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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 1397.PDF
572 FLIGHT. MAY 28, 1936. equipment and engines. No. 209 (Flying Boat) Squadron, now being equipped with the Short Singapore III, is also accommodated. The Saro London and Supermarine Stranraer were away having their twin Pegasus Ills replaced by the new Pegasus Xs, but there was the great Short R.6/28, now in the twilight of its existence, cradled in a hangar. Examples of the Perth, Southampton (one of these with a pair of steam- cooled Kestrels) and Singapore III boats were to be seen, ayd among the smaller fry were an Osprey and an experi mental Fairey biplane with central float undercarriages, and twin-float versions of the Swordfish, Shark, Vildebeest, Seal and Ripon The experimental Fairey is not exactly a new machine. In appearance it bears a distinct resemblance to the Swordfish, but has a steam-cooled version of the Kes trel IIMS engine with centre-section radiators. The single - float machine is suitable for catapult work but is likely to be superseded by small flying boats on the lines of the Supermarine Walrus. A series of unusually interesting tests will be made before long with a Blackburn Perth. Vibrographs are being mounted to record the vibrations of the hull under various conditions with different airscrews and in some cases the two halves of four-bladed types will be set at various angles Other experi ments are proceeding with the measuring of hull pressures. Twenty pressure recorders are being fitted to a flying boat hull, and will operate during landings or when the machine is dropped into the water from the great fifty-ton crane on the jetty, normally used for launching and landing purposes. Anchors present a difficult problem. They must be light and yet possess great holding power. The stand .rd type used at the moment has a holding force forty times its own weight. The Heavies The next station we called on during our pre-Empire-Aii- Day tour was Mildenhall, far-famed even before it was com pleted, as the starting point for the England-Australia Race. It has grown since those chilly, hectic, pre-Race days when for a little while it was the one great aerodrome in the world. Now it is the home of two heavy bomber squadrons—Nos. 99 and 38—both of which are armed with the Kestrel-engined Handley Page Heyford Actually the latter unit is an offshoot of No. 99 Squadron, and is now receiving the final Heyfords to bring it up to full strength Incidentally, these machines are of the new Service type with full-power Kestrel VI's. One of the most instructive of the Mildenhall Empire Air Day exhibits was a model to demonstrate the operation of the automatic pilots with which the Heyfords are equipped. The apparatus was mounted on a test bed and through the medium of a model showed how the rudder moves when the course- change cock is operated, and how the elevator functions when the trim lever is pulled back Squadron Leader De Lade Dropp was being prepared for a parachute descent. Formation flying by Heyfords, aerobatics by a Gauntlet borrowed from Duxford, and message-picking- up by an Audax were other items on the programme Having seen ' heavies" at home (unluckily there was no flying at Mildenhall on that particular morning as "night- ops." had been in progress just before) we pushed northward to Bircham Newton—a light bomber station. The units there are Nos. 18, 21 34 and 48 Squadrons, the latter being the ' baby " of No. 18 Squadron Before long all will have been completely re-equipped with the Hawker Hind. There is pleasant anticipation of the performance of this, our new Service-type light bomber, for whereas the Harts u-ed at present are powered with the 480 h.p. Kestrel IB engine which maintains its power only up to 3,000 ft., the Hind is provided with the fully supercharged Kestrel V normally rated at 600 h.p. at 1; oooft. Three varieties of bombing are practised by light bomber units, these being designated, respectively, 'dive,'' "pre cision," and "low." Dive bombing is normally done from about 12,000 ft. and from an echelon formation, each machine, in turn, half-rolling off the line and diving at the target! Bombs are dropped from about 2,000 ft., and speeds up to 340 m.p.h. may be attained by the Hinds. The actual tactics vary considerably with the condition of the sky, for clouds can be used as a screen. It h a favourite method of attack against warships, so for over-water work the machines are equipped with flotation gear in case of a forced descent. Precision bombing entails flying at high altitudes, frequently by formations, and the low attack, in which very small bombs are used, is employed against troops, transport columns, and targets which do not demand the demolition of very large objects. The machines operate either singly or in formation, depending on the size and nature of the target. A 22ft. circle painted on the aerodrome provides for low bombing practice. To assist in keeping a machine at its proper angle during a dive bombing attack (this is normally about sixty degrees) a white disc mounted on a 70-foot mast is centred by the pilot in a 40-foot circle on the aerodrome. A flight of Harts of No. 18 Squadron was to practice low bombing when we called, and the writer was lucky to be able to fly in one. The clouds were at 500 ft., and a particularly disturbing wind swept down the aerodrome. The tightness and accuracy of the formation told of superb team work. To save time after each run up to the target the flight leader took the machines round the aerodrome boundary in low, steep turns which meant that from our machine—the inside one;—it was possible to obtain a magnificent close-up of birds' nests and to conduct a first-hand study of chimney-pot design. The bombs are usually dropped, singly or in salvo, when travelling at about 130 m.p.h., although in war-time the speed would depend on a number of factors. A Set Piece Judging from the programme which had been arranged visitors on May 23 had their full shillingsworth. The items included dive and low bombing, aerobatics by a Fury of No 25 Squadron, a combat between two Hinds and a Hey ford (the Hind is very closely related to the Demon two- seater fighter), crazy and inverted flying by Tutors from Wit tering, and the demolition of a desert fortress complete with anti-aircraft armament. The final trip of our tour was to Gosport, the home of certain Fleet Air units when they are ashore, a Training Squadron, the Coast Defence Development Unit, and a Torpedo Section The CO. is Group Captain W. C. Hicks, A.F.C. The folk round Gosport can always expect a first-class show on Empire Air Day, for full use is made of the unusually interest ing selection of aircraft types on the station. On the day of our visit these included the Shark, Vildebeest, Swordfish, Baffin, Nimrod, Osprcy, Seal, IIIF, 504 N, and Tutor. Natur ally interest tends to centre round the torpedo-dropping activities, for very few units in this country are so equipped. The attack with a torpedo is far from a dull procedure, as one found when allowed to fly in a Vickers Vildebeest attached to the Torpedo Section. The Vildebeest is particularly popular for torpedo work because the pilot is seated out in front of the wings, where his outlook is better than from more con ventional types. Instructions were given for a 1,425-lb. Mk. VIII torpedo (naturally with dummy head) to be loaded on to the crutches beneath the fuselage. It was set to run for 500 yards before coming to the surface. A Mere Bagatelle The big Pegasus made no bones about getting its seven- or eight-thf.usand-pound load off the ground and, judging from the rate of climb to 6,000 ft. over Stoke's Bay, a little thing like an 18-in torpedo does not hamper the Vildebeest. It had been arranged that the drop should simulate as closely as possible an actual attack. The dive was planned to confuse enemy anti-aircraft gunners. This is done, apparently, by making it as erratic as possible. After dropping about 2,000 ft., the machinw is pulled up and dived in a different direction. This is repeated at a lower altitude so that the final dive (at about 220 m.p.h.) brings it face to face with its targets. Then it is held steady at 30 feet and 90 knots. The drop is made at about T.OOO yards range, and immediately after, everything possible is done to confound the "Archie" gut:ners again. Looking back over the tail the splash as the projectile enters the water seems to reach up after the machine, the track can be followed easily. H.M.S. Curacao frequently offers herself as a target for torpedo-bomber units of the Fleet Air arm. The " tinfish " are adjusted to run at a depth of 22 ft., and as the Curacao draws only 16 ft. of water everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it was impossible for the public to see all these things on Empire Day; but they did see, as at every other R.A.F. station which" was open" the utmost possible. And that, be it said, was enough to satisfy even the schoolboys.
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