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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0307.PDF
APRIL 29, 926 seater 828 lbs. The wing loading of the two-seater is 3 • 7 lbs. per square foot, and the power loading 25 lbs. per horse-power. The speed range Capt. Hill stated to be from about 70 m.p.h. to about 30 m.p.h. The Discussion. The Chairman, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation, before throwing the paper open to discussion, pointed out that although the results obtained appeared to be very good it should be borne in mind that the Hill tailless machine was very lightly loaded. He re- called that in pre-war days the old B.E.2c was also very- stable and was lightly loaded, and he would like to know what was likely to be the effect of heavy wing loading on a machine of this type. Concerning stability, Sir Sefton said that it was evidently possible to make machines of the ordinary type quite stable and he himself had made a flight in a machine at Detroit which was very stable indeed, so much so that it was possible for the pilot to let go of all the controls, and the machine flew itself for certainly several minutes. Sir Sefton also remarked that although Capt. Hill had got excellent results with a machine of the pusher type, he would like to know whether it was not possible that he might have got even better results with a tractor. Mr. F. Handley Page referred to the early Handley Page machines which had backswept crescent shaped wings with stationary centre of pressure, and he recalled that on one of these machines, the biplane which was flown a good deal by Mr. Whitehouse, they actually removed the fixed tail plane, retaining only the elevators. (A photograph of this machine was published in FLIGHT of January, 3, 1914, which showed the machine in plan view from below.—ED.) Squadron-Leader Haig, who has done a considerable amount of flying on the'' Pterodactyl,'' said that the span of the machine was rather too great for it to be pleasant on the controls, particularly at top speed. In the neighbourhood of the stall, however, the machine began to show up to advantage. He also referred to the fact mentioned in the paper, that on landing and taxying the machine was rather unpleasant owing to the short wheel base, and it gave the pilot the feeling that the machine was going tc turn over at any moment, and this he thought was due to the position of the pilot in relation to the undercarriage and was probably a thing which pilots could become accustomed to. Prof. Melvill Jones said that what seemed to him encourag- ing was that in designing and building this machine Capt. Hill had shown that there was an opportunity for private individuals to do original research. The tailless machine seemed to give control after the stall in a most convenient manner. He also referred to the fact that with this tail- less machine Capt. Hill seemed to have provided a possibility of bringing back the pusher type, which he thought was an advantage. Another great advantage which he saw in the tailless machine was the provision of the air brake, which made it possible for a pilot to control the gliding angle with- out the introduction of stunts. Mr. McKinnon Wood said that to him it seemed that Capt. Hill's type of controls had an advantage over the slot and ailercn control in that there was no tendency to produce autorotation and the safety of the machine in slow speed flying particularly appealed to him. Maj. Wimperis, Director of Scientific Research, pointed out that there were now three distinct types being developed, and it would remain to be seen whether the slot and aileron type of control, the Cierva. Autogiro, or the Hill tailless machine provided the best solution. The Air Ministry proposed to let Capt. Hill carry out further tests with the present machine and in addition it was intended to build one or two large machines so as to try out the design on a larger scale. Mr. C. G. Grey asked whether the lecturer was aware of •' [K.A.F. Official Photograph. Crown Copyright. COMING IN TO LAND : The Hill " Pterodactyl " is seen in this view in a fairly normal attitude. Note that the " controllers " are trailing, i.e., are lying along- wind, and form an angle with the main wing. the work done in the early days of aviation by the late Mr. Jose Weiss. Mr. Weiss at first had no engine, and com- menced by testing out his theories with gliders. Later on a power-driven machine was built and flown by Mr. Eric England. He would like the lecturer to point out how his tailless machine compared with the Weiss machines, and with the Austrian Ettrich monoplanes. Replying to the various points raised in the discussion, Capt. Hill said he hoped the Air Ministry would assist in further experiments to find out how the tailless machine behaved with heavy wing loading. He also hoped to make experiments as to the relative merits of flying the machine as a pusher and as a tractor. One of the next steps would be to cut down the area of the controllers, which was expected to reduce the loads on the control stick without necessitating a sacrifice in controllability. In reply to Mr. Grey he was quite aware of the work done by the late Mr. Weiss, but he was under the impression that the Weiss machines had no controllers. The point had been raised whether the washout in angle of incidence did not adversely affect the efficiency of the machine. He thought possibly it might to some extent, but at the time he designed the machine he had veiy little information concerning suitable wing sections. By using some of the modern sections since developed, he thought it might be possible to avoid the wash-out. ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY NOTICES Lecture.—The title of Lieut.-Col. Rich- mond's lecture has been changed to " A Review of the Present Position with regard to Airship Research and Experiment." The lecture will take place in the Library at 7, Albemarle Street, W. 1, at 6.30 p.m", today (April 29). Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture.—The title of the Wilbur Wright Memorial lecture which is to be delivered by Mr. F. "W. Lanchestcr, Honorary Fellow, at 6.30 p.m., in the Library at 7. Albemarle Street, W. 1, on Thursday, May 27, is " Susten- tation in Flight." The gold medal which has been awarded to Mr. Lanchester by the Royal Aeronautical Society will be presented to him at this meeting. THE ROYAL TOURNAMENT THE Royal Tournament will open at Olympia on May 20 and will close on June 5. The Chairman of the Tournament is Major-General The Lord Ruthven, General Officer Com- manding the London District, and the committee is repre- sentative of all branches of the Services. The units which are to give the displays this year embrace the Royal Navy, from the home ports ; '" O " Battery, R.H.A., from St. John's Wood Barracks ; 10th Royal Hussars, from the 1st Cavalry Brigade, Aldershot (this being the regiment in which Prince Henry is serving) ; 17th/21st Lancers, from the same brigade ; Royal Army Service Corps, Woolwich ; the Brigade of Guards, London ; the Equitation School, Weedon ; the Army Physical Training Staff, Aldershot ; the Royal Engineers ; and the Royal Air Force. 263
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