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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0559.PDF
JULY 28, 1927 small door, much as one enters a motor-car. The fact that the wing is strut-braced makes for a minimum of encum- brances, and the front seat is reached entirely without the acrobatic feats required in some machines. The strut bracing of the " Widgeon " wing is also claimed to reduce maintenance cost, since there are no wires whatever in the machine, other than control cables, to require attention. Once in place on the machine, the wing bracing is not touched except in case of damage, and the wing will, it is claimed, remain true without any attention from the user. The arrangement of the wing struts of the " Widgeon " is such that folding the wings is an extremely easy operation, all that is necessary being the release of two pins, one on each side, when the two halves of the wing are free to swing back along the tail. The aileron cables are so arranged bracing, the inner framework being covered and partly braced by the three-ply " skin." From the fact that three-ply is used for covering it will be gathered that the fuselage is flat- sided and fiat-bottomed. The deck, however, is of the usual curved or cambered shape, made up in panels or sections, and supported internally by hoops or formers. Experience has shown this type of fuselage construction to be rigid, capable of standing hard wear, and requiring a minimum of attention during use. A fabric covering on top of the three- ply protects it against moisture. The cockpits, as already stated, are very easy of access, and are in addition roomy and comfortable. Dual controls are provided, so that the machine may be flown from either cockpit, or the front controls may be disconnected if the machine is being used for passenger work only. The instru- DURALUMIN FACE PLATE •D - J.R " FLIGHT " Copyright Sketches THE WESTLAND " WIDGEON III " : Details of the two types of engine mountings which have been standard- ised. 1, shows the welded steel tube mounting for a " Cirrus " engine, with a more detailed view of a front engine bracket in 2. The mounting for the "Genet " engine is shown in 3, with details of the Duralumin face-plate in 4. Sketches A, B, C and D refer to details at corresponding points of 3. that as the wings fold back the return cable goes slack, allowing the ailerons to hang down, and thereby reducing the folded width of the machine, which in the folded condition i* only 10 ft. 6 in. Thus the main features of the " Widgeon III '" of interest to the owner-pilot may be summed up as follows : excellence of view, ease of access to cockpits absence of wire bracing, v.'ith consequent reduction in maintenance cost and work,a nd general simplicity of construction. This summary doesnr >t, however, by any means exhaust the features of the! "HChine, as the following descriptive notes on the constructionv 'ill show. Constructional Features It has already been pointed out that simplicity of con- duction is one of the objects aimed at in the " Widgeon III." -nils the fuselage is of the type in which there is no wire ments, which include the usual range, are very neatly arranged and the various dials are easily seen. The seats are somewhat unusual in that they are separate from their back rests. Normally, fairly high seats, of light ply-wood con- struction, are fitted, and provided with air cushions. Should the owner prefer to fly regularly with a pack parachute, the seats are changed as slightly lower ones on which the para- chute pack rests, the seat frameworks of the two types of seat being so proportioned that the overall height is the same in both cases. Between the two cockpits, in the deck fairing, is a luggage compartment with a separate door,while in front of the forward cockpit is another and slightly smaller luggage space. Thus it is quite feasible to go touring on the " Widgeon III " and take sufficient luggage for ordinary requirements. The front cockpit is provided with a door on the starboard side, and as- a small steel tube step is fitted to the lower longeron, 517
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