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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1189.PDF
NOVEMBER 15, 1934. FLIGHT. 1191 The Outlooks Speeds in America LTHOUGH there is a distinct tendency towards exaggeration when the relative speeds of British and American air lines are compared, there is little doubt that, with new equipment, the more important companies in the United States now have extremely high schedules. Transcontinental and Western Air, for instance, cover the coast-to-coast journey in something like fifteen hours in the ordinary way—an inclusive average of 174 m.p.h. With Douglas DC.2's, Lockheed " Electras," and the big Sikorsky on the Pan-American route to South America, the times on the main trunk routes have been "cut to ribbons " during 1934. By way of showing what can be accomplished on a special occasion, a Douglas was flown, last week, from Los Angeles to Newark, with only one stop at Kansas City, in very little over twelve hours—averaging 219 m.p.h. while flying at fairly high altitudes. Actually, in this . instance the machine probably had a following wind. Commercial Speedr HE figures given in the above paragraph do not alter the fact that since the England-Australia Race there has been a very large amount of loose and ill-informed writing appearing about speed in the air—how it ought to be used and how it can be obtained. Most people seem to think that the question of whether high speed is commercial—that is, whether it can be made to pay or not—rests entirely with the aeroplane and has little to do with the route over which that aeroplane is operated. They forget that matters like the cost of fuel and the provision of ground organisation, without which no air line, fast or slow, can be run, vary considerably according to the part of the world in which that route lies. The fact is these people do not stop to think about the true circumstances of the case, and assume that, because a well-organised crew runs a fast American aeroplane through the race, to a schedule which is many days shorter than our regular lines, we ought to do likewise, and do it every day. Actually, the factors affecting the feasibility of speed-increase in aircraft operation vary with every line and route. Some of these, like altitude and cost, are dealt with in this issue in a precis of a paper read before the Royal Aeronautical Society by M. Louis Breguet, the eminent French aircraft designer. - ' - Mediterranean Mail Route O NE of the advantages of the carriage of mails by airis that the widely separated parts of our Empire canthereby be linked more closely. Take, for example, Gibraltar and Malta. Both are almost entirely surrounded by water and dependent upon the mail for their touch with the outer world. Both are strategic points and, therefore, important to the unity of the Empire. An air mail service taking the route Southampton, Gibraltar, Malta, and Cairo or Alexandria and back would be a boon to those places • and a valuable link in our communications. Fast flying boats could do it, with Post Office support. Each stage, a distance of about 1,000 miles, could be made without stopping ; and, even flying by day only, with boats cruising at no more than 100 m.p.h., it would be possible to get a letter to Malta in two days, or in twenty-four hours if flying were carried on through the night. A Rundflug Echor HAT our designers, manufacturers, and Air Ministry do not realise the improvement in design and perform- ance of engines and aircraft brought about by the Chal- lenge de Tourisme (or Rundflug, as it is more often called) was averred by Mr. W. D. Macpherson, the only British competitor this year, when speaking at the Royal Aero Club on November 12th. It certainly does seem surprising that no one availed himself of the opportunity afforded at Warsaw this year for inspection of the most interesting machines. Their chief characteristics were described in Flight, as well as the results of the numerous tests, but it is probable that personal inspection would have suggested new lines of thought to our designers. Mr. Macpherson wisely agrees that the weight limit ought to be dropped if some suitable alternative can be found— a view which we have held since this event was first held in France in 1929. At one time it looked as if the machines built for the event were pure freaks, and the lessons learned from them not likely to be of use in the production of ordinary touring machines. Lessons Learned / N Mr. Macpherson's view, that time has now gone, though, unfortunately, the event has become a matte: of Government support, and no private entry has, any longer, a chance. He feels, however, that it is now doing; for flying what racing is doing for motoring. He is right as regards the effect the event has had on the development of speed-range, undercarriages upon which the aircraft can be dropped heavily, and engines of low weight per horse- power ; but, while admitting that this development has been made on foreign aircraft, it should be remembered that much of the design work on those machines with regard to the various gadgets for giving a good speed-range and control at the stall has been done by designers in this country. Moreover, despite our lack of participation, we have available for the general public a light aeroplane with what is probably the largest speed-range of any standard machine now offered for sale anywhere in the world. SUPER-FLAPPED : A Fieseler (Argus) in the take- off tests of the International Touring Competition at Warsaw, referred to above. Note the slots, the huge Fowler flaps extending along the wings, and the small ailerons operating at the tips above the wing surface.
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