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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1151.PDF
FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 17, 1932 Company feel justified in placing their machines on the market. Two models of the Autogiro are available at present in Great Britain, the type C.19 Mark IV and the C.24. The C.19 Mark IV Fitted with an Armstrong-Siddeley Genet engine of 100 h.p. this machine is an open two-seater with steel tube fuselage and three-bladed rotor. The fixed wing is mainly of wood construction. The rotor blades have steel tube spars, while the aerofoil section used is formed by solid Balsa wood having a Spruce core. The rotor hinges have been so designed that for housing the machine two of the blades can be folded back, when the space occupied by the machine is reduced to that required to accommodate the fixed wing. The undercarriage is of wide track and of the " split " type, incorporating oleo legs of 9J-in. travel. Dunlop wheels are fitted and low-pressure tyres. The wheel brakes are Bendix. The normal petrol tankage is of 16 gallons (72,7 litres), which gives a range of 230 miles (370 km.). The main data are: — Rotor diameter Span of fixed wing . Tare weight Normal gross weight Max. gross weight Maximum speed CYuising speed Minimum speed Rate of climb 34 ft. (10,4 m.) 21 ft. (6,4 m.) 1,075 lb. (490 kg.) 1,450 lb. (660 kg.) 1,550 1b. (705 kg.) 102 m.p.h. (164 km./h.) 90 m.p.h. (145 km./h.) 25 m.p.h. (40 km./h.) 630 ft./min. (3,2 m./sec.) The C.24 The C.24 Autogiro is a cabin two-seater fitted with de Havilland Gipsy III inverted engine. The front por tion of the fuselage is a welded steel tube structure, while the rear portion is of wood construction. The rotor con struction is the same as that of the C.19, and like it the rotor is started by the engine via a clutch mechanism. When the rotor has attained a speed of 200 r.p.m. (which it does in something like 45 sec), the rotor is declutched from the engine and the wheel brakes released for the take-off run. A rotor brake is fitted, and is of the internal expanding type. By means of this brake the rotor can be stopped quickly after landing, thus reducing the likelihood of the machine being blown over by a strong wind. The pilot and passenger sit in tandem inside a small but quite comfortable little cabin, and the view from the pilot's seat is very good. The principal data of the C.24 are: — Rotor diameter Fixed wing span Tare weight . . Normal gross weight Max. gross weight Maximum speed Cruising speed Minimum speed Take-off run . . Range at cruising speed 34 ft. (10,4 m.) 19 ft. 6 in. (5, 95 m.) 1,280 1b. (582 kg.) 1,705 lb. (775 kg.) 1,800 lb. (818 kg.) 115 m.p.h. (185 km./h.) 100 m.p.h. (161 km./h.) 25 m.p.h. (40 km./h.) 50 vards (45, 7 m.) 350 miles (563 km.) A recent development of the Autogiro is the wingless type, in which the fixed wing has been suppressed and all the lift is provided by the rotor. In this type also the ailerons and elevator have disappeared, their function being carried out by tilting the rotor head direct. Shortly a small, cheap version of this type of Autogiro is to be placed on the market by Air Commodore J. G. Weir, whose company is building the new type in their Glasgow works. Few details of the new Autogiro are available, but it is to be equipped with a new engine of about 40 h.p., and it is hoped to place the machine on the market at a very low price. At the Paris Aero Show the Liore & Olivier firm will exhibit one of their wingless Autogiros fitted with Pobjoy engine. This machine, illustrated in FLIGHT recently, is a side-by-side two-seater. The Comper Aircraft Co., Ltd. Hooton Park Aerodrome, Cheshire A LTHOUGH other designs are on the way, the Comper Aircraft Company has at the present time but two aircraft types actually on the market, the " Pobjoy Swift " and the " Gipsy Swift." A modified version of the " Pobjoy Swift " is the commercial " Swift." The original " Swift " was designed for the A.B.C. " Scorpion," and was offered for a time as an alternative to the " Pobjoy Swift." Now, however, the " Pobjoy Swift " (p. 1079) is regarded as the standard machine. It is a small single-seater specially intended for the private owner who wants good performance. It is mainly of wood construction, with a relatively few steel fittings at highly stressed points. The fuselage has a curious fin back to which the wing halves are attached, and consequently the view straight ahead is obstructed. The angle is, how ever, so small that this is not important, and the pilot can, by leaning his head slightly to one side or other, look straight ahead. The monoplane wing is strut braced and has a neat folding arrangement which does not require jury struts to brace the wing in the folded position. A very neat undercarriage is fitted, using Goodyear air- wheels as standard. The shock-absorbing system is housed inside the fuselage. Main data of the Comper " Pobjov Swift " are as follows: — Length Wing span Wing area Tare weight Weight loaded (Aerobatic) ,, ,, (Normal) Cruising speed Landing speed Range (standard tankage of 15 gallons = 68 litres! Take off Pull up Initial rate of climb Service ceiling 18 ft. 4 in. (5, 6 m.) 24 ft. (7,3 m.j 90 sq. ft. (8,36 m.!) 540 lb. (245 kg.) 780 lb. (354 kg.) 985 lb. (447 kg.) 120 m.p.h. (193 km./h.) 40 m.p.h. (64 km./h.) 380 miles (611 km.) 60 vards (55 m.) 80 vards (73 m.) 1,400 ft./min. (7 m./sec.) 22,000 ft. (6 725 m.) The " Gipsy Swift " (p. 1078) is similar to the standard Swift " in almost all its details except engine installa tion. It will therefore suffice if we tabulate its main per formance figures, which are impressive : — Max. speed .. Cruising speed Landing speed Initial rate of climb Ceiling Range (on 22 gallons = 100 litres) 165 m.p.h. (266 km./h.) 140 m.p.h. (225 km./h.) 50 m.p.h. (81 km./h.) 1,400 ft./min. (7 m./sec.) 20,000 ft. (6 092 m.) TWO " AUTOGIROS " : On the left the C.24 (Gipsy III) and on the right the C.19 Mark IV (Armstrong-Siddeley Genet). (FLIGHT Photo.) 1073 400 miles (644 km.) A commercial model of the " Pobjoy Swift " is intended for feeder line air mail work, survey or communications. Its tare weight is 540 lb. (245 kg.1 and its disposable load 530 lb. (241 kg.), giving a gross weight of 1,090 lb. (495 kg.). When the tankage is 15 gallons (68 litres) the range is about 380 miles (611 km.) and the pay load 225 lb. (102 kg.). If the tank capacity is increased to 25 gallons (114 litres) the range is increased to 630 miles (1 000 km.) and the pav load decreased to 115 lb. (53 kg.).
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