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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1344.PDF
1348 FLIGHT. DECEMBER 20, 1934. T.5 tube, mostly braced in Warren girder fashion with small tubes brazed into position with a bronze prepara tion. This form of brazing is used in a large number of places in the machine, not only for the wing ribs but also for the tail units, fairings, and so on. After a series of tests Mr. Martin is convinced that, from the strength point of view, the results are even better than those of welding, and, as the temperatures used are so low, the brazing causes no distortion. The " M.B.i " bristles with neat features of the sort which private owners so often wish were included in their machines. For example, the hinge pins on the rear face of the spar are so arranged that there is no ten- dency for the wing to fall backwards as soon as the front pin is released. Folding is, therefore, a one-man job. The front pin is on a screw, and can be withdrawn or inserted by the rotation of a small handle on the leading edge, and the wing can, after two flaps have been raised at the back, be pushed back without fear that it will bump into the fuselage, because there is a stop to prevent it doing so. MARTIN BAKER MB. Napier Javelin"Engine How the wing is released for folding : the front pin is of the screw type,and is withdrawn by rotating the small handle. about their position. The seats are comfortable and the cockpit is totally enclosed with an oval transparent hood which can be slid back to allow entrance. The windscreen is a sharp '' vee'' with vertical front panes, which should not collect fine rain or snow and should obviate any re- flection from internal or external lighting. In the mounting of the Napier '' Javelin'' engine and its cowling is still more evidence of the practical nature of Mr. Martin's design. The doping pump has connections both to the carburetter and to the induction pipe, the inlet manifold is carefully lagged and warmed, the fuel and oil filters are conveniently placed, and the sides of the cowling can be supported from their hinges in a hori- zontal position so that they form shields if, as sometimes unfortunately happens, the owner has to attend to the engine when it is running. An electric starter is fitted, and the machine will be very fully equipped throughout. From an aerodynamical point of view, the " M.B.i " is a fairly straightforward design. As yet no figures are avail- able, but a comfortable cruising speed of 140 m.p.h. and a stalling speed of 50 m.p.h. are hoped for when the machine is fully loaded with two persons and luggage, in which condition the all-up weight will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 2,350 lb. It will be seen that the main interest of the machine lies in its detail design, and for that reason we are depart- ing from our usual procedure of delaying this form of aircraft description until we can give full performance figures and photographs of the finished product. The "M.B.i" is being manufactured at the makers' works at Higher Denham, Bucks. General arrangement drawings of the M.B.I. Theprincipal dimensions are: span, 37ft.; length, 28ft. lOJin.; chord (wing root), 7ft. 6in.: chord(wing tip), 3ft. 6in. ; folded width, 13ft. 2in. ; wheel track, 7ft. Another useful feature is the storage of the fuel in long triangular welded-aluminium tanks placed in the centre ot each wing spar, in such a position that, if necessary, they can be withdrawn with a minimum of trouble when the wings are folded. In the cockpits there is again evidence of forethought. The cocks for turning on the fuel supply, isolating the pumps, and for other functions, are all loaded with a spring ball so that there is a definite "click " when they are fully opened or shut, and there can be no doubt The wing spar consists of three large-diameter butthin-gauge booms, braced by smaller tubes, and con- verging towards one another at the other extremity.
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