FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0765.PDF
JULY 26, 1934. FLIGHT. A SECTION FOR OWNER-PILOTS . AND CLUB MEMBERS THOSE of us who have long been been protagonistsof aircraft as a means of transport which could beadapted to the needs of the private person, whether for business or pleasure, are finding that the advan- tages of aviation are emphasised as time goes on. Neither private flying nor commercial air transport has long been considered to have an economic future in this country. merits did not amount to more than ten shillings. Ot course, such results are only attained by taking care not to exceed, except for short periods and on necessary occa- sions, reasonable cruising r.p.in. So treated, the aircralt engine is normally subjected to less stress than the average car engine, for it would hardly be reasonable to anticipate that a car engine would function for such a distance The conservative mind could not see beyond the difficulties without some major repair being necessitated, which confronted those who were desirous of developing While on this subject it may seem scarcely necessary to internal air services. But the rapid expansion of air lines mention the importance of carefully warming up the engine within Great Britain during the last two years has confounded the pessimists, and the experience of private owners is daily confirming the convenience of aviation to those who are fortunate enough to pos- sess a modern light aeroplane. As an example of the extreme useful- ness of the aeroplane to the traveller whose business takes him or her to all parts of the country, I would cite an ex- perience of my own within the last few days. Having two important engage- ments on two consecutive days in the Isle of Man and North Wales respectively, I was more than grateful for the fact that I was in a position to make such a journey by air. By the quickest form of surface transport available the actual travelling time involved in the round trip would have been it least thirty-two hours, and, of course, the overall time would actually have been much longer. In contrast, my flying time was eight hours. Modern Reliability THE ease with which such a journey may be made byair, involving as it does a sea crossing, is an indica- tion of the reliability of present-day aircraft. The small air-cooled engines in general use are so dependable that there may be a tendency to treat the crossing of sixty or seventy miles of water with impunity. A word of warning might be given, however, in this respect, for although there is no doubt that such a flight may be embarked upon with every confidence, reliance can only rightly be placed on the power units now available if every care is taken to keep them in first-class order. Because the aeroplane NOTES by LORD SEMPILL A.F.C., F.R.Ae.S. before a flight—particularly one involving a water crossing. In this connection the advantage of using with the fuel, in the correct proportion, a good upper cylinder lubricant, is not, perhaps, so well recog- nised as it might be. The additional lubrication, by this means, of the top oi the cylinder walls, which are apt to re- main dry until the main oil supply is thoroughly warmed up, is very desirable, as it is during the process of running up from cold that a great deal of the wear takes place. If this habit is acquired during the warm weather the good effect will be more apparent in wintry condi- tions when it is even more necessary. Apart from a conscientious attention to the upkeep ot his machine the pilot who contemplates the making ol sea crossings should not neglect to obtain a weather report of the route and of the vicinity of the proposed landing place, as conditions met with on one side of the water may be quite different from those on the other side—as I found when flying to the Isle of Man on this occasion. When leaving the mainland the weather was quite good, but I encountered a good deal of fc;j and low cloud in the neighbourhood of the Island. In the Isle of Man ALTHOUGH air services have been run to the Isle ot •*^ Man from time to time, and Hillman's Airways, Ltd., who have recently taken over the operation of the route from Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd., have now made Castletown a port of call on their London-Belfast route, the ground facilities on the Island have not been has proved itself to be a vehicle of extreme reliability, very fully developed. The aerodrome at Ronaldsway there is no justification for assuming that it can be 'r«tlrf™""1 - "•"+<• - "™* i*"^™ «i*"> *"<* -f —"!«. neglected in any single respect. The owner pilot who wishes to get the best out of his machine should pay par- ticular attention to the necessity for using the correct grade of engine oil, which should be drained off and re- plenished at frequent intervals. Oil filters should be kept (Castletown) is quite a good landing place and o ample size, but there is at present no hangar accommodation, and if it is required to leave a machine there for several nights it is necessary to arrange for local hands to erect a barbed wire fence round the aeroplane in order to keep off the cattle. In view of the interest taken for many scrupulously clean, and the components of the petrol and years past by the Manx people in motoring matters, and ignition systems properly checked and adjusted. With of their encouragement of car and motor cycle racing, proper care in these and other essential particulars the and remembering the facilities they have given for this average aircraft engine of up-to-date design will function purpose, it is rather surprising that better arrangements with safety and regularity in all conditions. '""" ™+ "" *<"• Ko"" ™-H° +" <•**••" w fV^ "™»1" "* -ir The service an engine will give if so looked after is re- markable, as the following will indicate. When, recently, I had my engine stripped and overhauled after covering some fifty thousand miles, it was found that so little wear had taken place that, apart from decarbonising, taking between the Island and the mainland. The difficulty has up of main bearings and reassembling, the cost of replace- been to secure a suitable aerodrome site near to Douglas. have not so far been made to cater for the needs of air transport, from which they have so much to gain. This is not due entirely to lack of interest, as His Excellency the Governor and the Manx authorities a-- alive to the value of aviation as a useful means of communication
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
