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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0996.PDF
APRIL 23, 1936. FLIGHT. 415 EVIEWED • , British Market Amateur Pilot Their Features drawings by MAX A. MILLAR AUTOGIRO WITHIN the next few months, it would seem, some very important developments will appear in the autogiratory world. The Cierva Company has always looked upon each new tvpe largely as another step towards an ultimate goal, and we are now waiting for the direct-start type which has been in the course of development for the past year or so. By the simple expedient of altering the axes of the rotor blade hinges and increasing the speed of the initial rotation, a temporary vertical ascent is obtained, and before the machine has time to sink back to the ground it is being pulled forward by the airscrew. In the meantime, the present C.30 type continues to do good work, and its performance is, in many important respects, considerably superior to that of the normal fixed-wing aero plane. Height can be maintained at a forward speed of 15 m.p.h., and the actual contact with the ground is made at 5 m.p.h. or less, while the cruising speed is high enough for all normal purposes. A special technique is, of course, necessary when flying the Autogiro, but to anyone who is not a dyed-in-the-wool aero plane pilot this presents few difficulties. A certain sequence of actions must be made while running up the rotor to 180 r.p.m., releasing the brakes and opening the throttle for the take-off, which is made with the tail wheel in contact with the ground to the very last. The final approach is usually carried in a normal manner at an air speed of 35 to 40 m.p.h. —though it is useful, of course, to toe able to sink vertically, if necessary, during the earlier phases of the approach—and the hold-off and landing are made in the ordinary way, but at a greater height and with considerably greater deliberation. An unusual view of a C.30 Autogiro obtained at the moment when it was sinking vertically on to the ground at Hanworth. After touching, the stick is pushed forward so as to lose all lift, and if there is anything of a strong wind blowing, the rotor should be stopped after turning to the left out of wind. Licences for the manufacture of various types have been granted to A. V. Roe and Company, to Westland Aircraft, and to G. and J. Weir, while the master patents are held by the Cierva Autogiro Co., Ltd., of Bush House, Aldwych, London, W.C.z. AVRO CINCE pre-war days the firm of A. V. Roe and Company has ^ specialised very largely in the production of training types and the famous " 504 " was actually the standard Service trainer for some fifteen years, until the Tutor was adopted. Any Avro machine, therefore, can be reasonably expected to possess nicely harmonised and effective controls as well as generally easy—but not too easy!—flying qualities. Some years ago the company introduced a smaller version of the "Tutor which, while retaining all the good qualities of the larger machine, would be less expensive to operate and more suited to the needs of civil clubs and schools. This year the Avro 643 has been produced as a single stan dardised machine to take the place of the staggered and Club Udets previously manufactured. In this new model the whole airframe has been strengthened, a castering tail-wheel is fitted and the power unit is the latest Genet Major Mk. la, which F inrb0Ut *5 more b-h-P- and so reduces the take-off run. »u blind-flying equipment is standard for both cockpits and a simple inverted-flying fuel system can be installed if required. Those pilots who have been lucky enough to fly one of the Cadet breed will agree that, as an aeroplane pure and simple, it has few competitors. Although it is possible to make it perform any aerobatic manceuvre known to pilots, it is, at the same time, a most stable and docile creature in the course of normal flight. The Cadet or 643 can, for instance, be sunk on a level keel with the stick held right back so long as the rudder is not too severely interfered with, and it is safe to glide at extraordinarily low speeds. The act of landing is the easiest imaginable, and the undercarriage will take anything within reason. The specification of the Avro 643 is as follows: Span, 30ft.; length, 24ft. gin.; tare weight, 1,2861b.; all-up weight (with aerobatic C. of A.), 2,ooolb.; maximum speed, 116 m.p.h.; stalling speed, 43 m.p.h.; duration at cruising speed, 3.25 hr.; initial rate of climb, 700 ft./min.; service ceding, 12,000ft. Makers: A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd., Newton Heath, Manchester. IV u -M> JI The latest addition to the Avro range of trainers—the 643, which replaces the Club and standard Cadets. Certain modifications have been made to im prove the machine from the tuitional standpoint, and the airframe has been strengthened.
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