FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0636.PDF
of previous years in many respects, but notably in that, for the first time, no limit is placed upon engine capacity. In the 1923 competition for single-seaters the maximum engine capacity allowed was 750 c.c. This was increased, for the two-seater competition of 1924, to 1,100 c.c. This year, however, an attempt has been made to limit engine power by stipulating that the engines of competing machines must not exceed 170 lbs. in weight, it having been decided that there was no rational reason for limiting engine capa- city, which merely had the effect of encouraging very high engine speeds in order to get as much power as possible out of the restricted capacity permitted. Whether a limit on engine weight will not tend to have the same effect remains to be seen. Certainly the one new engine so far produced within the weight limit, the Armstrong-Siddeley " Genet," cannot be said to err on the side of excessive speed, developing its normal power at only 1,850 r.p.m. The competition itself is one of carrying the greatest possible useful load on the smallest possible quantity of fuel over a total distance of 1,964 miles, the only stipulation being that the average speed made good over the course must not be less than 50 m.p.h. In order, however, to prevent machines from being overloaded and barely able to stagger around the course, they will be required, in one of the eliminating .tests, to take off from rest and clear two barriers 25 ft. high, and placed 25 yards apart, the run required not exceeding 300 yards. Taking it all round, the regulations this year appear to be fairly sound, and they should tend to produce really serviceable machines. The actual competition will be a fairly severe test in spite of the fact that few if any of the machines will need to fly at anything approaching full power, unless the week should prove to be exceptionally windy. We gather, however, SEPTEMBER 9, 1926 that the stipulation of a minimum speed of 50 m.p.h. is to be interpreted as meaning that machines must keep above that figure in each of the circuits, and not that they may fall below this speed in some of the circuits provided they make up for it by reaching the minimum in the total average. This rather turns the competition into a form of reliability trial very similar to those held for motor cars, with the exception that competitors will not be required to keep to a fixed time-table so long as they cover each day's circuit within the hours from 8. a.m. to 8 p.m. Much will depend upon the weather conditions, and if there happens to be strong winds the faster machines will score by being able to maintain a higher average without approaching full throttle. There is one feature of the regulations which we do not altogether agree with, and that is the planning of the various courses in such a way as to be clear of all towns. This is a very wise precaution in the case of towns en route, since otherwise competitors would either have to fly high or to make detours. In the case of the turning points, however, it does seem that there is no very good reason for not using the piers as turning points and thus giving visitors an oppor- tunity to see the machines. As it is, all the turning points are so situated that practically nobody will get a glimpse of the machines. Thus at Brighton the turning point is the grand stand on the racecourse, well clear of the town. At Eastbourne three gasometers outside the town. At Hastings the Castle, some way from the beach. At Dover also far from the sea. At Manston aerodrome there is no need for propaganda, while on the north-eastern circuit the course lies behind the towns of Margate, Westgate and Birchmg- ton, and well clear of Herne Bay. We think an excellent opportunity for air propaganda has been lost by this arrangement. QUANTITY PRODUCTION OF ALL-METAL AEROPLANES : A batch of Wibault scouts in course of construction at'the Weybridge works of Vickers, Ltd. The Wibault is of French design, Vickers holding the British rights. The engines fitted are Bristol " Jupiters." 560
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
