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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1369.PDF
DECEMBER 27, 1934. FLIGHT. 1373 The Outlooks Jxunnincf Commt T IqpiCS Wood or Metal? / T is now some years since Flight first called attention to a growing tendency to revert to wood construction in small civil aeroplanes. We recalled that when the original Air Ministry stipulation concerning all-metal con- struction was made, the main reason was not the superiority of one material over another, but purely a question of obtaining adequate supplies of wood in time of war. It was also pointed out that silver spruce for wing spars was the material most likely to become scarce, and that there seemed to be no very logical reason for banning other woods for other structural work. In his article in The Aircraft Engineer this week, Mr. H. J. Pollard examines the question of whether or not wood is really a satisfactory material from the structural point of view, and comes to the conclusion that it is less satis- factory than metal. We imagine that he may be chal- lenged on certain of his contentions, apart from the refer- ence to "factories ill-equipped for metal work." We have in mind the largest factory producing civil aeroplanes in this country. This is an entirely new one, and it is difficult to believe that it has been and is being equipped largely for wooden construction of aeroplanes merely because it is cheaper so to equip it. It would be interesting to have the views of readers on whether all-wood construction is really, as Mr. Pollard appears to believe, a retrograde step. The K.L.M. Tragedy MONG all the world air transport concerns none has done more to prove the reliability and safety of air travel than K.L.M., and the whole world will sym- pathise with them in the loss of their mail-carrying Douglas near Rutbah Wells. It is doubly unfortunate that this ill-fated machine should, by reason of its amazing performance in the Eng- land-Australia race, have been made a symbol of every- thing that modern air travel should mean. The Press, in making front-page news of the "flying hotel," as they called K.L.M.'s Douglas B.C.2, have also been making the general public see just how comfortable, how fast, and how reliable a modern air liner can be. Tragedies are inevitable in the development of a new form of transport, but this is a public rather than a private tragedy, coming just when great developments have been announced. Closed-in Fighters C OVERED cockpits for single-seater fighters are beingexperimented with, as Sir Philip Sassoon stated inthe House of Commons the other day. A transparent cover over the pilot's cockpit would interfere less with the flow of air, and so would improve the performance of the machine. A still greater advantage might be the greater ease of keeping the pilot warm when flying at high altitudes. One point, however, will have to be kept carefully in mind when designing such a cover, namely, that it should not in any way hamper the pilot if he needs to get out and come down by parachute. A complicated fixing of the hood might conceivably be jammed if hit by a bullet, and that might have disastrous results. One of the greatest advantages of the parachute is that in war the pilot feels that he will not be trapped if his petrol tank is set on fire by enemy bullets. If the cover were not fool- proof in that respect, its disadvantages might be greater than its advantages. Bomber Classificationr HE old Royal Air Force designation of " day bomber" and "night bomber" is to disappear, and instead all bomber squadrons are to be classified as "light," "medium," and "heavy," with an additional classification, "general purpose." For a long time past we have been accustomed to talking about "general pur- pose" types, but that applied to aircraft and not io squadrons. A "G.P." aeroplane was one which could be equipped either as a bomber or as an army co-operation machine, and could be served out to squadrons of either of those classes. The best-known G.P. machines were the "Wapiti" and the Fairey III F. In only one case did the Air Force List recognise the term "G.P.," namely, in the case of the Fairey III F's in possession of No. S (Bomber) Squadron at Aden, though the unit is definitely called a bomber squadron. It is soon to have the "Vin- cent," which is one of the latest G.P. types. For the rest, the term '' light'' bombers will include the "Hart" and "Gordon," "medium" means at present the " Overstrand " and " Sidestrand," while "heavy" indicates such machines as the " Heyford " and ".Hen- don." The term "night bomber" has been rather a mis- nomer. The dark colour with which they are painted fits them specially for night workâeven though they look dead white when caught in searchlight beams. In Air Exercises a few years ago the A.O.C. Wessex Bombing Area created something of a sensation by sending his "Virginias" by day up to what was called the Sealand Gap and bombing Yorkshire, to the great surprise of the A.O.C. Fighting Area. That showed the possible uses of the heavy bomber by day, and paved the way for the new classification. Aeroplanes and Cars 7AR too often a comparison is drawn between aeroplanes * and motor cars. The assertion is made that in a few years the sky will be full of privately owned aero- planes, buzzing in all directions and landing anywhere and everywhere. Actually, there is little or no analogy be- tween the two ; it would be more truthful to say there is l'.kely to be a slight similarity between the growth of shipping and that of aircraft. An aeroplane pilot, if he is to be a safe one, has to take into account the weather, wind direction, and many other factors, in just the same way as does the owner of a yacht. It is, to say the least of it, highly unlikely that aero- planes can ever become the vehicles of the multitude until a means is found of eradicating this dependence on a. knowledge of navigation. The public are daily coming to look upon flying as an ordinary thing, and soon they will patronise air liners with the same readiness with which they patronise ships; but the widespread use of light aero- planes will probably be left to the expert amateur for many years to come.
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