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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0069.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 22, 1932 actually accomplished through small electric drill motors set so that they drive a friction pad in the form of a canvas-rubber roller, this roller generally working on a strip of simple ribbed aluminium motor-car footboard bead ing. These small motors are controlled by a four-way remote switch allowing of infinitely variable speeds, which permits the projector to be trained and elevated at the same time if required. The first application, which has already been widely discussed, is for finding the speed, height and direction of flight, of enemy aircraft. For this the image plate is so arranged that the beam projected is of honeycomb cross- section. If there is a cloud ceiling then the result is as shown in our photograph. Now, present-day sound- detection methods already give a directional accuracy of 5 deg., but the Savage Projector can produce this grid of a size which subtends an angle of 20 deg. across the fiats and 28 deg. across the corners. It stands to reason, therefore, that it is comparatively simple to lay the beam so as to straddle the enemy before it is switched on. When switched on as shown—the grid may be one of only nine squares or of a completely different shape if desired—the aircraft is bound to fly into sight across one of the lines, and by a fairly simple method it is possible to find its height, speed and direction, as soon as it has crossed three of them. These data having been given to the commander of the anti-aircraft battery, it is only the work of a second to pull a lever which concentrates all the rays into a central square, thus permitting the beam to be used for gunnery in the ordinary way. Conversely, should the air craft try to spin out of the beam, the grid may instantly be opened again, and such is its size that it will be almost impossible for the pilot the get clear of it before he again crosses one of its lines. A further application for aviation use is that of landing light. Pilots who have used it in this form have told us that any other flood light looks like a wax-candle light when compared to the Savage Projector. It has the great advantage that the beam may be as little as 5 ft. 6 in. deep, and therefore illuminates the ground only, without being so high as to dazzle the pilot in any way. When used for this purpose the present model can give this flat beam, of parallel rays of course, with a spread of 60 deg., and as the outfit is mobile it is quite easy to manoeuvre it into the best position on the aerodrome. As a recall signal for aircraft flying at night it is capable of being set so that the rays of the beam act as a code. For example, it may be directed vertically with the rays going out fan shaped. Previously, the normal searchlight has been used for this purpose, but this kind of signal lends itself all too easily to being copied by the enemy. It has also been found that owing to the heavy loading of infra-red rays which the beam contains, it is extremely good for piercing fog. The beam will go right up through a fog bank and act as a signal to aircraft above, showing where the aerodrome is, but so far the damping effect of the fog has not been overcome sufficiently to provide enough illumination for actual landings. For Naval use the Savage Projector is equally revolu tionary. Firstly, because, as already explained, horizontal divergence of the beam can be obtained mechanically, thus saving the enormous loss of illumination which occurs with optical divergence. For picking up an enemy at sea it is obviously best to have a wide beam, and if this can be had without loss of power then the proposition becomes worth examining. As at present arranged this projector gives an angular spread of 60 deg., with maximum illumination. A ship which therefore had six such projectors could at any given moment completely illuminate the whole norizon, and, moreover, as the rays are parallel, every object at every point all round the horizon would be blinded. Think what that means ; no searching for the enemy ships; no constant traversing the searchlights in order to keep on the target; no elaborate control system for the searchlights, just fixed lights which would be on or off, though, naturally, other arrangements would H m Death of Louis Brennan WE regret to announce the death, at the age of 79, of Mr. Louis Brennan, C.B., the inventor of the torpedo, monorail and helicopter bearing his name. His helicopter was tested by the Air Ministry at Farnborough some years ago. A composite view showing the Projector in action. In this case the design coming from the image plate is a 16 square grid, of the kind suitable for aircraft defence.1 have to be made for dealing with aircraft attacks. Definite bearings could, however, be allotted to each projector for surface work which would ensure immediate and complete illumination. The whole unit was, as mentioned at the beginning, evolved during research for a process which would replace skywriting and overcome its inherent drawbacks, namely, weather and darkness. The number of days really suit able for skywriting in England are very few, but the number of nights when this type of projector could be used are innumerable ; furthermore, skywriting only produces something which can be read for a few minutes. In conclu sion, therefore, we may truthfully say that the Projector scores on almost all counts. H III Death of Sir Herbert Hambling SIR HERBERT HAMBLING, deputy Chairman of Barclays Bank, who was chairman of the Civil Aviation Subsidies Committee (known as the Hambling Committee) in 1923, died suddenly in his country home, Rookery Park, Roxford, Suffolk, on January 19. 69 B
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