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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0893.PDF
f AUGUST 30, 1934. FLIGHT. \ 'IVATE A SECTION FOR OWNER-PILOTS AND CLUB MEMBERS THE art of flying, simple in broad fundamentals, hasalways been subject to intensive research, and theaerodynamic properties of wing sections and airscrew design have involved very close application. Suit- able power units, too, have called for the greatest technical and engineering skill. When, however, one comes to reflect on the suitability or convenience of minor controls and fitments, a good deal of criticism can be levelled at present-day machines, however excellent their flying qualities. Inconsistencies in Design I T AVING done some long-distance •I •»• flying recently on more than one type of machine, I have had opportuni- ties of observing many features which might rightly be termed, in these days, anachronisms. A few of these unsatis- factory points might be dealt with here with advantage, for it is largely by drawing attention to such matters that improvement will be brought about. While designers and manufacturers have made wonderful advances they .have, perhaps, in concentrating on essentials, tended to neglect those small refinements which mean so much to the owner-pilot of to-day. We no longer marvel at the aeroplane as such; its capacity we take for granted, and, in the circumstances, those features which are subsidiary to the main requirements naturally come more readily to our notice. In making criticisms of any kind we can never forget the technical efficiency which has made record flights possible on machines which have in no essential differed from those available to the public. These have demonstrated that, properly handled and maintained, the utmost confidence can be placed in the modern light aeroplane. But less favourable aspects of aircraft sometimes appear in everyday use. The difficulties of starting, for instance, are an ever-present drawback, particularly to the lady pilot, and the necessity for swinging the propeller can never be reconciled with the present stage of pro- gress. With the general appearance of the metal airscrew, starting by this means is not made more pleasant, as the sharp trailing edges can inflict a good deal of damage unless extreme care is taken. In any case, turning the airscrew over by hand requires both skill and strength. In cold weather the position is even worse, and in this connection the disadvantage of the usual method of petrol supply might be mentioned. The structural design of certain machines leaves little facility for gravity feed, and it has, therefore, been found necessary to fit mechanical petrol pumps. This is, of course, a better method than the old practice of air-pressure pumps, but, as usually placed, it is almost impossible to manipulate them for starting purposes, and effect a start by swinging the pro- peller, without assistance. / On' machines intended for the use of the owner-pilot it is most essential that one person should be able to get under way without help. This leads not only to the question of the simplification of the method employed on certain machines, but to the broad question of applying some kind of mechanical starting, not as an expensive extra but as a standard equipment. The aircraft owner of to-day certainly expects, and quite rightly, a standard of convenience similar to that taken for granted by the possessor of a car. It is not too much to say that, if an attempt were made by manufacturers to sell motor cars with the lack of refinement so common in the aircraft, they would be doomed to failure from the start. NOTES by LORD SEMPILL A.F.C, F.R.Ae.S. The Enclosed Machine THE cabin type of machine is corningmore and more into prominence, andprominence, naturally appeals to those desiring utility under all conditions. In some of the most modern of these the windows, for example, leave a great deal to be desired, as they cannot be opened and shut easily, and sometimes cannot be man- aged at all without using both hands. In one of the best single-engined cabin machines that I have been flying recently i ,. • ' a sun blind is fitted over the top lights. In hot countries, especially, this is a very necessary fitment, but in this particular instance i.i«) guides for the blind, which run fore and aft in the roof, are so placed as to catch the pilot's head or hat whenever it is inclined to the right or left. Such an irritating detail is not only entirely unnecessary, but is extremely annoying and should never be tolerated. Then, again, some modern petrol taps, which are controlled from inside the cabin, are very hard to move, and it is impossible to see with any certainty whether they are off or on, although the makers generally fix in a prominent place before the pilot's eyes on the dashboard an injunction to make sure that the petrol is turned on before commencing a flight. Another essential fitment which all machines, and par- ticularly those of the cabin type, should have is a reliable windscreen wiper. Those who have used such a device will certainly not be without it. It is strange that the ordinary stick type of control is still used so largely. In the old days, when warping wings were general, a considerable amount of physical effort had to be applied to the stick, but this is a thing of the past, and, therefore, what is known as the spade-grip form of control will be found, certainly on long flights, infinitely preferable to the plain stick. The spade-grip control can be easily managed with one or two fingers of either hand, and allows for many convenient changes of position of the hand. In all normal conditions the control does not require to be firmly gripped as though it were a policeman's truncheon, but can be manipulated with the fingers of one hand. But this is so much a question of personal preference, and one knows of many pilots who dislike the spade grip. The foregoing are a few of the details to which designers might well give more attention, for the time has arrived when flying is so essentially practicable that its devotees have a right to expect all the convenience and comfort to which they are accustomed in their motoring experience.
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