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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0874.PDF
APRIL 9, I936- FLIGHT. 369 The Outlooks A Running Commentary on Air Topics Slightly Slighter Planes LORD SEMPILL'S remarkable flight from London to Berlin last week in a Super Drone lends weight to the special article on ultra-light aeroplanes published elsewhere in this week's issue of Flight. The author of the article examines briefly the history of light plane flying in this country, and from the results argues that if manu facturers had been alive to the possibilities, the low-power aeroplane would have been in extensive use to-day. If economical flying is to be introduced, the author of the article thinks the price should not exceed £350, and he thinks a cruising speed of 80 m.p.h. should be expected, while the fuel consumption should reach 35 miles per gallon. The engine needed, he considers, will be of about JO h.p. cruising and with a maximum output of about 45b.h.p. Fit. Lt. Llewellyn's flight to South Africa has already shown that the Aeronca can be used for serious touring. Lord Sempill's Berlin flight has shown that even in very unfavourable weather, although not against a very strong headwind, the 17 h.p. Drone can also give a good account of itself. Both machines have demonstrated their ability to get into and out of fairly small fields when handled by experienced pilots. There is no reason to believe that either cannot be flown by a pilot of average skill, but the question arises whetheT that is sufficient to give rise to a large demand, or whether something very nearly "fool proof " is necessary. If it is not, then the case for the cheap popular aeroplane seems to have been proved. If something even more simple to handle has to be evolved before a large number of people will take to flying, then much still remains to be done. But do not let us forget that, no matter how simple the aircraft may become to handle, navigational skill will still be required for cross country flights. The whole story is not told bv solving the approach and landing problem. Ground Training S OME weeks ago our contributor "Indicator" sug gested that ground training could never take the place of air training, but added that it was certainly possible, with an instrument such as the Reid aptitude indicator, 0 assess a pilot's capabilities with a very reasonable measure of success. "hen, however, instrument flying is being considered, e problem is a very different one, and it does appear jo be more than possible that a suitable device could developed which would save a large number of ex pensive hours in the air. Last week a member of the fl*n was discussing the whole problem of instrument ing training with an expert who had recently returned om a three-months' tour in the States, and during this ur he had spent several hours in the cockpit of the L>nk Advanced Trainer. rad < < thiS l^ev'-ce a pilot can make an instrument and 0 flight " without leaving the ground, and his track wy r,a. redetermined route is mapped out on a chart sa\C+v,1S unc*er the instructor's observation. Needless to from th pr°klems of radio beam flyin.g are verY different the \ in* involved in transport flying in this part of bstm ^ut "* would certainly appear that a similar method™* Cou*°- very easily be developed to cover our mstru S anC* *° &*ve pfl°ts the necessary practice in unient flying_ Blind-approach Practice 500NER or later, too, it will be necessary to evolve some means whereby transport pilots may accustom themselves to the signals and instrument indications during an approach along a short-wave beam so that, when the work is being carried out in real earnest, their reactions may be entirely automatic. This is not to suggest that " service " practice will not be necessary. Obviously it will, but operators will not be able to afford to give the pilots as much of this as they are likely to need for the accurate and reliable translation of the indications in all possible weather conditions. The reading of and correcting from both blind-flying and blind-landing instruments is a purely mechanical procedure and, consequently, can be made equally well on the ground so long as flying conditions and indications are well simu lated in any device which is used. The psychological effect of the knowledge that the pilot is safely on terra firma will be to permit the necessary concentration which is so very necessary during the initial stages of such instruction. What the more conservative people may think of this modern worship of instruments is of small account, since they, too, know perfectly well that commercial flying is not possible without these instruments. At all times the indications of a 'prqperly designed and tested piece of mechanism are much more reliable than any human per ception. The Hindenburg D R. ECKENER and Capt. Lehmann have done what was expected in taking the Zeppelin Hindenburg safely and smoothly across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro. The airship made no attempt at a record flight, and for political reasons she flew out of her way to avoid crossing France. She did not need to land and refuel at Pernambuco, but merely dropped a mail bag there and continued on her way. On approaching the capital she deliberately slowed down to avoid landing at night. There fore, the covering of 6,875 miles in 100 hours is not to be taken as the best of which she would be capable in other circumstances. Had a couple of such airships been available a few years go, Dr. Eckener might well have secured a practical monopoly of public patronage for this method of crossing the South Atlantic, if not also the North Atlantic. The Graf Zeppelin had to be used as a demonstration ship, and she nobly performed that function ; but she was not fitted to establish a service on a commercial basis. Now the airship will have to face the competition of the flying boat, which has grown larger and far more comfortable than of yore, and which can now fly by night. The flying boat will be a most formidable rival to the airship, and the latter will only hold one real trump card in her hand, namely, spaciousness and consequently greater comfort. If these points do not suffice to attract a sufficient number of passengers to make an airship service a paying propo sition, then the victory will lie with the aeroplane, and airships may have to press their claims on the navies of the world as long-range patrol vessels and as aeroplane- carriers. It is rather sad to reflect that such a fine engineering feat as the production of the Hindenburg may have come to fruition just too late.
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