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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 1132.PDF
FLIGHT, OCTOBER 23, 1931 AN INTERESTING LIGHT AIRCRAFT aircraft which, although of foreign design andmake, has already sold in quite considerable numbers over here is the Klemm. We havedescribed this machine from time to time and have illustrated it with many and varied engines fitted toit. One of the latest forms is that with the Hirth engine. We recently took the opportunity of trying this machinefor ourselves, and found it to be extremely fascinating. The motor could hardly be smoother, and is apparentlyexceptionally economical,, for Mr. Rogers, who demonstrates Klemm aeroplanes for S. T. Lea, Ltd., of 141, New BondStreet, W.I, tells us that the fuel consumption is only three gallons per hour, while the oil consumption is atpresent almost negligible. After trying this machine we cannot help feeling that there is a very definite future formachines of similar type built in this country. Possibly the plans which have been laid for a company to manufac-ture Klemms themselves, or else the new de Havilland " Swallow " will meet the demand, for a demand therecertainly is. The Klemm is the type of aircraft which immediatelyinspires anyone with confidence, and we imagine that for club flying it will be hard to beat. For such a purposeseveral features will, of course, have to be altered. For example, the undercarriage looks somewhat too light tostand up to the hard wear of teaching people to fly, but the flying qualities of the machine itself cannot but inspireconfidence in any beginner, particularly if those beginners are, as is already the case at many places, glider pilotswho have now turned their attention to power-driven air- craft. The Klemm is very like a glider to fly, and, due toits efficiency, has an exceptionally flat gliding angle. It is also almost impossible to stall in a dangerous manner, and,even with the stick pulled right back, does nothing more ailerons were either not connected up or else connected upthe wrong way, we forget for the moment exactly which it was. However, the machine crashed from that height andcompletely demolished both wings and the undercarriage, and, of course, the engine and front part of the fuselage,but the occupants were not hurt at all! Such a crash is one which, of course, could have been avoided, for mostpilots invariably try their controls before taking off, but on this occasion the pilot in question appears to have for-gotten this simple precaution. There is a further interesting development in connectionwith the Klemm, and that is a machine even lighter than the model which is fitted with the 50-h.p. Salmson engine.This was, we understand, built in the first place as a machine which Herr Klemm's son, age 9, could fly roundthe aerodrome with safety. It is a similar type of aircraft, but has a wing span of some 54 ft., resulting in a low-landing speed of about 8 m.p.h. and a cruising speed of about 35 m.p.h. The engine is at present a small2 cylinder of the motor-cycle type. The development which is expected is that an aircraft of this type will havesome form of retracting gear for the propeller so that glider pilots may rise under their own power to suitable cumulusclouds, tiien retract their propeller and proceed to soar, and if, as it is hoped, this machine sells at considerablyless than £200 there is no doubt that its appeal will be very strong indeed to glider pilots and clubs and those whowant something slow, safe and easy to fly. In conclusion, there is one fallacy we should like to pointout, and that is that Klemms are invariably slow. This has come about from the fact that the Klemm was firstmarketed with the little 50-h.p. Salmson engine. Naturally this model is slow, but its lack of speed also makes itextremely safe, and therefore has its appeal to a large IN HER NATIVE HOME: The Klemm Two-seater taken at Boblingen where Herr Klemm has his factory. The neat engine cowling of this model is made possible by the smalt overall dimensions of the Hirth motor, while it being inverted gives the pilot an excellent view. It has 4 cylinders and gives 80 h.p. than sink to an even keel and picks up speed immediately.It is naturally very different from such machines as the conventional single-bay biplane, and has, therefore, to beflown differently, but once those small differences have been mastered, it is one of the simplest and least tiring machinesof any. Another point in its favour is that the boxed ply- wood low cantilever wing is an excellent safety factor ina crash. One has only to look at that accident at Croydon recently, when a Klemm of the B.A.T. Co., Ltd.,went up with two Press photographers and when some 60 ft.,off the ground the pilot discovered that the -••'•-':!:•!%•••'...' **'•••-.'' •*••('/• O •->-• <& Lloyd's' Register of Shipping" and AircraftTHE second year of the Society's participation in the inspection of civil aircraft ended in June last, and wasmarked by a great increase in the amount of work under- taken. During the last twelve months of this period thenumber of aircraft on the Society's register has been more than doubled ; the increase of work undertaken hasnecessitated the appointment of a further aircraft sur- veyor, and Mr. G. H. M. Miles, late Technical Assistantto the Managing Director of Imperial Airways, Ltd., has now joined the senior aircraft survevor's staff. Repre-sentations have been made to the Society that difficulty is being experienced by owners of aircraft in procuring therenewal of Air Ministry certificates of airworthiness for number of people. Latterly, however, engines of variouspowers have been fitted, and the latest is one with » Gipsy III engine and somewhat clipped wings, resulting i'1cruising speed of somewhere about 112 m.p.h. There are also rumours of a mail carrier which has the 200-h.p-inverted Argus engine, with a cruising speed of over 130 m.p.h. The existing three-seater Klemm with tnrinverted Hermes engine is already being used in Africa wr mail carrying purposes, and seems extremely efficient lorthe job, having a fuel capacity of over 40 gall, and a Pa>' load of over 1,000 lb. o <s> British aircraft outside this country. In order to meetthis need, the Committee have decided to appoint non- exclusive aircraft surveyors abroad. The first of triesappointments is that of Non-Exclusive Surveyor f<ir ," craft in Greece of Mr. H. Bentley, Manager of the Mack-burn Aeroplane & Motor Co., Ltd., at the Greek Govern- ment aircraft factory, Athens. Further, such surve^°inwill be appointed as and when possible. The Ay1^^ Advisory Committee has been strengthened by thethereto of Air Marshal Sir John F. A. Higgins, of Sir Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, Ltd., Sir Arthur ^of the British Aviation Insurance Co., Ltd., Mr Lewis, of Brian Lewis and Co., Ltd., and Mr.Stephenson, of National Flying Services, Ltd. 1062
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