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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0095.PDF
FEBRUARY 9, 1928 PRIVATE FLYING A Section of FLIGHT in the Interests of the Private Owner, Owner-Pilot, and Club Member BY "AVIAN" TO THE ANTIPODES " Bert " Hinkler's Great Attempt BY the time this week's issue of FLIGHT reaches our readers it is more than likely that Bert Hinkler will have covered the first stage of the great flight which he is undertaking in his Avro " Avian " G-EBOV, A.D.C. " Cirrus " engine. Starting from Croydon aerodrome, he will head south for France and Italy, across the Mediterranean, along the coast of Africa, and onward by the desert route to Baghdad, Karachi, and the usual route via the East Indies to Australia, his native country. A great deal has been made, in the general press, of the fact that Hinkler will make the journey in a series of flights of 1,000 miles each. This is rather to be regretted, many years ago) his reputation would not suffer should the fates be unkind. On the other hand, if anyone can do it Hinkler can. It is only necessary to be with Hinkler for a very short time while he is going over his " Avian " to realise the inven- tive turn of mind which has found expression in a dozen little ways on G-EBOV. The Hinkler undercarriage is one of these " brain waves." A little vice mounted on one of the engine beareis is another. The " K " jury struts which fold into the wings when not in use are a third. The special union on the petrol pump, which will enable him to sit in the HINKLER'S FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA [" FLIGHT " Photographs On the left, the " Great Little Man " is seen at work on his engine. On the right a " close-up " of the special vice Hinkler has made. This fits on an engine bearer, and enables work, such as adjusting a tappet rod or dismantling a sparking plug, to be carried out with convenience. The short air intake pipe has, where it joins the carburettor a " choke plate " which Hinkler uses for starting, in place of the usual rag. The " Avian " bristles with special " gadgets " thought out by Hmkler. as it will tend to give the flight the appearance of a sort of record-breaking attempt. While naturally Hinkler will not dawdle along more than he can help, it should be realised that in a small low-powered machine like the " Avian " it is somewhat problematical whether such a time table can always be adhered to. True, with the large tank fitted in the space previously occupied by the front cockpit, the " Avian " will probably have a range in still air of well over 1,000 miles, but on a flight of this nature, with the possibility of meeting adverse weather conditions, it is always likely that delays will occur. If Hinkler should succeed in making very good time, so much the better, but to advertise it as a foregone conclusion that he will do so seems rather a pity. His deter- mination and grit will doubtless carry him through many difficulties, but even Hinkler cannot do the impossible. If he can get to Australia in three weeks or a little under, he will have done wonders. If he should be compelled to take longer, small blame to him. As the pioneer, so to speak, of long-distance flights on a low-powered machine (London-Turin and Sydney - Bundaberg non-stop in the Avro " Babv" cockpit and fill his tank from a large can of petrol on the ground is yet another. And so one could go on. The " Avian " used by Hinkler in this flight is his old Lympne machine, and differs in several respects from the standard production " Avian." For instance, the wing section used is one of the bi-convex type (R.A.F. 28, we believe), which has a very small movement of the centre of pressure, and Hinkler says it makes the machine very nice to handle in bumpy weather. Especially when coming in to land, when there is an absence of " ballooning." As used on this flight, G-EBOV is a single-seater, the space usually occupied by the passenger being filled by a large petrol tank. From this the petrol is pumped up into the top centre-section service tank, itself divided into two com- partments with a capacity of 10 gallons each. By running on one of these while pumping petrol into the other, it will always be possible to know exactly how much petrol is left on board. The tanks have been so arranged that their out- let " Petroflex " tubes do not leave the sumps at the extreme lower point, but at a point slightly higher, so that any 83
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