FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1936
1936 - 1674.PDF
JUNE 25, 1936. FLIGHT. 679 The Hawker Osprey fleet fighter reconnaissance machine is shown on the left as a seaplane on a cruiser's catapult. Shark T.S.R. (right) is also shown in its floatplane form. The Blackburn An automatic pilot is installed to relieve the pilot on long distance flights. This mechanism is generally known as '' George '' and controls the rudder, ailerons and ele vator. The bombs are released by electro-magnetically operated gear arranged so that various bombs can be selected and released singly or in combination. Fusing is also electri cally controlled. The bomb aimer or the pilot can jettison the entire load. The latest type of heavy bomber to be ordered for the R.A.F. is the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley on view n the ne"w and experimental types park. The Whitley is a cantilever monoplane chiefly of metal construction fitted with a retractable undercarriage which is housed in the nacelles containing the 805/880 h.p. Siddeley Tiger IX moderately supercharged two-row radials. Gun turrets of Armstrong Whitworth design are provided in the nose and tail- Although the bomber-transport machine is an un common type, it is one which has proved itself to be of great service in the Near and Middle East and in India. It may be required, in dealing with troublesome natives, to drop hints (via loud-speakers), leaflets or bombs, but is also designed with a view to carrying stores, spare engines, etc. The standard type in service at present is the Vickers Valentia—a development of the well-tried Victoria— mounting Bristol Pegasus engines. An order has been placed by the Air Ministry for a number of Bristol 130s— modern high-speed all-metal monoplanes in the same cate gory. A pair of 840 h.p. Bristol Pegasus X engines »'s fitted to the 130. The undercarriage is fixed but the whole machine has very fine lines, particularly when it is re membered that the fuselage is so spacious, and an excel lent performance is attained. Army Co-operation For assisting the Army the " A.C." machine is equipped to fly by day and night. It is often required to operate from the poorest of aerodromes and is called upon to undertake such work as "spotting" for the artillery, reconnaissance flying, and attacking such objects on the ground as might be hindering an advance. Its spotting activities entail observation of the fall of shells in relation to the target and wirelessing the informa tion to the battery which can adjust its aim accordingly. For reconnaissance it can wireless its reports or is equipped to take photographs. Should it be called upon to attack troops or any other target on the ground, it can use its two machine guns (the pilot has a fixed Vickers and the observer a Lewis) or the light bomb load which it can be equipped to carry. The majority of the army co-operation units in service are armed with the Hawker Audax fitted variously with the 480 h.p. Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB or the 575 h.p. Kestrel X. An adaptation of the 490 h.p. Jupiter-engined West- land Wapiti was issued to certain A.C. units a few years back. The very latest machine in production for army co-opera tion squadrons is the Hawker Hector—another Hawker two-seater mounting the new 725/805 h.p. Napier Dagger III 24-cylinder air-cooled engine which has its four banks of six cylinders arranged in the form of an " H ''—the cross-bar representing the two crankshafts which are geared, of course, on to the airscrew shaft. Certain machines are now being built to the new specifi cation A.39/34 for army co-operation aircraft, one of these, a Westland product with a Bristol Mercury engine, being exhibited in the "new and experimental" park. In the '' army co-operation '' event on Saturday Audaxes will demonstrate the use of the long hook which they carry attached to the undercarriage. This is for picking- up messages (attached to a cord between two posts) from the ground. They will also drop containers intended to contain food, ammunition, etc., for beleaguered troops. Several Rotas, or autogiros of the C.30 type with 140 h.p. Siddeley Genet Major engines have been taken into the Service and have been allotted to A.C. units to supple ment their normal equipment. Three of these machines will demonstrate their peculiar qualities at Hendon next Saturday. This view of the Fairey Swordfish T.S.R. (690 h.p. Pegasus III) reveals how the torpedo is carried.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
