruments be lost, we were required to furnish a bond of £300, which is another way of saying ' Heads wewin, tails you lose.' ' But, when all is said and done,' remarks Mr. Binney, 'why should they adopt any otherattitude ? ' " Messrs. A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd., built the seaplane andsupplied all its equipment and spare parts at less than cost price (£ 1,200). Messrs. Armstrong-Siddeley loaned tin-expedition one of their new 180-h.p. Lynx air-cooled engines for the seaplane. The Radio Communication Companyundertook to instal the ship—the Polar Bjorv—with standard ship's wireless, and to lend an operator ; whilst the BritishPetroleum Company presented the party with petrol supplies, and loaned them the services of Capt. j. C. Taylor as groundengineer for the seaplane. Sir Charles Wakefield presented the lubricating oil for ships and seaplane, while Sir JohnThornycroft lent a powerful Thornycroft motor-launch for use in the ice. It was a matter of difficulty to secure an experienced staffof airmen, but if difficult to obtain, they amply repaid, as the story of their herculean work throughout confirms.The aerial staff included Messrs. Tymms (navigator, photo- grapher, and scientist), Taylor (ground engineer), and Ellis(pilot), the latter, the author tells us, having had over one thousand hours' flying experience on all types of seaplanes.The seaplane was a modification of the standard Avro 504K, and the fuselage had been constructed with a view to thenature of the undertaking. In place of the observer's seat a small cabin had been built, which had a sliding roof andwindows on either side. The seaplane, in case of a forced landing, carried rations for two men for a month, and sledgingequipment and a tent. A seven-foot sledge was builtinto the afterpart of the fuselage. One of the first seaplane nightsresulted in a crash halfway between Liefde Bay and Green Harbour, and for an enthralling pen picture of the plightof the occupants—one of them was the author of the volume under review—we cannot do better than recommend to ourreaders the chapter entitled, " Not According to Plan," 11
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