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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 1735.PDF
7o6 FLIGHT. JUNE 25, 1936. Private Flying Topics of the Day EVERY person who is thoroughly mixed up in this flying business is liable to find himself unable to see the wood for the trees, and will learn a very great deal bv the simple expedient of taking an aeronautically ignorant person around the hangars and even up into the air. Many of the remarks made by such a newcomer will be slightly fatuous, but almost every one of these will have a kernel of plain common sense. It is the ordinary rnotorist or member of the general public who, after all, must eventually be brought into the fold. A few weeks ago I had the chance of giving such a person a close-up of the exteriors and interiors of a number of the modern light and medium-light aeroplanes. His first remark, I regret to say, was that the appearance was unimpressive and the finish shoddy. For exception he pointed out one two-engined British machine and one American machine. It is significant that he should glance at an apparently- solid and car-ish interior and be immediately confident that the machine was strong and well-made. The sight of a piece of raw wood or an uncovered control wire was very unsettling to his slowly gathered confidence. All my statements concerning certificates of airworthiness and good safety records were powerless against the psycho logical effect of such things. When I explained that plain fabric could be made to look like pressed steel with the assistance of fifteen coats of paint, he still continued to tap this metal-like covering with admiration. Interior Comfort WHEN hoisted into the interiors of various machines he complained bitterly about the lack of real elbow- room and still more bitterly about the gymnastics that were necessary before one was firmly in the pilot's seat with both legs in their proper places. With one machine, after trj'ing each leg in turn, he finally fell into his seat, more or less head first, and sorted himself out later while I watched, with considerable trepidation, the flailing of his heavy shoes in the vicinity of an expensive compass. Once in, he admired the comfort so much that I had not the heart to tell him that, before flying, it would be necessary for him to get out again to start the engine. His 1926 car can be started from the driver's seat. Only a week or two before he had made his first flight in a seven-seater passenger machine, and had, apparently, enjoyed himself in spite of the comparative roughness of the passage. He was particularly impressed by the solidity of the machine in the air, but had taken firm ex ception to"the wires which were used "to hold the wings in place," and some slight exception to the speed at which the machine shaved the boundary fence before landing; He was not afraid of anything ; he merely felt that such things were incongruous in a modern method of transport, and I did not remind him of the fact that he trusts the comparatively thin flanges on the wheels of the coach of his express train without asking the driver if they are strong enough or enquiring if this driver has been tested for the quickness of his reactions. He has travelled in trains and cars all his life, and therein lies the explanation of his confidence. Ultra-light Luxury N OW that we are becoming re-accustomed to the fact that a properly designed aeroplane will fly quite well and quite quickly on an engine of 30 h.p. or less, some body will no doubt be asking for the reliability of twin engines in this ultra-light class. A friend of mine who has done a certain amount of flying in one particular " baby," has evolved a very pretty idea for such a machine in which two flat-twin engines are used, with a cantilever low wing and an enclosed side- by-side cabin with a view as nearly perfect as possible. Although the duplication of power units has its dis advantages, particularly in the case of fairly small machines, these disadvantages should be balanced to a large extent by the fact that the engines and airscrews are working in much more perfect conditions. When I see the tiny airscrew and the big-diameter fuselage of the average ultra-light, I am amazed that any propulsive effort remains. Unfortunately, this development business can be a vicious circle. More comfort, more weight, more power, more weight, more size . . . and there we are, with 100 h.p. and a performance that is precious little better than any thing obtained with the original 30 h.p. I learnt to fly on 60 h.p. without imagining that there was anything very remarkable, about it, and the machine had a maximum of very nearly 90 m.p.h. An Unnecessary Risk MORE than once in these columns I have suggested that a standard range of view for all light aeroplanes would reduce the risk of collision in the air, or on the ground, to a minimum. Obviously, a perfect all-round view is not practicable with any machine, and this standardisation ap pears, at present, to be the only solution to the problem. In the meantime, there is no justification for introducing a new risk at air displays by permitting or asking pilots of light aeroplanes to make their demonstrations together. When three, or even four, machines, each with totally different characteristics and pilot's view, are permitted to; dash about the sky in any direction and at a low altitude, > the danger of collision is at its greatest. Sooner or later—: probably sooner—there will be a collision, and everybody, including the people who organise events of this kind, will, be extremely apologetic and very sorry for themselves. Let it not be found again that preventive measures can only be taken, if at all, after the event. It is a pity that the human race only learns by experience—usually the experience of a catastrophe. Will there be another Ver sailles after the next war to end war? INDICATOR.
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