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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0336.PDF
MAY 19, 1927 THE FLIGHT TOWARDS INDIA Unfavourable Weather Postpones Start IN accordance with the expressed wishes of the authorities that no publicity should be given to the proposed flight from England to India before the start, we refrained from referring to the matter in last week's issue. Now that the machine is at Cranwell aerodrome, with Press representatives in attendance, and reports appearing in the Press daily, it becomes permissible to give a few particulars. As all our readers are probably aware by now, the intention is to attempt a non-stop flight from England to India, beating, if possible, the existing world's record established by Costes and Rignot on a Breguet machine by flying from Paris to Jask, on the Persian Gulf, a distance of 5,396 kms. (3,350 miles). If all goes well, the British machine should get as far as Karachi, thus beating the French flight by a wide margin at each end of the route. The distance from Cranwell aerodrome, Lines (from which the start will be made), to Karachi is 3,900 miles (6,280 kms.) measured along a great-circle line, although the actual distance of the route to be followed, and which will not be exactly along the great-circle line, is considerably more, somewhere between The machine to be used in the attempt is a Hawker " Horsley" bomber, with Rolls-Royce "Condor" engine. The "Horsley" is the standard bomber of the R.A.F., and the particular machine to be used on the flight is perfectly standard in outward appearance, although naturally the internal arrangement differs a good deal from the normal owing to the fitting of large petrol tanks. The alteration does not, however, extend to the structure of the machine, which is standard in every respect except for the under- carriage, which has had to be strengthened to take the extra weight. Detailed data relating to the " Horsley " may not be published at the moment, but it may be said that the petrol capacity has been increased to some 1,100 galls., giving the machine a total loaded weight of 14,200 lbs. (6,460 kgs). The Rolls-Royce "Condor" is standard in every respect with the exception of the compression ratio, which has been somewhat raised in order to give a more economical futl consumption. As is probably well known, this engine is provided with a reduction gear, and drives a large-diameter 0 0 0 0 H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 EJ H 0 0 H 13 0 0 H IS m m The Flight To- wards India: Flight- Lieut. Charles R. Carr, D .F .C . , and Flight-Lieut. Leo- nard E. M. Gill- man, by the Hawker "Hors- ley '' with Rolls- Royce "Condor" engine, on which they are attempt- ing a nonstop flight from Eng- land to India. Lieut. Carr is chief pilot, while Lieut. Gillman is second pilot and navigator. [" FLIGHT " Photograph H B S B H H H 0 4,200 and 4,300 miles. In case of success the British flight will be credited with the great-circle distance only. The two aviators who are attempting the flight are Flight- Lieut. Charles R, Carr, D.F.C., on Air Staff Duties in the Air Defence of Great Britain Command, Uxbridge, and Flight-Lieut. Leonard E. M. Gillman, on Air Staff (Navigation) Duties in the same Command. Lieut. Carr will be chief pilot, while Lieut. Gillman will be navigator and second pilot. Lieut. Carr has had a great deal of experience in piloting a variety of machines, and has in addition the advantage of having taken part in work which does not usually fall to the lot of an average pilot, having been a member of the Shackleton Antarctic Expedition, which carried an Avro-Baby seaplane. Flight-Lieut. Gillman is generally regarded as one of the finest navigators in the R.A.F., and was a member of the crew of one of the Fairey machines which made the flight from Cairo to the Cape, back to Cairo, and on to England. He has thus had experience of air navigation under all sorts of conditions, and is peculiarly qualified for his task. Indeed, it would have been difficult to find two men better suited to this difficult undertaking. airscrew running relatively slowly, thus giving good propeller efficiency at low forward speeds, .such as for taking off. 1" fact, it is doubtful whether the machine could be got "ft with a direct-drive propeller. Cranwell aerodrome, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, li«'h been chosen for the start, owing to its size. It is, howev<i, somewhat unfortunate that this size is available in ()l"' direction only, east to west, since this limits the take-on t<> days on which either a westerly or an easterly wind is blowii'U- It had been intended that the " Horsley " should start on tl^ morning of Monday last, May 16, but rain and a south- westerly wind precluded any possibility of taking off, althou-n the weather along the route was reported to be fairly favu1 '- able. At the time of going to press with this week's issue FLIGHT the same difficulty has been encountered. l"1^ machine has been ready every morning, but the wine > Cranwell has been in the wrong direction for taking oft. order to facilitate navigation over difficult country at m:". the flight will only be undertaken while there is a full m<-••'• so that should the unfavourable wind at Cranwell persist u1 • _ Saturday or Sunday, the flight will be postponed until next full moon. 304
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