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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0496.PDF
FLIGHT, MAY 17, 1934 THE " BEECHCRAFT " : A later and smaller version than that shown is fitted with a retractable undercarriage. range of about 1,000 miles in normal conditions. This fuel load may be carried without decreasing either the number of passengers or the amount of baggage, normally carried. As the result of co-operation between the Beech Aircraft Company and the Switlik Parachute & Equipment Com- pany, seats as comfortable as the standard type, but with parachutes built in as part of the upholstery can be fur- nished. While the landing gear is not retractable, in flight, the wheels drop to the fully extended position of the hydraulic shock absorbers, but may be pulled up electrically to the normal taxying position. The mechanism effecting this operation is controlled by a lever beside the throttle and is so arranged that the throttle cannot be closed below cruising speed unless the landing gear lever is moved to the down position. Concealed in the rear of the large streamline fairings over the wheels are sumps for the fuel system. The fuel flows by gravity from the tanks into the sumps and is pumped thence by an engine driven fuel pump. The front sections of the wheel fairings are easily removed for inspection and the changing of tyres. For the latter operation it is necessary to remove only two bolts. When fitted with the 420-h.p. Wright " Whirlwind " the machine is known as the model 17R. A more powerful power plant may, however, be installed, and the aircraft is then known as the model 17J. In either case the engine is enclosed in an N.A.C.A. cowling, which is in two sections. In the front section are baffles which direct the air flow to the cylinders and other points, while the rear section is hinged to give access to the engine. The latest news from the manufacturers is that they are producing a small " Beechcraft " using a Jacobs 225-h.p. engine. The top speed is 175 m.p.h., cruising speed 155 m.p.h., and landing speed 45 m.p.h. This type is fitted with a retractable undercarriage. The original " Beechcraft " has completed a tour of America, during which it travelled approximately 25,000 miles at tempera- tures from 20 deg. below zero to the heat of the southern desert regions, and in every respect behaved admirably. KING'S CUP COURSE Total Distance 8oi Miles : THE Royal Aero Club has now announced detailsof the courses over which the race for the King'sCup will be flown this year. The race will beflown on two days, July 13th and 14th, with start and finish at the de Havilland aerodrome at Hatfield. The first day/s courses total 465 miles, consisting of two circuits of 232.5 miles each. On the second day the total distance to be covered by competitors is rather smaller, 336 miles, divided into one course of 192 miles and one, the final, of 144 miles. Details of the final course have not yet been published, but it will consist of six laps of approximately 24 miles each, laid out in the vicinity of Hatfield. Special maps of this course will be issued to competitors. An examination of the sketch map indicates that during the first day the courses are long and have to be covered once only. This means that competing machines will be seen at Hatfield at start and finish only. As the Friday's racing is by way of being eliminating trials, this matters little. On the Saturday, however, when the semi-final and final are flown, the courses are short, the first having to be flown three times and the final six times. This will give spectators an excellent opportunity to see the machines rounding the Hatfield turning point, and will enable them more readily to follow the progress of the race. FRIPAY 13TH. JULY. I sr. Course tlcHwt 2nd - (Icmwt) SATURDAY lAra JULY. -232-5 -232-5 3rd. CairxtSCmwtjJ -192 Miles 4rh •• leOrujtts) -144 &WADDINGTON.. «Nott,nSj\ 4<4l Grantham Leicester^ Birmingham » Rugby Leamington s KING'S CUP, 1934 : Sketch map of the courses. Details of the final course have not been announced, but it will consist of six laps of a 24-mile circuit in the vicinity of Hatfield. 496
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