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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0729.PDF
FLIGHT, APRIL 11, 1929 SLOT AND INTERCEPTOR CONTROL A Convincing Demonstration of the latest Handley Page Development at Cricklewood THE Handley Page automatic slot, which has already beenfitted to large numbers of service and civil aircraft, gives,as readers of FLIGHT will know, lateral stability when the aircraft is in the stalled condition. Thus the incipient spin is avoided, and when stalled the machine sinks on a more or less even keel. The ailerons are operative in this condition, but the lateral control is not always as powerful [" FLIGHT " Photograph p^x HANDLEY PAGE SLOT AND INTERCEPTOR CONTROL : Mr. Cordes demonstrates the effective- ness of this control on a De Havilland " Moth " fitted with " Cirrus II " engine. as might be desired. By adding the '' interceptor the lateral control is rendered extremely powerful, and even in the stalled condition the aircraft is under as perfect lateral control as is the case in normal unstalled flight. The " interceptor " is a very simple addition to the Handley Page automatic slots, and may consist in a narrow hinged " lid " situated just behind the slot. It may also take the form of a narrow vertical strip which normally lies housed in the wing section, but which can be raised above the surface where it deflects the air and causes it to break away from the wing, thus causing the wing to stall. On April 8 a demonstration of the slot and interceptor control was given at Cricklewood, Mr. Cordes, Handler Page's test pilot, flying a De Havilland " Moth " fitted with the new arrangement. After going up to a height of a few hundred feet, Mr. Cordes put the nose of the machine up at an alarming angle, and then proceeded to operate the lateral controls, first standing the machine on its right wing tips and then on its left. Sinking all the while, the " Moth " was obviously under perfect—and very powerful—control, in spite of the fact that its nose was held up and the actual angle of attack well above the stalling angle. Previously, Sqdn.-Ldr. England had flown a Handley Page " Hinaidi " night bomber (Bristol " Jupiter ") fitted with automatic wing tip slots, but not with the "interceptor." His flat turns revealed the lateral stability of the machine, which showed not the slightest sign of any tendency to spin. Later, the machine was flown first with one and then with the other engine throttled right down, and turns were made repeatedly against the pull of the working engine. Although the day was calm, and almost without any wind at all, the " Hinaidi " appeared often to be " sitting still " in the air, merely sinking slowly. The demonstration was concluded by Mr. E. A. Jones, of the Brooklands School of Flying, taking up the Westland " Widgeon-Gipsy " belonging to the Anglo-American Oil Co., and giving a demonstration of stability when stalled, as well as a stalled landing. The machine was fitted with automatic slots, but not with the interceptor. The demonstrations were witnessed by a number of foreign Air Attaches, press representatives, and others interested in flying. At a subsequent lunch at Golders Green, Mr. Handley Page explained that his company had settled with the Air Ministry 291
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