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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0431.PDF
FLIGHT, MAY 8, 1931 THE METAL " MARTLET " Southern Aircraft, Ltd. have just produced a metal version of the " Martlet." Although a light 'plane and fitted with a Hermes II engine of 105 h.p. only, the metal "Martlet" has an excellent performance and should be very useful for fighter training, advanced aerobatics, sporting flying, &c. )ORKING quietly and saying little about it, Mr.Miles, of Southern Aircraft, Ltd., Shoreham, and Mr. Basil B. Henderson have been puttingtheir heads together for some months, and have now produced a metal version of the well-known" Martlet " biplane which Mr. Miles first brought out some years ago. The original " Martlet " was something of aneye-opener in the way of performance, speed-range and manoeuvrability, and in the metal version these qualitieshave not only been retained, but have, in some cases, even been improved. The result is a machine which, althoughof low first cost and easy maintenance, gives a perform- ance which is little short of marvellous. The metal" Martlet " has been designed for, and should be ex- tremely useful as, a type for the training of pilots in airlighting, as the performance and manoeuvrability are such as to simulate very well the characteristics of a high-powersingle-seater fighter. The sturdy construction and great manoeuvrability should also make the machine very usefulfor training pilots at low cost in advanced aerobatics, while the sportsman who wants something " snappy " andfast, •while at the same time docile when it comes to land- ing, should find much to appeal to him in the metal" Martlet." Designed jointly by Mr. Basil Henderson and Mr. Miles,and built at the Shoreham works of Southern Aircraft, Ltd.. the metal " Martlet " is a single-seater biplane ofmixed construction, the producers having used metal only where it could be readily and cheaply substituted for -^^^s,-,:^^. -^ ,,. iv&m^ ^T*^.^, &^^ SIDE VIEW OF THE METAL " MARTLET ": In spite of the fact that the machine is a vertical biplane, the view is very good. The upper photograph shows the machine doing a " zoom." wooJ, while re-taining wooden components whichwould be more difficult and expensive to produce in metal. For instance, the fuselage is a steel tube structure, thetubes being of square section, and struts and longerons being joined together by steel flitch plates riveted orbolted on. The structure has been designed to be rigid without the use of bracing wires, and there is no riggingor adjustment to be made by the user. Should a fuselage tube become damaged, it can be replaced without disturb-ing the rest of the structure. The main fuselage structure is enclosed in wooden fairings with doped linen covering. The biplane, wings are mainly of wood construction, withwooden spars and wing ribs, and braced by high-tensile steel wire and streamline steel tube struts. The wings aredesigned to fold, and as the machine is of small dimensions, the space occupied when the wings are folded is very smallindeed. An undercarriage of the divided type is fitted, constructedof steel tubes throughout. The wheels are carried on steel forgings, and are mounted on roller bearings. Low-pressure tyres are fitted, and, as the telescopic legs of the undercarriage (of the oleo-steel spring buffer type) have along stroke, the landing shocks are very effectively damped, while the tendency to bounce has been reduced to a mini-mum. The wheels are fitted with independently-operated brakes, so that not only can the machine be stopped in avery short distance, but manoeuvring on the ground is greatly assisted. A steel spring tail skid is fitted.Very particular attention has been paid to the controls, which are effective at all speeds within the speed range,and friction in bearings has been reduced by fitting ball bearings at all important points. Although the machine is of the vertical biplane type (tofacilitate folding), the view from the cockpit is quite ex- ceptionally good, a fact of considerable importance in amachine intended for fighter training and advanced aerobatics.It is not desired to give very detailed data concerning the metal " Martlet " at present, but it may be statedthat the disposable load is 375 lb. The top speed is about 130 m.p.h., while the landing speed is only about 40 m.p.h.The machine cruises at 115-120 m.p.h., and the cruising range in still air is 400 miles. The rate of climb at groundlevel is spectacular, being of the order of 1,400 ft. /min. In a flat calm the machine takes off in 60 yards, and thelanding run, also in no wind, is only 70 yards. The ser- vice ceiling is about 20,000 ft.The engine fitted is a 105-h.p. Hermes II, neatly cowled in. The Schneider Contest GENERAL ITALO BALBO, the Italian Air Minister,treated a sensation by a speech in the Chamber on April 29, when he is reported to have said that it was not certainthat Italy would take part in the Schneider contest. They had the pilots, but he understood the difficulties and dis-couragement which manufacturers must face in solving the Schneider Trophy problem, in producing machines, and,above all, engines, which were capable of ensuring victory. He added that this contest called for the development of asporting sense strong enough to face a possible failure with- out taking the consequences too tragically. He knew thatFrance at least would challenge, but Italy would not take part unless she had some hope of a good place. He hopedthat this would be the case, in which case Italy would not fail to be present. Italy has deposited the stipulatedamount of 200,000 francs for each of the three seaplanes which she has entered. If no Italian machines face thestarter on September 12, the rules provide that this deposit will be forfeited. We sincerely hope that this will not takeplace. We should like to welcome our friendly rivals, the Italian Royal Air Force, over here again, for we know thatthey have developed a sporting sense strong enough to face failure without taking it too tragically. They are goodsportsmen, and we hope for another contest with them— with better luck than they experienced last time. 399 r
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