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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 1149.PDF
MAY 16, 1935. FLIGHT. 545 MODELS British Ccwpetitors at a French Meeting : A Miniature " Automatic Pilot >> BRITISH COMPETITORS IN FRANCE IN the recent international models contest held near Paris, tht British team gained three awards; a French contestant, M, Dubois, once more carried off the chief award, the cup. Weather conditions were unfavourable, but M. Dubois put up 75 sec. with his power model, and his sailplane was timed at 4 min. 20 sec. On another occasion the same sailplane, or pianeur, as the French call this type of craft, disappeared altogether from view, and it is very likely that, judging from the distance at which it was afterwards found, it had put up an even longer performance. There were no fewer than forty-§even gliders, most of which were in excellent trim and generally very intelligently handled. The popular method of launching these craft was by a type of catapult which shot them up to sometimes fifty feet, thus gaining an invaluable amount of preliminary height. An English competitor, Mr. Ross, was a few seconds behinc the cup winner, and another, Mr. Liggitt, was nearly level with Mr. Ross. Mr. Liggitt gained two awards, one for per formance and the other for design. AN " AUTOMATIC PILOT " AN interesting little "gadget" is an automatic stabiliser evolved by an enthusiast in British North Borneo, and used, he says, with great success on a Frog "Puss Moth." Space demands that we keep to principles rather than details, but the system is simple and lends itself to variation. Briefly, he has a " joy-stick " protruding above the fuselage and surmounted by a small paper disc placed at right-angles to the slipstream. Below the fulcrum of the joystick are attached two cotton control " wires," which run back to cranks fin the elevators as in a real machine. The elevators are re turned to neutral by two thin pieces of elastic attached to cranks on their undersides and running forward to anchorages on the fuselage. "Assuming the slipstream to be more or less constant" fwrites the user) "it will be seen that the paper disc is directly affected bv the air speed, i.e., the greater the speed the further the stick is pushed back, thus lifting the nose, and the lesser the speed the further the elevators are pulled down by the elastic. Thus, with careful adjustment to the size of disc and pull of elastic, things can be worked so that the model positively cannot stall, and the air speed is kept con stant. The net results are almost crash-proof flights and some thing approaching good landings. It is quite amusing to «atch the ' stick ' jockeying backwards and forwards to take up any irregularities." We have seen rather similar efforts in the past, mainly un successful, but it does appear that this experimenter has, so to speak, hit on the right formula. A GALA DAY ft is hoped that model aircraft enthusiasts will turn up in large numbers at the gala day of the Northern Heights I:.:: .. REALISM—IN PAPER. One of Mr. W. Rigby's latest flying models, made of varnished cartridge paper, caught in a lifelike attitude by a Flight photographer. This particular machine aroused great interest at the Paris international meeting re ported on this page. M.F.C., which is to be held at Fairey's Aerodrome, 011 the Great West Road extension, on Sunday, June 30. A long programme of events will start at 11.30 a.m., and will include a concours d'elegance for various classes, a dura tion contest, inter-team contest, and a flying scale model competition. Full particulars are obtainable from the Hon. Organiser, Mr. Charles A. Rippon, "Melita," 70, Hampden Way, Southgate, London, N.14. TEAM FOR AMERICA The S.M.A.E.'s elimination trials for the selection of the British team for the Admiral Moffett International Competi tion were held at Fairey's aerodrome on April 22. The trials were run under the American rules for the contest, namelv, the best duration of three flights (R.O.G.), and the result was as follows: 1, J. W. Kenworthv, 137.0 sec.; 2, C. T. Buffery 82.2 SPC. ; 3, D. E. Bianrhi, 55.0 sec.; 4, L. Rushbrooke, 51.8 sec.-; 5, C. S. Rusbrooke, 43.0 sec; <i, P. Wilson, 34.0 sec. AN INTERESTING CONTRAST to models of modern aeroplanes is this scale-model F.E.2D, made for the Science Museum, London. Museum models of this kind are usually made from wood with brass or aluminium details, and at least three coats of paint (usual ly cellulose) are very carefully applied, with a rubbing-down between each. The makers of this and a number of other models in the Mus eum are the Models Manufacturing Com- Pany. 43. Newington Causeway, London, S.E.i.
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