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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0474.PDF
FLIGHT, MAY 20, 1932 Qir transport The Curtiss^Reid "Courier" A Canadian Mail Plane with Gipsy III Engine / Itr^HE controversy as to whether postal matter should be transported \^) U alone in special machines or should be handled in conjunction with JIL passengers is being carried on as strenuously to-day in North America as ever, in spite of the Watres-McNary Act. By this piece of legislation, passed on April 29, 1930, the United States Government set the seal of its approval on combined mail and passenger services, and authorised subsidies to mail contractors in proportion to the number of passenger seats provided in the machines used. There are still many influential men on both sides of the international boundary, however, who favour, if not a complete divorce for these two activities, at least a judicial separation. Not that Canada is bound, or even necessarily influenced, by any action of the U.S. Govern ment, but it is a reasonable supposition that if combined services are right in the United States, they are equally right in the very similar conditions north of the line. J. A. D. McCurdy, doyen of Canadian aviation and presently President of the Curtiss-Reid Aircraft Company, of Montreal, is one outstanding individual who for many months has been outspoken in his belief that mail, as far as aircraft operators are concerned, is in a class by itself. Nearly a year ago Mr. McCurdy said to the writer in the course of an interview : '' The essence of mail-carrying is the provision of the utmost speed and regularity consis tent with the preservation of human life. This entails the taking of risks that, I should think, would eliminate passengers altogether from the picture. Even the carriage of freight and express complicates the handling of postal traffic by encouraging the use of large and expensive machines that are not, in my estimation, of the right type for the transportation of letters. " The mail pilot's credo," continued Mr. McCurdy, '' need have only two clauses: ' Get through if it is humanly possible. Do not throw your life away battling insuperable odds.' The only kind of machine in which this credo can be consistently practised is a small, fast, inexpensive, economical, single-engined single-seater. Why? Because while speed is essential, it is too dearly bought if it entails the use of hundreds of horse-power when 120 will do the trick. Because competition, if not common sense, dictates that capital charges as well as operating costs be kept at a minimum. And, lastly, be cause in an amergency, such as fog, engine failure at night, or failure of night-flying equipment, the pilot must feel free to save his own life by the parachute route. " If there were no other reason, the fact that so many air mail routes, both in Canada and the United States, parallel railroads and serve the same cities as these roads, makes regular night schedules definitely necessary to the conduct of an efficient service. Until this is achieved, air mail is nothing but a gesture." Machine to fit Theories Now, in the " Courier," designed and manufactured en tirely in Canada, save, of course, for the engine, we are given a glimpse of the kind of machine visualised by Mr. McCurdy and his designer, Mr. R. N. Bell. Officially we are told that it has been " specifically designed as an air mail carrier which can be operated economically and at high speed on routes where the volume of mail is, as yet, small." Which means on at least 50 per cent, of existing air routes all over the world. The " Courier " is a braced, high-wing, folding mono plane of very attractive appearance. This was only to be expected when one remembers the tiny " Canadian Cub," in the design of which Mr. Bell collaborated with Mr. G. W. Saynor, both of whom brought out from England a wealth of erudition and ideas from the Blackburn works at Brough. With a span of 30 ft. and a chord— except at the centre section—of 5 ft., it is 7 ft. 4 in. in height overall and 21 ft. 1£ in. long. The power plant is the inverted D.H. Gipsy III engine, with individual stub SPAN 30'-0 LENGTH . . Z\' -\k' WING AREA I4-4.-6 SQ.FT CURTISS-REID "COURIER" D.H GIPSY m ENGINE z j 4 5 6 7 THE CURTISS REID " COURIER " : General arrangement drawings to scale. 442
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