FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0286.PDF
340 and its "figure of merit " will be —- = 5-15. Another bo machine, with a larger engine, which only does, for example, 20 miles per gallon, will consume 100 gallons, and will, therefore, require to carry, in order to obtain the same " figure of merit," a useful load of 515 lbs. There is plenty of room for shrewd guessing as to which will pay the better, although practical limita- tions are, to some extent, imposed by the somewhat limited number of suitable engines available. The regulations are not very clear or explicit on one or two points, but it is gathered that if a com- petitor fails to complete one of the circuits on any day, within the time limits given, he will be dis- qualified from taking any further part in the com- petition. Thus it will be a rather delicate problem for designers to settle whether to fly with a fairly small load, and running the engines fairly well throttled down, thus " saving " them, or to aim at the greatest possible load, trusting to the engine to last without breaking down when run somewhere near full power for most of the time. It will be observed that no premium is placed on speed, at least directly, provided the machines average at least 50 m.p.h. around the course. Indirectly, however, speed does come into con- sideration, since obviously if two machines carry the same useful load and are fitted with engines having the same fuel consumption, the faster machine will consume less fuel for a given distance, apart from the fact that a slow machine is more seriously affected by head winds than is a fast machine. Altogether the regulations will give designers plenty to think about, and it will be very interesting to see the interpretation of the various designers. It appears likely that the number of new machines to be built specially for the competition will not be very large, but several of the 1924 two-seaters may be expected to take part. In this connection a rather interesting point has arisen. One of the 1924 Lympne two-seaters was found to come within all the stipulations, with one possible exception— the cockpit width, if measured to the fabric covering, was just above that required, but if measured to the fuselage struts, the width was less than that stipulated. The point was, we understand, taken up with the Royal Aero Club, and the ruling was obtained that measuring the width to the fabric would be accepted. We think this instance deserves to be mentioned, since there may be other machines in which the same point will arise. The APRIL 29, 1926 History has a curious habit of repeating T ... itself. A recent example was provided Aeroplane ^ast week when Capt. Hill read, before the Royal Aeronautical Society, a paper describing his experiments with a tailless aeroplane. Although incorporating a number of novel features, the " Pterodactyl," as Capt. Hill has named his machine, is evidently a direct descendant of the pre-war Dunne machines.. In fact, in his paper, Capt. Hill described his machine as "a natural development from old-time tailless aeroplanes, among which that designed by Lieut. J. W. Dunne achieved the greatest measure of success." In common with the Dunne machines the " Pterodactyl " has control surfaces ai. the wing tips which, when worked together, act as elevators, and worked separately give lateral control. Also in common with the Dunne, the new- machine relies upon back-swept wings and a wash-out of incidence for the maintenance of a stationary centre of pressure. Here, however, the similarity ends. In the Hill machine the wing-tip organs are not used as rudders, two separate surfaces being provided for directional control, and it may well be that it is in the introduction of these rudders that the greatest merit of the new machine lies, since they do give adequate directional control, a feature which was one of the shortcomings of the early Dunne machines. As to the future of the tailless machine it would seem that two features in particular entitle it to development. It has no definite stalling point, and it is under perfect control when descending at an angle that would, in a normal machine, represent stalled flight. A very practical advantage of the tailless machine is that it appears at the moment, although further work is required to establish this definitely, to make possible a return to the " pusher " type of machine without loss of performance. There has never been a more comfortable aeroplane, from the passenger's point of view, than the pusher, and for commercial machines the revival of the type might have many advantages. One more feature deserves to be mentioned. When the " Pterodactyl " is descending in what may be described as the stalled state, it can be brought into an unstalled state without loss of height. This is, of course, a charac- teristic that should add immensely to the safety of the tailless aeroplane. Whatever its ultimate future the tailless machine is of more than ordinary interest, and Capt. Hill has done a very excellent piece of research work in reviving interest in the type. Portuguese Lisbon-Azores Flight ON April 20, two Portuguese Naval aviators, Lieuts. Moreira and Terreira, left Lisbon in a Fokker seaplane to fly to the Azores and back. They were forced to descend about 30 miles north of Porto Santo, where they were found by a fishing boat, and were later towed by a destroyer into Madeira, whence they flew on to Funchal, on April 22. A French New York-Paris Flight CAPT. FONCK, the famous French Ace, left Paris onApril 20 for America, in order to make arrangements for a flight this summer from New York to Paris in a three-enginedmachine of his own design, which is being built in America. Spanish Flight to Manila A SPECIAL order issued by the Air Ministry states thatthe following telegrams have been exchanged between His Majesty the King of Spain and His Majesty the King in con-nection with the recent rescue of Spanish aviators in the desert near Amman. From H.M. King Alfonso :— " My people, the Spanish Army and myself are sincerely and immensely grateful for the splendid and successfulsearch operations in finding in the desert Captain Estevez and his mechanic. Please convey these feelings of gratitudeto your.brilliant and courageous Air Force for their perilous and noble enterprise. I beg you to allow me to have thepleasure to confer a decoration as a token of recognition and appreciation of my nation to the Chiefs and Officers whohave distinguished themselves in this work of humanity and fellowship." To which H.M. the King sent the following reply :—" I much appreciate your kind telegram and rejoice to think my Air Force were able to rescue Captain Estevez andhis mechanic from their perilous position in the desert. I know how gratified all ranks of the Force will be by yourmessage of congratulations and your wish, to which I gladly assent, to confer a decoration on those who were concernedin this successful enterprise." The two remaining Spanish pilots, Capts. Gallarza andLoriga, are, meanwhile, approaching the end of their journey. On April 21 they left Calcutta and flew to Rangoon, andproceeded the next day to Bangkok. 254
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
