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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1662.PDF
620 FLIGHT. JUNE 24, 1937. De Havilland type, the Don Trainer, will also be on view. This is fitted with the Gipsyking engine, which is the Service version of the Gipsy Twelve. This machine will make its first appearance at the S.B.A.C. Display. Fairey: Of the four types to be shown by the Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., three are military and one a very civil type, viz., the tiny Tipsy light monoplane with Douglas Sprite engine. The other three are a Fairey Swordfish with Bristol Pegasus engine, a Battle with Rolls-Royce Merlin, and a P.4/34, also with the Merlin engine. The Swordfish has been produced in considerable numbers and has seen a great deal of service. It is a torpedo spotter reconnaissance biplane. The Battle is classed as a medium bomber, and is one of the types scheduled for mass production UHder the so-called " Shadow Scheme." The P.4/34 is very similar to the Battle in general appearance, but is a good deal smaller. As it has the same engine it goes almost without saying that its performance is even better than that of the Battle. Gloster: A very excellent opportunity for a comparison between monoplane and biplane single-seater fighters will be provided by the exhibits of the Gloster Aircraft Co., Ltd., who will have at Hatfield the Gladiator with Bristol Mercury and the brand-new monoplane with the same engine. That the monoplane type scores in the matter of pure speed may be granted, but in manoeuvrability the biplane is likely to prove superior. It would be extremely interesting to see the two types demonstrated simultaneously, but this may not be found practicable. The Gladiator is already in service with the R.A.F., but thjc monoplane will be seen for the first time in the New Air craft Park at the Hendon Display on Saturday. Handley Page: The first new type to go into quantity pro duction and to be delivered in considerable numbers to squadrons of the R.A.F. was the Harrow heavy bomber de signed and built by Handley Page, Ltd., who for several months could claim the distinction of being the only firm with large orders tor heavy aircraft *p to or even slightly ahead of schedule in the matter of deliveries. The machine is a high-wing monoplane with non-retractable undercarriage and two Bristol Pegasus engines. Probably Handley Page, Ltd., will also show the prototype H.P.53 or Hampden, which is a medium bomber mid-wing monoplane, also with two Bristol Pegasus engines. Its pro duction in quantities will follow that of the Harrow. Hawker: Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., will, for the first time in the history of the firm on such an occasion, be represented by two military monoplanes, the P.4/34 which is classed as a light bomber but which has been built with sufficient load factors to carry the military load of a medium bomber, and the Hurricane, a single-seater fighter. Both are fitted with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and both are of metal construction, although not entirely of stressed skin construction. Hawkers have evolved a very strong form of wing fabric attachment which in the severe tests carried out has shown no tendency to give trouble, even at the very great speeds attained by these machines. Heston: Good performance coupled with operational economy and great comfort for the passengers are the outstanding features of the Phoenix monoplane which will be shown by the Heston Aircraft Co., Ltd. The machine carries pilot and four passengers at a cruising speed of 125-130 m.p.h. As the engine is a De Havilland Gipsy Six of but 200 b.h.p. the machine is very economical for charter and feeder line work. An Airco Change PREVIOUSLY sales manager of Airco, Ltd., Mr. S. J. Gil bert has now been appointed civilian adjutant at the Catfoss Royal Air Force Station. The Exactor Control IN last week's issue there appeared a description of the new "Exactor" mechanical remote control, and in this con nection it should be remarked that the address of the makers, the Exactor Control Co., is Exactor Works, Mount Pleasant, Alperton, Middlesex. The Two-seater Tipsy TH the formation of the Tipsy Aircraft Co., Ltd., the English production of that interesting little two-seater training or touring version of the Tipsy monoplane (described in the issue of May 20) is brought a good deal nearer than Percival: High performance has characterised all the light aeroplanes produced by Capt. E. W. Percival, and the three machines to be shown at Hatfield by the Percival Aircraft Co., Ltd., are representative of the range which the firm has to offer. The machines will be a Vega Gull, a Gull Six, and a Mew Gull, all three fitted with the 200 h.p. De Havilland Gipsy Six engine. The Vega Gull carries pilot and three passengers at a cruising speed of 150 m.p.h. The Gull Six is a slightly older model, but has its own appeal, nevertheless. The Mew Gull is a very small and very fast single-seater with a cruising speed of something like 220 m.p.h. In spite of its small size and heavy wing loading, the Martlesham pilots reported very favourably on the handling qualities of this machine (see Flight of May 27, 1937). Miles: Phillips and Powis will show three monoplane types of Miles design: the Magister, which is a service training type with Gipsy Major engine; the new Miles two-seater fighter trainer with Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, and the Miles Whitney Straight cabin two-seater with 130 h.p. Gipsy Major engine. Particular interest will attach to the Rolls-Royce engined trainer, as this is the first machine of such high power to be designed by Mr. F. G. Miles and produced by Phillips and Powis. Avro: A. V. Roe & Co., Ltd., will be represented by a single military machine, the Avro Anson (2 Siddeley Cheetah IXs of 3ro/35o b.h.p.) general reconnaissance type. This machine has been built in very large numbers and is used extensively by the British R.A.F. An Empire Boat? Short: The famous firm of Short Brothers, Ltd., will be showing one of the Short Scion Senior monoplanes fitted with four Pobjoy Niagara engines of 90 h.p. each. The machine is an air liner in miniature, and is particularly suitable for work on feeder lines on which forced landings must be avoided, the splitting up of the power into four units endowing the machine with the reliability and safety one associates with large four-engined air liners. In addition to the Scion Senior, one of the Short Empire flying boats will probably fly over in the course of the Tuesday's proceedings. Super-marine: As most of the products of the Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers), Ltd., are marine aircraft, with the exception of the Spitfire single-seater fighter, Supermarines will be represented at Hatfield by a single type, the Super- marine Walrus naval reconnaissance and coastal patrol biplane. This machine is an amphibian biplane flying boat with a Bristol Pegasus engine driving a " pusher " airscrew. The machine is used for deck landing, and is equipped for catapult launching- Vickers: Two very different types of military aircraft will be shown by Vickers (Aviation), Ltd. One is the Wellesley long- range medium bomber with Bristol Pegasus, and the other the tiny Venom single-seater fighter with Bristol Aquila sleeve- valve engine The Wellesley is of geodetic construction, which gives low structure weight with wings of high aspect ratio, and is, therefore, particularly suitable for long-range aircraft. Westland: The machine to be shown by Westland Aircraft, Ltd., is the Lysander army co-operation monoplane with Bristol Mercury engine. In this machine particularly clever use has been made of automatic leading edge slots coupled to trailing edge slotted flaps, which do not come into operation until a certain tail-down attitude has been reached by the machine. we thought when the machine was first demonstrated over here. Shops are being taken over and extended at Hanworth so that the work can be started almost at once, and the com pany has the backing, as far as modifications and stress calcu lations are concerned, of the Fairey Company. The machine will, of course, have flaps, and the first machines, at least, are likely to be fitted with the Walter Mikron four-in-line. The single-seater will be built, as before, by Aero Engines, Ltd., of Bristol The directors of the new company are Major J. E. D. Shaw (chairman), and Messrs. Leslie Irvin, Gilbert Miller, Brian Allen and George Birkett, the last two being joint managing directors. Quieter Airscrew Testing RECENTLY, it will be recalled, Flight described a new soundproof airscrew test tunnel erected at the Armstrong Siddeley works at Baginton, near Coventry. It should be made cleai that this was designed by the Burgess Products Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Armstrong Siddeley Motors, Ltd.
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