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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0458.PDF
FLIGHT, MAY 10, 1934 NEW EQUIPMENT FOR PAN-AMERICAN ,,,,.^ AIRWAYS s - 1 Sikorsky and Martin flying boats, Fairchild amphibians and Douglas and Lockheed land machines ordered for big " speed-up " craft BOUT £689,000 is to be spent by Pan-American Airways, in the near future, on new aircraft. The slowest of the machines ordered will have a top speed of about 180 m.p.h. Twenty-four air- of four different types have been selected—six Sikorsky and Martin " Transatlantic " type flying boats, six Fairchild amphibians, six Douglas D.C.2's and six Lockheed " Electras." The largest of the new types will be the Sikorsky and Martin flying boats. A photograph of the Sikorsky was published in FLIGHT for March 1, 1933, and a drawing of the Martin was reproduced on January 19, 1932. The Sikorsky has been developed for a dual purpose. Pan- American Airways require a machine which is not only capable of making a transoceanic mail-carrying flight, but one which may be used on the present passenger and mail connections between North and South America. For the latter type of service the Sikorsky S.42 will accommodate 32 passengers. Accurate performance figures are not at present available, but it seems fairly certain that the cruising speed is about 150 m.p.h. It was reported recently that the machine, while being tested, attained a top speed of 182 m.p.h. Four Pratt & Whitney " Hornet " engines, enclosed in N.A.C.A. cowlings and driving Hamilton Standard airscrews, are fitted. The wing span is 114 ft. 2 in., the weight loaded 38,000 lb., the wing loading 28.6 lb./sq. ft. and the power loading 14 Ib./h.p. During tests, at a weight of 27,500 lb., the machine took off in 8 seconds. At 30,000 lb. weight, the take off time, in a flat calm, was 15 seconds. The handling qualities are reported to be highly satisfactory. Another particularly interesting type is the Fairchild amphibian. This is a single-engined cantilever monoplane with retractable undercarriage and retractable wing-tip floats. The wing is tapered in thickness and plan form and is of conventional two-spar all-metal construction. All exterior rivets are countersunk. Trailing edge flaps are fitted inboard of the ailerons. Large fillets are provided between the wing and the hull, which is of exceptionally clean design. The empennage is of all-metal construction, with the fin built as an integral part of the hull. Re- traction of the landing gear into the lower surface of the wing is effected by moving the upper end of the vertical strut which carries the wheel fork and shock absorber units inward along the wing spar by means of a long screw driven by an electric motor. The tail wheel is also retractable. • Accommodation is provided for eight passengers—four in each of two compartments. Two pilots are carried. Forward of the pilot's cabin is a 50 cu. ft. space for stowing marine equipment and baggage. If desired, the passenger seats may be removed from the forward com- partment, making the space available for cargo. Entrance to the passenger cabins is effected through a door on the AMPHIBIOUS : This is a drawing of the Fairchild amphibian flying boat, one of the variety of types ordered by Pan-American Airways with a view to a big speeding up of their services. (Courtesy of " Shell Aviation News ") port side to the rear of the wing. Emergency exits are provided in the forward cabin compartment and above the pilots' seats. A small outboard marine engine for which a collapsible bracket is mounted in the bows is provided for manoeuvring the amphibian in crowded harbours and for emergency use at sea. A supercharged Pratt & Whitney " Hornet " S.3D.1 engine, developing 645 h.p. at 2,000 r.p.m. up to 3,000 ft., is fitted. This is mounted in the nose of a nacelle carried above the centre line of the hull, on a narrow streamline framework. A controllable pitch airscrew is used. Actual performance figures are not yet available, but it is expected that the machine will have a maximum speed of 180 m.p.h. at sea level, a cruising speed, at 65 per cent, full power, of 155 m.p.h., a minimum speed, with flaps down, of 55 m.p.h., and without flaps of 65 m.p.h. The Douglas D.C.2 landplane, which is fitted with two Wright " Cyclone " engines, and carries eighteen passen- gers, has a cruising speed of about 190 m.p.h., and was described in FLIGHT for March 1, 1934. We have also described (in FLIGHT for March 15, 1934) the Lockheed " Electra." This machine is fitted with two Pratt & Whitney " Wasp Junior " engines and carries ten passen- gers at a cruising speed of 180 m.p.h. AIR TRANSPORT IN INDIA A Karachi-Lahore Suggestion and a Proposed Bengal Air Service THE original idea of starting a weekly mail servicebetween Lahore and Karachi, linking ImperialAirways' service from England, does not appearto find favour with the Karachi Chamber of Com- merce. They suggest, in a communication addressed to Indian National Airways, that a daily air-CM»w-rail service should be run between these points, adding that only a daily service could possibly develop the " air mail habit." Their idea is to run a daily air mail service between Lahore and Khanpur, which is an important railway junc- tion in the Punjab, and to arrange the schedule so that machines would leave Khanpur in the early morning. The mail would then be in Lahore two hours later if machines with a 140 m.p.h. cruising speed were used. Indian National Airways, Ltd., are, it is understood, con- sidering the extension of their daily Calcutta-Dacca service to Sylhat in Assam. The new extension would be run twice a week at first and would later develop into a regular daily service if the amount of traffic was sufficient to warrant this. Two additional services, incidentally, are suggested for the Chittagoan route, as this is receiving excellent support. The latest news from Cawnpore suggests that the airport may presently have a workshop of its own. The idea kas been contemplated for some time, and the matter was brought to a head when the " Aurora " was detained there for almost a week. The local aero club will then be able to train ground engineers as well as pilots. 458
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