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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1147.PDF
FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 17, 1932 The Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Co., Ltd. Brough, East Yorkshire f^jR. ROBERT BLACKBURN, the Managing Director of the firm which bears his name, is one of the pioneers of British aviation. He designed his first machines in 1909-10, and formed his own company in 1914. Ever since those early days the name Blackburn has been closely associated with British military aeronautics. It is parti cularly to the naval side that the Blackburn firm has de voted its energies, and such aircraft as the " Dart," " Beagle," " Nautilus " and " Ripon " have been fami liar Fleet Air Arm types for a number of years. Several years ago the Blackburn firm turned its atten tion to the design and construction of flying boats, and of these a whole " family " were produced, beginning with the " Iris I " and for the present ending with the Iris V." A monoplane type, the " Sydney," was produced some years ago. Smaller aircraft bearing the Blackburn name have also made their appearance, among them being the " Blue bird " light plane side-by-side two-seater and its modern version the B.2 Trainer. The Blackburn " Lincock " is a low-powered single-seater light fighter with high per formance and extraordinary manoeuvrability, but economi cal to operate. The latest aircraft to be produced by the Blackburn firm are two civil types, designed to the order of the British Air Ministry for the purpose of testing out the relative advantages of the biplane and monoplane. These two machines, which are at the present time at the Martlesham Experimental Establishment for thorough per formance tests, were designed to have the same range, pay load, power plant and passenger accommodation. The fuselages of the two types are identical, as are also the two undercarriages, and the only differences are to be found in the arrangement of the wings and engines. Both are twin-engined machines, and both were designed to operate from aerodromes situated at considerable alti tudes, such as are to be found on sections of the Cairo- Capetown air route. In general structural principles used, the two Blackburn civil machines are also similar, i.e., the fuselage is a semi-monocoque metal structure, with " Alclad " corru gated sheet covering, and the wings have metal spars and ribs, but fabric covering. The engines in both types are Armstrong-Siddeley Jaguar IV C. In the biplane (p. 1071) they are mounted outboard on special gap struts, and in the monoplane (p. 1070) they are carried ahead of the leading edge of the wing, with fairings merging the lines into the wing sur faces. The petrol tanks, with a capacity of 170 gall. (773 litres) are housed inside the wing of the monoplane and in the top centre section of the biplane. The cabins of both machines have seating accommodation for 10 passengers, seated in comfortable chairs along the sides of the cabin. Large windows give light and view, and the windows have been so arranged that in case of emergency they can be removed entirely, thus providing extra emergency exits for the passengers. In the cockpit in the nose of the fuselage are two seats side by side, the intention being that a crew of three should be carried: chief pilot, assistant pilot, and wireless operator. As there is no engine in the nose of the fuse lage, and very large windows and windscreens are provided, the view ob tained by the pilots is exceptionally good in all directions which matter. The biplane wing arrangement is the orthodox British one, with one pair of interplane struts on each side in addi tion to the gap struts which carry the engines. The monoplane has a semi- cantilever wing, the external bracing struts reaching out approximately half way from the fuselage to the wing tips. The main dimensions, etc., of the Blackburn civil biplane are as follows: The corresponding figures for the monoplane are: Length o.a. . Wing span Wing area Gross weight Pay load Fuel .. 54 ft. 8 in. (16,7 m.). 86 ft. (26,2 m.) 1,068 sq. ft. (99,1 m.») 12,580 1b. (5 707 kg.) 2,340 Jb. (1 061 kg.) 1,339 lb. (607 kg.) The cruising range of both machines is approximately 350 miles (563 km.), and the estimated cruising speed is in the neighbourhood of 110 m.p.h. (177 km./h.). Boulton & Paul, Ltd. Norwich, Norfolk gOULTON & PAUL, LTD., of Norwich, was one of the firms which came into the British aviation industry during the war, but, unlike so many others, the firm kept up, and indeed increased, its aviation department after the war. It was one of the first British firms to concentrate upon all-metal construction of aircraft, and a large number of patents bearing the names of the firm and its chief engineer, J. D. North, deal with forms of metal aircraft construction. For a large number of years Boulton & Paul specialised on military types, and their " Sidestrand " was the first British high-performance twin-engined day bomber to be issued to the R.A.F. The " Sidestrand III " (p. 1071) is the latest version of this machine, and is like all Boulton & Paul military types of all-metal construction. In the fuselage steel tubular construction is used, and the wings have spars and ribs of high-tensile steel. The engines fitted are Bristol Jupiter VII.F. In aerodynamic design the " Sidestrand III " is remark able for its large span, slender fuselage and careful stream lining. Following are the most important data relating to the " Sidestrand III " : — Wing span Wing area Tare weight Fuel Military load Gross weight Max. speed at 5,000 ft. (1 525 m.). Landing speed Climb to 10,000 ft. (3 050 m.) Service ceiling Range 72 ft. (21,95 m.) 980 sq. ft. (91 m.s) 6,010 lb. (2 723 kg.) 230 gallons (1 048 litres) = 1,780 lb. (809 kg.) 2,180 1b. (990 kg.) 10,200 lb. (4 636 kg.) 140 m.p.h. (225 km./h.) 54 m.p.h. (87 km./h.) 10-3 min. 24,000 ft. (7 320 m.) 750 miles (1 200 km.) Boulton SC Paul P.32 The P.32 is a three-engined night bomber designed to meet the requirements of the British Air Ministry. It is in some respects a development of the " Sidestrand," but differs from it in actual dimensions, and also in that it has three instead of two engines. The placing of the third engine is unusual (see photo below) and has many practical advantages, such as free field of fire for the front gunner, good view for the pilot, and reduced vibra tion throughout the fuselage. Yet another advantage is that the placing of the third engine on the top centre section makes the installation of this engine identical with those of the two lower engines. The engines used are Bristol Pegasus moderately supercharged, rated at 555 b.h.p. at 4,500 ft. (1 372 m.). Length, o.a. Wing span Wing area Gross weight Pay load Fuel .. 54 ft. 8 in. (16,7 IB.). 64 ft. (19,5 m.). 1,037 sq. ft. (96,4 m.a , 12,145 lb. (5 518 kg.). 2,340 lb. (1 061 kg.). 1,392 lb. (632 kg.). A NEW NIGHT BOMBER : The Boulton &. Paul " P.32 " is fitted with three Bristol Pegasus engines. (FLIGHT Photo.) 1069 C
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