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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0307.PDF
FLIGHT, APRIL 1, 1932 A NEW AMERICAN PERSUIT PLANE : The Curtiss P 6-E biplane which was recently tested for the U.S. Army Air Service at Mitchel Field. It is claimed to have a ground speel of 220 m.p.h. or over 300 m.p.h. in a dive. Land and Air Transport THE Under-Secretary for Air was asked in the House on March 23 whether he would take powers to prevent passengers and goods being carried by aeroplanes at charges or speeds involving competition with the railways. The answer was in the negative ; whereupon Capt. Balfour asked if the Minister was aware that in the case of the South African route no such danger arose, as it was quicker in most cases to send mails by boat rather than bv air. The Zeppelin LZ 129 SOME details are now available about the new Zeppelin airship which is under construction at Friedrichshafen. Its length will be 247.80 metres (about 800 ft.), as against the Graf Zeppelin's length of 235 metres. The greatest diameter will be 41.20 metres (about 135 ft.), as against 30.52 in the earlier ship. That is to say, that the fineness ratio will be more nearly that which w'as adopted by our British designers for R.100 and R.101. The new ship will have a gas capacity of 200,000 cubic metres (7,060,000 cub. ft.), which is almost double that of the Graf Zeppelin. Helium will be used to inflate the ship, and the four May- bach 850-h.p. engines will run on heavy oil fuel. The disposable load will be 88 tons, divided as follows:—Fuel, 60 tons ; water ballast, 6 tons ; other water, 4 tons ; baggage and mails, 8 tons ; equipment, 3 tons ; 50 pas sengers, 4 tons ; 25 members of crew, 2 tons ; allowance for moisture on hull, 1 ton. The gas capacity of the Akron is 6,500,000 cub. ft. Architects and Aerodromes ON Monday, April 11, a paper on " Aerodromes " will be read at the Royal Institute of British Architects by Mr. John Dower, M.A., A.R.I.B.A., who is secretary of the R.I.B.A. Aerodromes Committee. The paper will be read at 8 p.m., and an exhibition of photographs and drawings of aerodromes will be held at the R.I.B.A. from April 12 to April 30. This exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Members of the general public who are interested in the subject are cordially invited to attend. The address of the R.I.B.A. is 9, Conduit Street, London, W.l. Junkers in Difficulties FROM Germany it is reported that the Junkers works of Dessau are in financial difficulties and have been obliged to ask for a compulsory judicial composition with its creditors. Apparently it" is not a question of the firm being insolvent in the ordinary sense of the word. It is estimated that the firm's assets exceed the liabilities by some ten million marks, and the trouble seems to be lack of liquid capital. The German Government had pre viously advanced some 800.000 marks, but is unwilling to advance any more, and asks that the rest should be raised on the private market. FLIGHT readers will probably know that the Junkers interests include not only the air craft works at Dessau, but also aero engine works, motor engine works, heating and ventilating equipment, and gas stoves and geysers, etc. Altogether the Junkers interests employ some 3,000 workers, and it is to be hoped that means will be found to keep the works going. An L over D of 50 ! FROM Italy it is reported that Dr. Bernasconi has designed and built a monoplane with a gliding angle of 1 in 50. Details are not available at the moment, but it is stated that in flight tests the machine developed a maxi mum speed of 91 m.p.h. and a minimum speed of 56 m.p.h. This small speed range, and high minimum speed, does not quite appear to tally with an alleged take-off in three seconds and a distance of 50 ft. An Innovation at Hatfield THE De Havilland School of Flying at Hatfield has recently made an interesting improvement to the curriculum of their flying course. While it is true that they certainly do not agree that blind flying should be practiced extensively by amateurs and private owners, since to do so might well be a dangerous matter, yet they recognise that a reasonable experience of flying without a visible horizon is definitely of great importance. For example, fog, low clouds and other forms of bad visibility may often be met during a flight across England, and it has therefore been decided that every pupil taking a course of flying instruction at Hatfield will be given sufficient experience of flying by instruments alone to enable him to handle a " Moth " or " Puss Moth " safely. This special tuition is being included without extra charge, as it is felt that it should be part of the normal training. Private Instruction in Flying CAPT. R. H. STOCKEN, who recently set up in practice as an independent test pilot and consultant, is also pre pared to " coach " privately in flying instruction. Capt. Stocken has no intention of competing with existing clubs and flying schools which give sound training at low prices. His object is rather to give, by individual attention, a special " polish " to those pupils who aim at a high degree of finish in their flying, or who wish to be instructed in the more advanced forms of pilotage. He has found from experience that the majority of pilots, when they have had up to 50 hr. solo, very often have got into a slack way of flying and need " brushing up." The instruction can be given on pupil's own machine or the aircraft can be sup plied. Capt. Stocken, who holds a G.A.P.A.N.O.B.E. Instructors' Certificate, has, of course, had a varied ex perience of instruction. He qualified as an instructor (category A.l) in the R.F.C. in 1917, and was lent to the French Aviation Service as an instructor during 1918 and 1919, and, in consequence, is familiar with instructional methods on the Continent. Later he was on the permanent staff of instructors of the Central Flying School, R.A.F., for three years (category A.l). At the present time, in addition to test work, he is coaching pupils of the de Havilland Technical School in the aeroplane which they have built themselves. Interested inquirers should write to- Capt. Stocken, 56, Fleet Street, E.C.4. 283
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