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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0309.PDF
FLIGHT, APRIL 1, 1932 a landing ground laid out, with hangar accommodation. SATURDAY, March 26.— G-AAYD ("Puss Moth"), of Air Taxis, cleared Customs and left for Dublin at 9.15 a.m. Mr. Hugh Kindersley was among those renewing their air activities on School machines. Mr. Stace, of Henlys, Ltd., has gone on a six-weeks' tour demonstrating an Avro " Avian " at selected places. The weather did not treat us kindly, and with a nasty rain, flying activities were very much curtailed. SUNDAY, March 27.—The weather again was not kind to us, and, although several people arrived with the inten tion of " leaping into the air," decided against it when they felt the keen wind and drizzling rain. We would like to take this opportunity of warning all pilots proceeding to Germany to equip themselves with an insurance policy covering third party risks, as without one a well-known private owner has been chained in Berlin until such time as he can produce evidence that he is so covered. To encourage pilots to interest themselves in navigation as opposed to " Bradshaw," Airwork School of Flving, Heston, have decided that all pupils learning on School machines shall be entitled to one half-hour free instruction at Capt. Ferguson's School of Navigation for each hour of dual instruction. We feel sure that all pupils will wel come this innovation. It is interesting to note that, in spite of the monetary difficulties, the Customs clearances at Heston from January 1 have doubled themselves as compared with the same period of last year. Henlys, Ltd., report among their sales for the past week that of G-EBUF (Hermes II " Moth "), formerly the well- known machine flown by Capt. Neville Stack, and G-ABDN (" Sports Avian "). A Wireless Telephone for Air Taxis N air-taxi fitted with Marconi telephone equipment which enables the pilot to keep in touch with the ground is the latest addition to London's trans port facilities. This is the " Puss Moth " aircraft flown by Capt. Laurence Hope, of Air Taxis, Ltd., which is being equipped with the most modern type of Marconi light aeroplane apparatus. Incorporating a special tele phone transmitter as well as a receiver, the apparatus enables the pilot not only to receive weather reports and other communications regularly broadcast from ground stations, but also at any time to speak to the aerodromes himself and ask for any information he may require. Should he, for instance, encounter during flight a bank of fog or thick cloud, he can call up the nearest suitable ground station, confirm his position by wireless direction finder, learn whether the conditions of bad visibility are local or general, and judge with confidence whether it is possible to continue to his destination. Such services are regularly performed for the pilots of passenger-carrying air craft on the regular air routes by such wireless stations as those at Croydon, Lympne, and Pulham, and they are also available to the owners of private aircraft nttediwith suit able wireless transmitters and re ceivers. Capt. Hope uses his " Puss Moth " air-taxi very largely for newspaper work, where speed is of first importance, and he realises that on many occasions such in formation would be very valuable to him, enabling him to decide, while still in the air, the quickest and safest means of delivering his photographs or other press matter. At the same time, his waiting colleagues can obtain in formation of his movements, so that unexpected delays are re duced to the minimum. The Wireless Equipment The light aeroplane wireless equipment adopted by Capt. Hope is the Marconi Type AD22, a light weight apparatus designed on the same lines as, but of smaller power than, the Marconi aircraft transmitters and receivers which are standard equipment on all the passenger-carrying aircraft of Imperial Airways, Ltd., and other air companies in many parts of the world. It is normally arranged for telephone transmission on the wave band ol 850-950 metres—the International air craft wave band—but a quick-change switch is provided to enable transmission to be made on the 600-metre wave length used by all ships, in case of emergency during cross-Channel or over-sea flights. The transmitter and receiver are fitted in a single instru ment box which is installed in a convenient position in the aircraft, arrangements being made for the operation of the stt by remote control when found necessary. Power is supplied from a generator driven by a constant speed wind mill fitted in the slipstream ; this generator can be arranged not only to supply power for wireless purposes, but—bv rienns of a simple switching device—to feed a 12-volt accumulator which can be used as a common source of power lor both wireless and navigation lights, thereby efftcting a large saving in weight over systems in which entirely separate wireless and lighting circuits are employed. The Marconi AD22 light aircraft set installed in a " Puss Moth " air taxi operated by Capt. L. Hope. ^ S S IN the description of the Avro "Cadet" Polished last week a slight confusion arose in connection with the lever operating on a notched quadrant in the front cockpit, with the corresponding lever in the rear cockpit operating via a Bowden cable. These levers are not as madver- tently stated, for operating the tail trimming, but for hand control of the wheel brakes. The levers operate the brakes uniformly on both wheels. By partly applying one of the hand-brake levers and then using rudder, each wheel may be braked independently. The tail-trimming gear is operated in the normal Avro fashion by means of a hand wheel on the other side of the cockpit. In the description of the undercarriage it was not made clear that shock absorbers of the oleo type are incorporated in the telescopic legs, and that the steel springs have been introduced to take the place of the compression rubbers previously used in the Avro «leo undercarriages. 235
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