FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1936
1936 - 1014.PDF
APRIL 23, 1936. FLIGHT. 425 \&. & JSffJ !>-" _^~ ..c^1* mI*»~-~~-' <•-•' v W*"~!L*5& fyjlp ^ >—-"T\ ^tf..^^ #*&• ••:•••• ... ' :' Hi - .- Modern light Aircraft Reviewed—fConf.) FOREIGN MACHINES on the BRITISH MARKET Three Makes and their Concessionaires BEECHCRAFT THE aerodynamic and structural effici ency of the American Beechcraft Model B-17-L (probably the best-selling Beechcraft type) can be conveniently ex pressed as; Four seats, 225 h.p., cruising speed 152 m.p.h. It is probably the most unorthodox machine on the market so far as lay-out is concerned and might appear to the uninitiated to be a real " handful " in the air.' Actually it is quite docile and is in wide, every-day employment. A flying trial by Flight some time ago revealed less lateral and longitudinal stability than is found in most American machines, but excellent manoeuvrability, as might be expected from the compact biplane arrangement. The wide undercarriage retracts quickly into a space beneath the cabin floor, being actuated by com pressed air from the Heywood starter system. The drag of the lowered under carriage in conjunction with the split flaps confer a steep gliding angle and a normal landing speed. Comfort and good outlook are further qualities. Structurally the machine exhibits few abnormal features; the wing framework is of wood and the fuselage of steel tubing. In this country the agent is Mrs. Amy Mollison, who keeps a demonstration machine, mounting a Wright Whirlwind engine, at Croydon. There are various other attractive Beechcraft "lines," including the B-17-R (420 h.p. Wright; maximum speed 201 m.p.h.) and the A-17-R (700 h.p. Wright; maximum speed 250 m.p.h.). The main data applying to the B-17-L are: : Weight empty, i,6oolb.; disposable load, 1,5501b.; span, 32ft.; length, 24ft. 5in.; maximum speed, 175 m.p.h.; lauding speed, 45 m.p.h. CESSNA T*HERE are some aeroplanes which, although apparently con- •*• ventional in construction and design, exhibit some agree ably surprising performance and weight-lifting qualities. In this category comes the Cessna C-34, an American machine which is now being handled in this country. It has done extremely well in certain American competitions intended to ascertain the general efficiency of machines in its class. In appearance the machine is neat and pleasing. It is- a four-seater monoplane with a high cantilever wing and a divided cantilever undercarriage. The fuselage is a welded steel tubular structure, but the wing, which has trailing edge naps, is of wood. In the cabin, beneath the wing, are seats J?r four, in two pairs, with dual controls for those in front. Ihere is a door on each side and a baggage compartment behind lr?a.r sea*s- -^ I45 h-P- Warner Super-Scarab seven-cylinder radial is the standard power unit. 'he main data are: Weight empty, i,22olb.; disposable load, The Beechcraft, though at first glance somewhat odd in appearance, has some excellent features as well as a good performance. 98olb.; span, 33ft. xoin.; length, 24ft. 7in.; maximum speed, 162 m.p.h.; cruising speed, 143 m.p.h.; initial rate of climb, 1,000 ft./min. The agents in this country are: Surrey Flying Services, Ltd., Air port of London, Croydon, Surrey. STINSON A YEAR or two ago certain of the more pecunious private owners in this country became highly enthusiastic over a four-seater Stinson Reliant monoplane imported from America. What appealed particularly to them was the high finish and the determined attempt which had been made to provide the " motor-car comfort " about which so much loose talk was rife at that time. Subsequently other Stinsons appeared over here and are still giving satisfactory service. The latest model of the Reliant differs in a number of im portant respects from these familiar machines. It is available in " special " and " standard " forms, incorporates a metal gull-type wing of unusual design, and has slotted vacuum- operated flaps. The Hamilton variable-pitch airscrew is speci fied both for the 225 h.p. Lycoming engine of the standard model and the 245 h.p. Lycoming of the " special " version. Certainly, in the form in which it has so far appeared in this country, the finish and general equipment of the Reliant should have given our manufacturers something to think about— though these features are not the be-all and end-all of light aeroplane design. Furthermore, the Reliant is not quite a " light aeroplane " in our sense of the term, and one can do a very great deal with a matter of 250 h.p. to carry four passen gers and their luggage. In the air the 1935 Reliant was the most docile of machines, and it can only be presumed that the new model is even better. The flaps were efficient enough to allow the pilot almost to point the machine at the aerodrome «••••••• boundary during the approach without gathering too much speed, and the v.p. - airscrew—the only feature of the control system which was strange to British hands—was very easily managed. It goes without saying that the engine was smooth and the cabin quiet. The abridged specification of the standard Reliant (Model SR7-A) is: Weight empty, 2,26olb.; disposable load, 1,1151b.; span, 41ft. 7in.; length, 26ft. 8in.; maximum speed, 148 m.p.h.; cruising speed, 138.5 m.p.h.; landing speed, 48 m.p.h.; cruising range, <po miles. The agents in this country are : Brian Allen Aviation, Ltd., Airport of London, Croydon, Surrey. The latest Stinson Reliant, which has a gull-type wing of unpsual design and has lost the angular appearance of the previous models.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
