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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0075.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 25, 1934 THE LOCKHEED " ELECTRA " : Aphotograph of a model. The arrangement of the cabin windows in the actual aircraftwill differ from that shown here ; the front windows will slope inwards in the latestAmerican fashion. not adjustable but are bolted direct to thefuselage. The rudder and elevator, both of which are adjustable from the cockpit, arefitted with " tabs." The word " tab " has been approved by the Department of Com-merce as the name for auxiliary control flaps. In place of the usual type aero-dynamic balance for ease of control, the rudder and elevator loads are lightened bymaking the tab act not only as a Servo but as a trimming device. The control sur-faces have removable tips which may be replaced in case of damage. To eliminateany possibility of flutter the elevators are statically balanced. The wheels of the retractable landinggear are located directly under the engine nacelles into which they retract by swinging back and up. When thewheels are retracted a small portion of the tyre is left exposed in case of ai forced landing. The landing gear iselectrically operated by means of gears and torque shafts. One motor operates both wheels. The operation is auto-matic in that when the switch in the cockpit is operated for retracting the gear, the gear rises, and when up, themotor stops without further action by the pilot. Auxiliary hand mechanism is provided to raise and lower the gearin case of failure in the electrical system. The Goodyear air wheels are fitted with hydraulically-operated brakes,which may be applied with the landing gear either up or down. The Aerol shock-absorber struts have a stroke of6 in. An Aerol strut, also with a 6-in. stroke, is provided for the tail wheel. Soundproofing of the cabin has been carried out underthe direction of the Western Electric Company, and 1J in. of space has been allowed all the way round thecabin. The doors are heavily soundproofed and are of the same thickness as the cabin walls. Special latches holdthe doors tightly shut at all times, allowing almost no sound leakage. An efficient ventilating system combinedwith a thermostatic heat control maintains correct cabin temperature and assures proper fresh-air conditions. Complete dual controls are fitted and are so designedthat the set on the right-hand side may be disconnected if desired. The control columns are not in the centre of theseat, but to the side as far as possible. This arrangement permits the pilots to leave and return to their seats whilein flight with little inconvenience. The rudder bar is adjustable to suit pilots of various heights. AH controlsurfaces are operated by steel cables at points of adjust- ment to the control column and control surfaces. Thecranks are made as arcs of circles, thereby eliminating the possibility of tension or slackness eliminating possiblesource of surface flutter. The differential ailerons have a down movement of only 4 deg., while the upward move-ment is 25 deg. THE HULL-AMSTERDAM SERVICEAs the result of a meeting between representatives of K.L.M. (Mr. A. Plesman and Mr. de Vries) and the HullCorporation Aerodrome Committee, it was announced by the Town Clerk on Monday, January 22, that, starting onTune 1, an air service will be operated between Hull and Amsterdam. One service will be flown each day, and theestimated fare for the single trip will be £5 per passenger. It seems that, besides Hull, Manchester will be used as aterminus for the service. The K.L.M, representatives had flown over from Amsterdam in a Fokker, piloted by Capt.Smirnoff, the journey being accomplished in about 2 hours. It may be remembered that the Hull aerodrome has beenleased by the Corporation to National Flying Services, Ltd. It was revealed recently by Mr. G. K. Spruit, DeputyChairman of the Corporation Aerodrome Committee, that it is expected that the agreement whereby the Corporationwould regain control of the aerodrome and take over the assets of the company will soon definitely be settled. Theestablishment of the Hull-Amsterdam service should have a big effect on the Hull Aero Club. At a recent meeting. Complete two-way Western Electric radio is installed inthe passenger cabin under the two front seats. These seats are located just at the head of the spar and arehinged to it. The hinges allow the seats to be raised up and laid back, permitting easy access to the radio forinspection or repair. Controls for the radio are mounted on a separate instrument board located below the mainboard. All wiring throughout the machine is placed in aluminium conduits with metal junction boxes entirelyeliminating the possibility of fire from the electrical wiring system. Two fuel tanks are carried, located one in the leadingedge of each wing between the engine nacelle and the fuse- lage. For rapid filling the tanks are furnished with largefiller necks 3 in. in diameter, which are surrounded by gas- tight metal cylinders permitting no fuel to spill into thewing when the tanks are overflowing. The tank compart- ment in the wing is drained and ventilated to prevent anyaccumulation of fuel or fumes in case of fuel leakage, and both tanks may be withdrawn from they aircraft withlittle inconvenience. There are two oil tanks, one for each engine, located in each nacelle just ahead of the fire-proof bulkhead. The two " Wasp Junior " engines (420 h.p. at 2,200r.p.m. at 5,000 ft.) are bolted to welded steel tube mount- ings which are fitted with shock-absorber units of theLord type. A Pratt & Whitney oil regulator and heater assembly eliminates the usual type oil radiator. The enginecontrols from the pilot's cockpit are of the Arens push-pull type. N.A.C.A. cowlings and small inner cowls are pro-vided for the engines. The leading edge of the outer cowl is in one piece and is not readily removable, making a rigidsupport for the entire outer cowling. All the cowling aft of this nose piece is quickly removable. The nose piece hasbeen placed far enough ahead of the rocker boxes to permit inspection and adjustment of valves and rocker arms.Both fuel and oil pumps are made from the Aluminium Company's latest type 4 S.O aluminium with Parkerduralumin fittings. Mr. G. E. S. Lamb, the Chairman of the Club, said thatthere would be something most definitely important taking place on the aerodrome every day, and that would meanthey would get more people there. The airline passengers would also use the club, which would perhaps become, ina measure, an hotel. Alderman Pearlman, of Hull, has stated that it is his ideal to make Hull " the Croydon ofthe North." SPANISH TRAFFIC FIGURES WB give below the traffic figures of the Lirieas AereasPostales Espanolas from January to September, 1933. The corresponding figures for last year are also given.They refer to the Madrid-Barcelona and Madrid-Seville connections. 19331932 FlyingHours 2,7023,107 Miles 254,600292,679 Passengers 3,6004,983 Mail, Lb. 126,844141,725 Luggage,Lb. 90,02297,366 FreightLb. 33,35040,538 75 •It*:
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