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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0893.PDF
DECEMBER 2, 1926 The EAIREY AVIATION Co., Ltd IT would be, perhaps, more desirable when dealing with,the products of such a firm as the Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd.' of Hayes, to look back during the past "year or so upon theseries of events which have helped to confirm the prominent position these well-known aircraft have held so long in theaeronautical world. Those machines which the public have already had the privilege of investigating are too well knownto require any reiteration of detail. There are, of course, many new Fairey aircraft, both in being, and on the way,which would be of absorbing interest, were it possible to divulge their secrets, but that may not be, at least at present.However, a brief retrospection of the period of aeronautics just past should be of considerable interest. Undoubtedly, the first event to come to mind is thatsplendid feat, the R.A.F. Cairo-Cape Town-Cairo-England flight, which is certainly one of the most, if not the most,outstanding events in aeronautical history up to the present time. Although modestly called " an ordinary Service flight,"it will be remembered what a remarkable feat this was. Under- taken by the same four Fairey III. D. aircraft and flown toa definite schedule as well, it constitutes a new record of reliability and pioneer work. Eleven thousand five hundred miles across Africa fromCairo to Cape Town and back again and then on to England, shown it to be the inspiration of this period. Its perform-ance and the general quality of its design are such a pro- nounced step forward that the " Fox " is undoubtedly theprototype of a new class of day bomber, and so will it remain until further inspiration and discovery arrive. Those who visited the R.A.F. Display at Hendon this yearmust all have seen the Fairey " Firefly," the latest thing in single-seater fighters. Though this was its first and onlypublic appearance, its welcome was exceptionally warm. The eulogies of the daily press were both spontaneous and convinc-ing ; for instance, a leading daily said of it : " The ' Firefly ' is one of the most vicious-looking single-seaters that has everbeen produced. It is almost a perfect streamline from nose to tail, and its speed appears to be very high." And another :. . . a beautiful little craft and a triumph of British design and workmanship. . . ." these two instances beingexamples of the general trend of opinion, and it may be said that these views are more than emphasised by actual per-formance. The R.A.F. ship's fighter, the Fairey " Flycatcher," andthe reconnaissance-day bomber, the Fairey " Fawn," of which there are so many in the Service, are both still more than" pulling their weight," and are too well known to need any further comment. THE FOX DAY-BOMBER : This photograph shows the clean lines and small frontal area of the Fairey " Fox."The suppression of all excrescences which might cause head resistance is particularly evident. over land and sea, through intense heat and cold and all theparticular kinds of weather common to such variations of temperature—these were the conditions through which thefour Fairey III. Ds. had to fly. These machines, however, as well as other Fairey aircraft, no doubt stand the test sowell, as their design is so thoroughly thrashed out in the drawing office before production. This achievement adds yet one more to the many alreadyaccomplished by this well-known series of aircraft. It will be remembered that it was to Wing-Comdr. Goble, C.B.E.,D.S.O., D.S.C., that the Britannia Trophy was awarded for his flight round Australia three years ago in a III. D seaplane.During the past year much has been made of the trans- Atlantic flight undertaken during this period, but, withoutdetracting from the merit of this excellent flight it must be pointed out that over four years ago Commander Sacadura-Cabral flew the South Atlantic using Fairey III. D aircraft. The Fairey III. D seaplane is, of course, a single-enginemachine and, as such, is the only one to fly the Atlantic. Another event during the past year which has marked yetone more step forward is the coming of the Fairey " Fox," a day bomber, into actual service. The furore that the" Fox " created when its general features first became known is still fresh in our minds, how its phenomenal advance inperformance, its tremendous speed, its graceful lines all made such a widespread and vivid impression and which.will give it for some long time to come a very prominent place among the world's aircraft. In fact its advent has We have recently heard much of various large seaplanes,several of which have been acclaimed as the world's largest, but the Fairey " Titania," with its wing span of 139 ft., andtotal horse-power of nearly 2,800, still gives Great Britain the lead in this respect. The " Titania " is a development of the" Atalanta," and is of the same dimensions. The horse- power given by the engines in the earlier model was some-what less. It is interesting to note that the " Atalanta " was in the air flying satisfactorily over six years ago whichgoes to show how far ahead of its time the " Atalanta " was. Finally, mention must be made of the Fairey-Reed metalairscrew. It is evident that this year has brought the metal airscrew into its own. With the increase in performancerequired as aircraft have developed, and the greater necessity for thorough reliability, the metal airscrew has been moreand more looked to, until to-day one finds all the newest aircraft fitted with this important accessory. The Reedtype of airscrew is undoubtedly one of the most important, and many of the greatest achievements have been accom-plished by aircraft fitted with these airscrews. For instance. Commander Byrd, in his North Pole flight, used a Reedairscrew. All the world's high speed records are held by aircraft using these airscrews. The winning aircraft inthe 1926 King's Cup air race used a Fairey-Reed airscrew as did the winner of the S.M.M.T. Prize at Lympne, 1926,meeting. The winners of the Schneider Cup races since 1923 up to, and including this year, have been fitted with Reedairscrsews, a proof of their speed qualities and reliability.
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