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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 1154.PDF
FLIGHT, OCTOBER 30, Mr.F. Rowarth explaining the details of the tailplane to a friend' The mass of calculations he has made for the flight appears to have furrowed his brow somewhat. (FLIGHT Photo.) both when at the controls and when in the cabin behind.The pilot's seat can be raised and lowered, while the back is adjustable for angle. The rudder bar has large footplates, fitted with thick Sorbo pads, in place of the usual pedals. The seat provided for the second pilot in the cabinis of the lounge chair type with padded neck and knee rests. It can be used for sleeping if desired.A short-wave wireless transmitting set is fitted which will be used to transmit routine reports giving the aircraft'sposition every two hours. The call sign is GEZAA and the wave length 33.71 m. In this connection private wire-less stations are asked to refrain from transmitting on this wave length so as to obviate unnecessary jamming andthus the reception of any urgent messages. The Air Ministry has arranged for wireless stations in the UnitedKingdom, Malta, Ismailia and Aden to keep special watch for signals, but it will also be glad to have authentic reportspassed to it which may be picked up by private stations. No receiving apparatus is carried, because it is felt thatnot only would the extra weight not be justifiable, but also there is little of value which could be sent to the aircraftduring the flight, as there are no stations which can send reliable weather reports after the machine has left Europe.It will be possible for an aerial to be rigged and messages sent out should a forced landing occur during the flight. As an example of the extreme care which has been takento ensure that this machine is the best which can be made for this particular job, the following tests carried outbefore and during the building of the original aircraft may be quoted: (a) Exhaustive wind tunnel tests were madeat the National Physical Laboratory in order to ascertain the aerodynamical characteristics of the various parts.(b) A complete half-wing was tested under full load for all conditions of flight, (c) The complete fuselage was testedfor torsional rigidity by loading up the fin and tailplane. (d) A wheel was loaded beyond anything which will occurduring landing, without any sign of failure. (e) An identical engine was run on the bench for 70 hr. underthe same conditions as will be found during the flight. Needless to say all these tests were entirely satisfactory. No description of the preparations for such a carefullyplanned flight would be complete without mention of the official who is responsible for all the technicalities andcalculations of the flight. This is Mr. F. Rowarth, who carried out similar duties on the last attempt. Mr. Rowarthis employed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farn- borough, and is well known to readers of FLIGHT for theaccurate way in which he and Capt. Dancy handicap any and every type of machine for air races. His is an ex-tremely arduous but interesting and varied job, and the success of the flight will in no small measure be due to hiscareful preparation For example, the pilots do not just get in and fly at whatever speed and height they thinksuitable. A very carefully prepared log has been got out for them, and after taking off they will climb steadily at avery gentle rate, aiming to be, at 6,000 ft. shortly before getting to the African mountains. They will be given inthis log a table of engine revs, air speed and fuel flowmeter readings, upon which to fly, thus ensuring that they aredoing so in the most economical manner. The flowmeter is interesting and is a type which has been developed atFarnborough. It is now exceptionally accurate, and even in the worst conditions has never been found to be morethan 2 per cent, in error. The main dimensions of the Fairey (Napier Monoplane R)are: — Span, 82 ft. (25.0 m.).Length, 48.5 ft. (14.8 m.). Chord (mean), 11 ft. (3.3 m.).Height, 12 ft. (3.6 m.). FAIREY LONG RANGE MONOPLANE. Napier "Lion" Engine. The general arrangement of the original Fairey (Napier) Long Range Monoplane. The new model differs, in deta>< only, such as the rudder balance and wheel fairings. = ---•:• :.•::.:-. . . . . " 1084 :. ' .. .. . ; :..^:.:-
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