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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0928.PDF
to be done before the comfort of the passengers can equal that of a railway carriage, before absolute reliability can be expected, and before that safety, which should be the first aim in all civil aircraft design, is attained. Thus, it is significant that but a single French three-engined aircraft is exhibited—the Marcel Besson flying-boat with three Gnome-Rhone "Jupiter" engines. This machine shows an appreciation of the value of the three-engined type, but otherwise the machine itself does not impress one particularly. The wing structure, and especially the spars, look as if the structure had originally been planned in metal, but that for some reason it became necessary to change it to wood at the last moment. Whether this was actually the case we have been unable to ascertain, as those in charge of the stand appeared reluctant in vouchsafing any information whatever. It is even reported that in one case an artist making sketches (not a FLIGHT artist be it noted, as we were permitted to obtain a general view) was set upon and his sketches torn up. The obvious retort to this incident—which did little more than contribute for a moment to the gaiety of nations—is, of course, that one cannot seriously blame those in charge of the stand for not wishing to have their detail work pub- lished. In the matter of seaplanes generally, the impres- sion is easily formed that nothing at the show indicates that Great Britain need yet fear serious competition in this class of machine. Some improvement is certainly to be noted in the design and construction of flying-boat hulls, but there is still too much tendency to retain the flat-sided rigid hull and the single step. This is all. the more remarkable when it is known that the second step can nowadays quite easily be made to prevent all tendency to porpoising. As regards the land machines, one notices a tendency towards the disappearance of the sesquiplan in favour of the parasol monoplane, a type originated before the war by the Morane-Saulnier firm, and which has been adopted in quite a considerable number of machines, even large ones, at the show. Thus in the Nieuport- Delage machines, the type 42 (a sesquiplan) is shown next to its modern development the 48, which is a parasol monoplane. The Avimeta machine, an all-metal two-seater of fairly large span, is a parasol monoplane, as is also the large three-engined Besson flying-boat. The thick-section wing does not appear to be making a great deal of headway, although one or two examples are exhibited in which the wing roots are of fairly thick section. On the other hand, the section of medium thickness seems to be making considerable headway. While on the subject of wings, an English visitor cannot fail to be struck by the apparent disregard for " down-loads," which most French designers affect. In many cases the answer may be that the particular machine is not intended to be able to fly upside down, nor to be dived steeply. Doubtless that is perfectly true, but any aeroplane, when flying in fog or clouds, is apt to be placed, without the pilot momentarily DECEMBER 9, 1926 being aware of the fact, in all sorts of unintentional attitudes, and it would seem prudent to guard against such contingencies. On the subject of engines, it can, we think, be said that these are of uniformly high quality. That the radial air-cooled type is making great headway is very obvious. Thus the " Jupiter " alone is fitted on something like 50 per cent, of the machines exhibited, while the radial air-cooled type generally is found on an even larger percentage. The manner in which the radial air-cooled engine is coming to the fore is, perhaps, nowhere better illustrated than in the case of the Lorraine-Dietrich firm, on whose stand are shown two radials bearing a very strong resemblance to the Armstrong-Siddeley engines, suggesting that they could only have been evolved through the amicable co-operation of the two firms, by which the French house has had the benefit of the Armstrong- Siddeley experience. The Armstrong-Siddeley engines themselves are attracting a good deal of attention, and the extremely useful series of four engines, in which three types have the same cylinders and pistons, &c, is favourably commented upon. In the water-cooled class, the Vee type seems still to predominate, although the W, or " broad arrow " formation is also to be found in large numbers. The increase in the number of engine types of more than 500 h.p. is another notable feature of the Salon, and engines of 700 and 800 h.p., or even more, are no rare sight this year. The sleeve-valve engine is another type that appears to be coming along, and it is, perhaps, significant that in the great million-francs engine competition a sleeve-valve engine, the Panhard- Levassor, secured second place, while showing the lowest petrol consumption of any in the competition. Thus this type of engine may be assumed to have proved itself, and its further development will be watched with interest. Of really novel types there are, as far as we have been able to discover, but two on view. One of these is the water-cooled horizontally opposed " Caffort," which is stated to develop 500 h.p. It is as yet purely an experimental engine, but we are informed that it has in all run for 13 hours, so that at any rate " it works." This engine is mainly intended, we gather, for use on thick-wing machines, in which it can be buried inside the wing without adding anything to the head resistance of the machine. Another advan- tage of the flat type would seem to be that in certain types of machine a much better view might be pro- vided. The type seems worth developing, and might be given consideration on our side of the Channel also. The only other new type is the Italian " Cappa " engine, which is stated to develop 450 h.p. It looks like a box of trapezoidal cross section, with the propeller hub at one end and what appears to be some form or fan or blower at the other. Whether it is a forced induction type of two-stroke we have been unable to discover. Nothing could be gathered on the stand, but the required information was " inces- santly expected." Errata 'at 6,000 metres," and the speed of 126J m.p.h. for the IN the unavoidable " rush " that attends the preparation " Vixen " Landplane, heavy, " at 3,000 metres." of such features as last week's special British Aircraft Section Again, on p. 786zt' of the same issue (Westland Aircraft errors are bound to pass undetected. For instance, last week, Works), in referring to Capt. Hill's flights on the "tailless in referring to the Vickers machines, the speed of 115 m.p.h. aeroplane," we stated that he " flew the machine in altitudes, quoted for the " Vespa " should have been indicated as being etc.," This, of course, should have read "in attitudes" 800
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