FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0985.PDF
r FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 11, 193r THE "TERN" GLIDER NEW HIGH EFFI-CIENCY GLIDER.— _ Airspeed, Ltd., of j Piccadilly, York, have recently1 constructed the " Tern," a I glider which promises to uphold the prestige of English aircraftdesigners in this particular market. Mr. N. S. Norway andMr. A. Hessell Tiltman are the • joint Managing Directors, andVj Mr. Norway is primarily re- ! sponsible for the design. As will be seen from the photographs, theglider is of the full cantilever type, with a high aspect ratioand a span of some 50 ft. It has already performed verycreditably in the hands of various pilots, both English and German, all of whom have been loud inits praises. The photographs show various parts of the" Tern " under construction ; that of the wing depicts veryclearly the Warren girder drag bracing, so arranged as to provideexceptional torsional stiffness. This bracing consists of twoflanges separated by the full depth of the main spar, which isconsiderable, since the wings are of cantilever construction joinedby spruce lattice members. As a further help towards this stiffnessand also as a safeguard when handling the machine, the w^hole of the leading edge is covered inthree-ply wood. The ribs are simple and of the normal Germanconstruction, with glued three-ply gussets, and in fact Germanpractice has been followed very largely in the wing, particularlyin points like the trailing edge, the spring landing skidand many other details. In the cockpit arrangements and general make-up of the fuselage, British light aeroplane practice has been followed to a greater extent, thus this cockpit is roomyand particularly comfortable, and is fitted with a proper instrument board carrying an air speed indicator andcross level beneath a Cellon wind screen. The controls are on ball bearings, providing a light and positivecontrol system. A particular feature of the machine is the ease with The top photograph shows the fuselage of the Tern under construction and thelower view gives a clear idea of the wing assembly. which it can be dismounted and assembled. Each wingis detachable from the centre section by taking out two large main bolts, while the aileron controls connect auto-matically and need no attention whatsoever when dis- mounting the wings. In a similar way, each tail planehas the elevator permanently attached to it, and thus needs no attention as the elevator control connects itself when Concluded at bottom of page 924.) S PA N LENGTH .. WING AREA ....50-0 ...24'- 7* .201 So. FT. "'TERN" GLIDER 923
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
