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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0968.PDF
FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 11, 1931 on the rudders. They are known by the type lettersS.6B, whereas the modified 1929 machines are now re- ferred to as the type S.6A. The modified machines carriedthe numbers N.247 and INI.248. Of these two, N.247 won the contest in 1929, piloted by F/O Waghorn, and alsoheld the world's speed record over the straight-line 3-km. course. It was this machine on which Lt. G. L. Brinton,R.N., was killed a short time ago while attempting to take off for a practice flight. There remain to take partin Saturday's contest the two new machines S.1595 and S.1596, and the modified 1929 type, N.248. The latteris the machine flown by Atcherley in the 1929 contest, when a world's speed record over the 50-km. and 100-km.closed circuit was established. In this year's contest the three British machines willcarry the numbers 1, 4 and 7. These numbers, it might be explained, are a result of the draw for order of starting,carried out while it was still expected that France and Italy would take part. These numbers will be retained,and No. 1 is the S.6B, S.1595 ; No. 4 is the S.6A, N.248 ; while No. 7 is the S.6B, S.1596.The. S.6B machines, built specially for this year's con- test, resemble closely the 1929 machines in their generallines and construction. At the moment it is not thought desirable to give too detailed particulars of the newmachines, but the chief points of difference between them and the 1929 machines may be summarised as follows:The Rolls-Royce engines have had their power increased considerably without any material increase in weight.Provision has been made in the machines for carrying greater loads of fuel, oil and water. A more efficient cool-ing system has been designed, and the water cooling sur- face has been increased, as has also the efficiency of thewing surface radiators. The distribution of the fuel in thetwo floats has been altered so as to counteract the verysevere engine torque. The floats have been redesigned sothat their aerodynamic drag is a good deal lower than that ofthe floats in the 1929 machines. The control sur-faces have been mass-balanced in order to reduce the risk offlutter. New airscrews (of metal) have been produced bythe Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., for the more powerful enginesused in this year's machines. To design and manufactureairscrews which will efficiently deal with more than 2,000h.p. is obviously no easy task, but there has been no sugges-tion of propeller troubles with the 1931 Schneider machines. The Rolls-Royce Engines No official information hasbeen made available relating to the new engines producedfor this year's Schneider Trophy Contest. It is quiteobvious, however, that in the time between the definite offi-cial decision to participate in the contest and September 12,i.e., seven months, there can have been no opportunity toproduce entirely new types of engines. The production of anew engine is a very much longer and more costly busi-ness than the production of a new aircraft, and consequentlyit may be taken for granted that the engines orouueed bythe Rolls-Royce Company for this year's machines are de-velopments of the 1929 " R " type engines. It has beenadmitted officially that the new engines give a good dealmore power than did the 1929 engines, and without drastic-ally altering the engines, the TABLE OF LAP TIMES AND SPEEDS. LapTime IV] 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Vl Vl 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Vl 5 5 5 5 VI 5 5 55 Vl 5 5 5 55 55 5 5 5 [. s. 0 1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 2425 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 3738 39 40 4142 43 44 45 Speed Km./hr. 600•00 597-9 596 • 1 594 • 1 592 • 1 590-2 588-2 586-3 584-8 582 • 5 580•61 579-0 577-0 575-1 573-2 571-5 569-7 567-9 566 • 1 564-2 562•85 560-8 558-9 557 • 1 555 • 4 553 • 7 552-0 550-3 548-6 546-9 545-45 543 • 7 542 • 1 540 • 3 538 • 7 537 • 1 535-5 533-9 532 • 3 530-8 529-10 527-6 526-1 524-8 523-2 521-7 M.p.h. 372-24 371-6 370-1 368-6 367 • 5 366 -2 364-9 363-6 362-4 361-2 360•09 358-9 357-8 356 • 7 355 • 5 354-4 353-3 352-2 351 • 1 350 • 1 349 • 19 348 0 346-8 345-7 344-6 343-6 342-6 341-5 340-4 339-3 338-40 337-2 336 • 1 335-2 334-3 333-4 332-5 331-4 330-4 329-5 328-25 327-5 326-6 325 • 7 324-8 323-8 Lap, Time M. 5 5 5 5 5 ft 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 66 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 s. 46 47 48 4950 ftl 5253 54 5556 57 58 59 01 2 34 56 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Speed Km./hr. 520-2 518-8 517-3 515-9 514-32 512-8 511-3 509 • 9 508 • 5 507-5 505-6 504-2 502-8 501-3 500•00 498 • 5 497-1 495-6 494-4 493-0 491-6 490-3 489-0 487-7 486 •46 485 • 1 483-9 482-4 481 3 480-0 478-7 477-4 476-1 474-9 473-93 472-8 470-9 469 • 5 468-5 467-2 466-1 464-8 463-5 462-2 461-54 460-3 M.p.h. 322-9 322-0 321-1 320-2 319-25 318-4 317-4 316-5 315-5 314-6 313-8 312-9 312-0 311-1 310-20 309-4 308 • 5 307-6 306 • 7 305-8 305-0 304 • 1 303-2 302-4 301-65 300-8 300-0 299-2 298-5 297-7 297-0 296-3 295 • 5 294-8 294-03 293-3 292-5 291-6 291 -0 290-2 289-5 288-7 287-9287-1 286-34 285-5 most likely way in which this increase in power can hav^been achieved is by an increase in the engine speed. The fact that the engines are geared should make this coursepermissible from an airscrew efficiency point of view, and if the reciprocating parts, bearings and so forth will standup to the extra speed, there is no reason why the extra power may not be assumed to have been obtained in thisway. Whether or not the degree of supercharging has been increased there are no means of knowing. It has,however, been stated that the increase in power is con- siderable, and that it has been achieved without anymarked increase in weight. The British Schneider Team As originally formed, the British 1931 Schneider Teamwas composed as follows: Sqd. Ldr. A. H. Orlebar, A.F.C. (Captain of Team), Fit. Lt. F. L. Long, Fit. Lt. J. N.Boothman, Fit. Lt. G. H. Stainforth, Fit. Lt. E. J. Linton Hope, and F/O L. S. Snaith. Non-flying membersof the team are Fit. Lt. W. F. Dry, who is Engineer Officer of the team, and F/O M. F. Tomkins, who isStores Officer. It may be recollected that Fit. Lt. Linton Hope had acrash while making a hurried landing after a practice flight. His place in the team was taken by Lt. G. L.Brinton, R.N., who was later killed while taking off in one of the 1929 machines (N.247). Where to see the Contest The fact that France and Italy have withdrawn fromthe contest will naturally rob the event of a good deal of its interest. The decision to send all three BritishSchneider machines over the course in accordance with the regulations should, however,ensure that the twelfth (and last if the fates are kind)Schneider contest should be well worth watching.The present intention is that the starting signal for the firstmachine shall be given, as originally planned, at 12.30p.m., the start of the other two machines following in theorder of their numbers.* The Starting and finishingline is at Ryde Pier, Isle of Wight, and it will be fromthere that the machines will be timed over the seven lapsof the course. Consequently Ryde Pier, and in fact a longstretch of the foreshore of the Isle of Wight, will providegood vantage points from which to watch the contest. Along the Hampshire coastalso there will be excellent opportunities for watching theexhilarating spectacle of machines hurtling along atsome 350 m.p.h. At no point from the entrance toChichester Harbour to Lee on Solent should spectators bevery far away from the track followed by the machines, andPortsmouth town as well as Southsea are laying them-selves out to provide accommo- dation for spectators. OnSouth Parade Pier, Southsea, the Royal Aero Club has anenclosure for its members, and there are also enclosures forthe general public, and car parks close to the pier. At West Wittering, just tothe east of the entrance to Chichester Harbour, where theeastern turning point is situated, there are a numberof car parks from which a very excellent view of the machine-should be obtained. *Latest ntxi smay fl\ is that only 1 906 SJL.
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