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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0192.PDF
FLIGHT, FEBRUARY 26, 1932 Trials made for Navigation Certificate Minimum imposed Performances effected Height of obstacle cleared at 600 m. (1,968 ft.) from "takeoff" 20 m (65 ft.).. 29,5 m. (96 7 ft. Time of climb to attain an altitude of 360 m. (1,181 ft.) 3 minutes .. 2 minutes. Speed at 9/10 nominal power 191 k.p.h. (118 m.p.h.). „ 1,500 r.p.m 176,5 k.p.h. (110 m.p.h.). 1,300 „ 151,35 k.p.h. (94 m.p.h.). The characteristics of the VVibault-Penhoet 360 T, with 230 h.p. Salmson engine, are: — Span, 16,97 m. (56 ft. 8 in.) ; O.A. length, 11,18 m. (36 ft. 8 in.); height, 2,94 m. (9 ft. 7 in.); wing area, 31,8 sq. m. (342 sq. ft.). Weights.—Machine empty, 1,272 kg. (2,800 lb.) ; useful load, 628 kg. (1,382 lb.); total weight, 1,900 kg. (4,180 lb.). Item weights.—Engine, 360 kg. (792 lb.); fuel tanks, 21 kg. (46 lb.); miscellaneous fittings, 20 kg. (45 lb); fuel, 102 kg. (224 lb.); general equipment, 11 kg. (24.2 lb.); pilot Cape-Cairo Air Route Grant from Beit Fund THE following statement appeared in The Times of February 24:—An announcement was made in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, yesterday, by Sir Alfred Beit, M.P., that the Beit Railway Trustees have agreed to set aside £50,000 for the development of services directed towards the improvement of air transport along the Cape-to-Cairo route. Our Salisbury Correspondent telegraphs that the grant will be spread over two years and will come into operation next year. Consultations on the best method of spending the money will shortly take place between the Trustees and the Colonial Office, Air Ministry, Imperial Airways, and the local authorities. The Trustees, how ever, have definitely in mind the need for better aero dromes, the provision of emergency landing places and meteorological stations, and the development of wireless <3> <•> ENGINEERS AS PILOTS [2791] A very interesting news item is to be found in the current issue of FLIGHT, under " Croydon," by P. B. The paragraph to which I refer is that relating to Imperial Airways' most commendable action in having some of her engineers trained as pilots. We progress. For that is progress. The pilot of to-morrow is essentially a man who knows his kite from prop to rudder, and, when necessary, can take off his coat and " get down to it." He will have to be worth every penny of his salary to the firm by whom he is employed. British civil aviation, if it is going to hold its own—and by that I mean stand on its own feet—has got to forget to talk in pound notes and pay more attention to its ha'pennies and pennies. It will be unable to afford to " carry passengers and " hangers-on " en its staffs, as there has been a tendency to do in the past. In spite of the fact that we can build the finest and fastest aircraft in the world, commercial aviation—by which title the whole of the flying activities of this country are designated—as an " aircraft," is deplorably " in efficient." It has much too much parasitic resistance in the form of " manicured pansies," who do not contribute any " lift," and greatly retard the progress of the machine by the absorption of salaries which they have not earned. And, when I say earned, I mean by contributing something of practical value in return for the wages paid them. Although joy-riding is, and has been, the only branch that can show a profit, it unfortunately created a table of false values for this reason. There were pilots, for instance, last year " on tour " with joy-riding " circuses," who were receiving extremely good salaries. In addition to which they received a commission and their expenses. Of course, they stayed at the " Grand " or the " Majestic," made going to bed well " under the surface a matter of duty, and generally putting out the boat on a pretty hefty scale. And this isn't romance, it's reality. There are certain people connected with operating com panies to-day, unfortunately, who are under the impression that aviation is Nature's excuse for having a good time. and passengers, 440 kg. (968 lb.); baggage, 75 kg. (165 lb.). Power loading, 7,61 kg./h.p. (16.8 lb./h.p.); wing loading, 60 kg./m.2 (12.3 lb. /sq. ft.). Ceiling, 5,000 m. (16,400 ft.). Flight radius, 450 km. (279 miles). As designed for postal and light service operations on air line systems, the 360 T, with slight modifications, will be equipped with a 300 h.p. Gnome-Rhone K.7 engine fitted with a N.A.C.A. cowling. Thus, a commercial load of 670 kg. (1,475 lb.) will be carried, together with 230 kg. (70 gal.) of petrol. This will provide a flight radius of about 600 km. (373 miles). The following performances, when equipped with this engine, have been obtained, un officially.—Maximum speed, at ground level, 246 k.p.h. (153 m.p.h.); at 1,500 m., 239 k.p.h. (148 m.p.fe.); at 2,000 m., 234 k.p.h. (145 m.p.h.). Speed at 1,700 r.p.m., at ground level, 216 k.p.h. (134 m.p.h.); at 1,500 m., 210 k.p.h. (130 m.p.h.). Ceiling, 7,000 m. R. C. W. communications. A chain of meteorological stations has already been established in Egypt, the Sudan, Kenya, and in Tanganyika, but so far little has been done in Rhodesia. The Beit Railway Trust was formed under the will of the late Mr. Alfred Beit, one of the principal collaborators of Cecil Rhodes, who bequeathed £1,250,000 for the development of railways and other means of com munication along the Cape-to-Cairo route. Over £417,000 has already been distributed by the Trustees in Southern and Northern Rhodesia. The Trustees are the Duke of Abercorn, Sir Henry Birchenough, Sir Drurr.mond Chaplin, Sir J. G. McDonald, Baron F. d'Erlanger, and Sir Alfred Beit. The last-named is personally interested in aviation, and he has been mainlv instrumental in getting the new grant. <•> <•> Just look back into the history of joy-riding in this country, and what does one see? The whole of its field littered with wrecks of " Aviation " firms. Wrecked for the most part by rank rotten management, and spend thrift policies. The whole trouble has been that the majority of these firms have been inefficiently run by men with little or no business experience. They operated in the blissful belief that " the weather to-morrow will be O.K.," and spent their takings up to the limit. An error of judgment and a write off, or a spell of dud weather, and there was another joy-riding company up a gum tree. Few people can realise how precariously some of these firms exist, and what a struggle it is to see the winter through. Ask some of their engineers and pilots who are given holidays, sometimes lasting from September until the next March ! Do we have to look far to see evidence of this? We do not. A great many of these people " live on the posh " during flying days, and then in the " fall and 'til the next spring eke out an existence on bread and jam! Who wouldn't be an airman? Of course, the retention by a joy-riding company of the whole of its summer staff all the year round is impossible. But I do maintain that if more of these firms exercised greater economy during the operating season by fixing a standard rate for engineers and pilots—whether Captains or N.C.O.'s—arranging their bonuses on a freedom-from-crash basis instead of a commission, so that the employees help to bear part of their firm's risk, and in a dozen other ways following a more thrifty policy, they would have more money at the back end to expend on employment. The pilots can come into the shops, stick on a pair of overalls, and help with the re-conditioning. Even if they are not paid as much as when they were flying, they will be in a job, that they would otherwise be hunting. There must be economies and sacrifices if civil aviation is going to get anywhere. I do not suggest the use of inferior quality material as a means of cutting down expenses, but by putting that which is already available to a more useful purpose. In future, if a man has the title or rank of Chief Engineer or Senior Pilot, he must be a " practical " man. CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters intended for insertion in these columns. 176
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