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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0558.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 12. 1S31 COMPLETE WITH CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS: The Handley Page "Hannibal" (four Jupiters) leaving Hanworth for Croydon. (FLIGHT Photo.) Scott arrived from Brooklands in the Gipsy Moth in which he has recently returned from Australia in record time. A very jolly little ceremony was arranged by Colonel Sempill, in which M. Bleriot was duly photo- graphed and filmed while shaking hands with a number of people who in the early days of flying had flown his monoplanes. This pleasant little interlude took place by the side of a Bleriot monoplane which M. Bleriot had been kind enough to have sent over for the occasion. This to be in the port seat, readv ior tne take-off, while the other stands up in the centre of the cockpit and works engine controls and wheel brakes. How this divided responsibility is going to work under certain conditions remains to be seen. Towards evening Squadron Leader Rollo Haig brought out the Monospar twin-engined mono- plane and gave a very line demon- stration of the machine's capa- bilities. It is true that he was " flying light," but even allow- ing for this fact, the machine performed remarkably well, its slow-flying being particularly im- pressive, as was also the demon- stration of lateral control which Haig gave by standing the machine first on one wing tip and then on the other, descending at a steep angle, although with the fuselage horizontal, all the while. The speed range seems to be very good, and when the production type, with two of the new Pobjoy engines appears, it should be a very useful four-seater indeed. Another machine well demon- strated during the day was the Southern Martlet with Genet engine, which Flying-Officer Watt, of the Central Flying School, piloted. The manoeuvrability of the Martlet is well known, and the slow roll down, immediately follow- ing the take-off, was rather unnecessary. Impressive to some, undoubtedly, but scarcely worth the risk involved. During the day a number of the visitors were taken for flights, and many of the Parliamentary representatives went up in the Air Union LeO biplane. That is how we do things in this country. The " Hannibal " was, pre- nmchine is not a replica of the Cross-Channel model on sumably, felt to be too new and untried to be used for which M. Bleriol made the first flight across the Channel in 1909. In fact, it is not an exact replica of anything. But it is very nearly identical with the type XI which became so extraordinarily popular after the introduction of the 50 h.p. Gnome engine. This particular specimen differed from the type XI in that it had a 6-cylinder Anzani engine (the good old type with automatic inlet valves) of 45 h.p., and the flat steel tapes with which the original XI was braced below had given place to stranded cables. The cloche control had given way to a more modern arrangement, although the top of the control stick was the same little old wooden horizontal wheel as the early pilots Used to grasp. M. Bleriot made a very graceful impromptu speech in French, in which he referred to the progress made and the wonderful establishment which is the modern Hanworth. During the afternoon there was a steady stream of visitors going through the cabins of the " Hannibal," the luxury of which was much admired. A few thoughtful ones stopped, on their way out, in the cockpit, and a few rather wondered how the pilot is going to operate the engine controls as well as the wheel brake lever while manoeuvring on the ground. Both are centrally placed, so that from either seat the pilot has to work in an awkward position, in which he cannot exert very much force. It would seem that it must become normal practice in the " Hannibal " for one pilot Parliamentary joy riding, and there was no Other British " Giant Air Liner " present. Mr. Scott, on flying over from Brooklands, was received by Mr. F. Montague, Under-Secretary of State for Air, who congratulated him warmly on being the first MODERN COMFORT: The after cabin in the "Hannibal" (Eastern Tvpe). The forward cabin is reached through the corridor seen in the backg; ..:....,..:.,;....; (FLIGHT Photo.) - . _ rx "'~:?'.Sl~ :. '520 '•••.• * " :•
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