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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0584.PDF
AUGUST 19, 1926 any time for such trivial amusements as making climbing tests. It was also rumoured that, the barographs available for the climb tests were not quite suitable for the rates of climb expected, and were being replaced by others. It was therefore decided to devote this afternoon to alighting tests instead. The only activity as regards actual flying during the morning was Mrs. "Eliott-Lynn's consumption test flight, and the preparation for the landing tests seemed to take a long time, no attempt having been made during the morning to peg out the area in which the landing tests had to be made. To- wards 4 p.m., how- ever, the work of marking out the landing area, which was in the form of a trapeze measuring 50 m. along the short side, 100 m. along the long side, and with a distance of 350 m. between the short and long sides. Competitors were re- quired to come in over the obstacles on the short line, and to pull up in the shortest possible distance within the area marked out. The obstacles them- selves were in the form of balloons tethered by short lengths of string and theoretically reach- ing a height above the ground of 5 m. (16 ft. 5 in.). In practice, however. [" FLIGHT " Photographs TWO DE HAVILLANDS : Capt. Broad flying Mrs. Eliott-Lynn's ' ' Moth " above the Czechoslovak D.H.50 and, inset, doing one.of his large-diameter slow loops. this height appeared to van,- very considerably, since th e balloons only reached the maximum height in a fiat calm, but approached to within 2 or 3 ft. of the ground in the gusts. Frankly we cannot quite agree that any degree of exactness is obtainable by this arrangement, and we prefer the English form of obstacle which consists of a short length of cord suspended on two posts and carrying coloured ribbons at short intervals. The altitude of this arrangement is at any rate constant, whereas a line of waving balloons is a constantly variable quantity. While waiting for the landing tests to commence some of the machines carried out their folding and re-erecting tests, which consisted in folding or dismantling the wings of the machine, pushing the mach ne through two gates 3 m. (9 ft. 10\ in.) wide by 3-5 m. (11 ft. ni in.) high, placed 10 m. (32 ft- 9-J in), apart. Up till this afternoon the only machine to have completed the dis- mantling and erect- ing tests was the De Havilland " Moth." The first machine to pass the test to-day was the S.A.B.C.A. biplane piloted by Van Opstal. This machine does not have folding wings as does the De Havil- land " Moth," but all the attachments which have to be touched in order to remove the wings are of the quick-release variety, and the wings were removed and placed on top of the fuselage in a comparatively short time, the machine then easily going through the gate- ways, after which the wings were again put on and the machine took off, the time occupied for the whole operation, from the time the signal was given to start on the machine left the of 5 mins., being Mrs. Eliott-Lynn's dismantling until the wheels cf ground for the subsequent flight 12 mins. 59 sees., as compared with time of 2 mins. 40 sees. Cwing to the fact that the "rules of the competition do not particularly stress the importance of quick foldirg of wings, Van Opstal received 28 points A Helping Hand: When Mrs. Eliott-Lynn bent an axle and broke a wheel in the alighting test, two cars im- mediately rushed to her assistance, both "piloted " by competitors— the front one by M. Jullien, of the SABCA, and the other by M. Magnet, of the Albert-Salmson team. [" FLIGHT " Photograph 514
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