FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0299.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 29, 1934 removed while the upper is increasing, there would be a tendency for the machine to dip. If such a tendency was present, it was not noticeable. Only the slow-motion film of the launch which was taken by the Vickers photographic department could reveal such details. To the eye they were imperceptible, due to the speed with which every- thing happened. The great point is that the launch proved definitely that a flying boat can be launched by catapult. Structural Features In general design the Supermarine " Seagull," Mark V, is an orthodox biplane superstructure carried on an all- metal hull, with the engine mounted on struts from the top of the hull, and the top centre-section braced by four short struts from the engine mounting. The biplane wings have a single pair of struts on each side, and bracing is by streamline wires in the normal way. The hull of the " Seagull " is of the type which is coming more and more into use in this country: flat sides and straight-vee bottom, with a flat towards the chine where formerly reverse curves used to be found on all British flying boats. It is interest- ing to reflect that the flat-sided straight-vee type of hull was the earliest of all, and that curves and reverse curves were intro- duced later as refinements in hulls named after the late Mr. Linton Hope. Lately there has been a tendency to revert to the straight- line frames, which make construc- tion somewhat easier and avoids the need for " panel beating," now that metal plating has been universally adopted. Aluminium alloys are used in the construction of the hull, and the wings are of composite con- struction, with built-up spars of stainless steel, and wooden ribs and secondary structure. The wing covering is fabric. Although this is not intended to be a technical description of the " Seagull V," a few words about the retractable undercarriage may not be out of place. Reference has already been made to the fact that this is of very neat design. Briefly, the system consists in hingeing the telescopic leg to the CLEAN FRONTS : These two views of the " Seagull V " on the sea and on land show the care taken to reduce drag. side of the hull. A radius rod runs from the lower end of the telescopic leg to a point a few inches above the chine. The upper end of the telescopic leg projects diagonally into the interior of the hull, where it is attached to the rod of a hydraulic plunger. When this plunger is operated by the pilot, the end of the leg is pulled down, the outer end rises, and when the limiting position has been reached, the wheel is buried in a circular recess in the wing, leaving exposed only the telescopic leg and the radius rod. In the " down " position, the telescopic leg is locked to the chine by a plunger. The Bristol " Pegasus " engine is, as already mentioned, mounted as a " pusher." It is carried on a monocoque nacelle, inside which is the oil tank, which at the same time acts as an oil cooler. If the machine is to be used in very hot climates, extra cooling can be obtained by fitting externally on the nacelle a Vickers-Potts oil cooler. A large manhole in the bottom of the nacelle gives access to the engine accessories, while smaller inspection holes are provided in various places to facilitate adjustments of such accessories as cannot readily be reached through the main manhole. The petrol is carried in two tanks in the 299
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
