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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0058.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 15, 1932 OPERATING THE PUMP ON A VICKERS " VESPA" (JUPITER): The man standing in front of the tail trolley is working the pump. VICKERS DUPLEX AIR COMPRESSOR To Give Pressures up to 200 lb. per sq. inch for Engine Starting f llr-'HE difficulties and uncertainties encountered in \JD II starting the average aero engine by direct crank- III ing are too well known to need elaboration. The trend towards high powers and the inaccessibility of come engines adds to these dhficulties. Starting by means of compressed carburetted air is a great advance over the earlier method, and the use of a motor-driven air compressor (ground equipment) makes engine starting the certainty it should be. This essential ground equipment is not always available in the case of forced landings, and, in any case, it is advisable to have the aircraft so equipped that it is inde pendent of outside aid, provided this can be done for a reasonable addition of weight. The Vickers Hand Air Compressor takes over the duties of the motor pump and weighs 9| lb. It is a very compact unit and can be mounted in any position convenient for operation. The disposition of the twin cylinders and the mechanical action adopted enables the load on the hand lever to be kept within reasonable limits at all times. The pump is made throughout from light alloy castings and forgings and has steel cylinder liners so that the initial high efficiency may be maintained. In order to reduce the number of parts and to secure absolute reliability in action, the usual inlet valves have been replaced by ports cut in the cylinder barrel. These ports are uncovered by the piston at the end of the suction stroke. The only valves necessary, therefore, are the discharge valves, which are of the duplex ball type and are mounted in the discharge branch of the end covers. The provision of two independently operated, in series, discharge valves per cylinder makes for absolute reliability of action. The lubrication of all the working parts takes place MOUNTING THE PUMP: This photograph shows the pump mounted on the fuselage of a machine. 58
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