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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1796.PDF
6 FLIGHT. JULY I, 1937. that his landing was nearest to the disc. He is attached to No. 1 School of Technical Training. Next, half a dozen Gauntlets (Mercury) of No. 56 (F.) Squadron showed how, had their twin Vickers guns been fed by S.A.A. instead of blanks, they would have made a first- rate cullender from a sleeve target, towed by a Gordon (Panther) of No. 3 Armament Training Camp. They re minded one of a litter of playful puppies worrying some strange new discovery. This event demonstrated very forcibly how useful training in flight aerobatics can be. The methods of attack illustrated would be of use only against heavy aircraft flying a steady course. Approaches from above, behind and below the target were demonstrated. Preliminary event No. 5 made it obvious to everybody who had studied refuelling demonstrations at previous Hendon Displays that enormous strides have been made in the tech nique during the past twelve months. There is now no hit- and-miss angling for the line that pulls the pipe across from tanker to tankee. On Saturday, a Vickers B/19/27 bomber (two Pegasus)—an unfamiliar type to most people—refuelled an Overstand (two Pegasus). The modern procedure, in brief, is as follows: the receiver trails about 150ft. of cord termina ting in a small grapnel, and the tanker lowers about 80ft. of cable, with a grapnel and a weight that causes it to hang nearly vertically. The tanker then crosses over above the receiver, the lines cross and the weighted grapnel catches the trailing cord. The tanker operator next lets out the refuelling pipe, with the coupling line attached, and the final operation of pulling the pipe across to the receiver is an interesting one—a small parachute or drogue is released, and, blowing back in the slipstream, pulls the coupling line over a pulley until the fuel pipe is brought on board—a process taking only a few seconds and dispensing with troublesome winches or delicate formation work. Fuel is pumped across at 80 gallons per minute. An auto matic coupling allows the pipe to disconnect should the air craft break apart, the fuel being automatically cut off, but the pull of the drogue on its line will immediately restore the union as the machines come together again. A good deal of keen rivalry in the eliminating heats of the dive-bombing competition preceded the final, "dived off" on Saturday. This was, to all intents and purposes, a com pletely novel event, and combined spectacle with that com petitive interest which is always so welcome. Each of the Home Commands—Bomber, Fighter, Coastal and Training— was represented, all competitors using two-seater Hawkers (Kestrel) (and so being quite evenly matched) except the Coastal challenger, who flew a big Vildebeest torpedo bomber (Pegasus). It was enlightening to note how slow the big Vickers was in gathering speed in the dive in comparison with the smaller, faster and cleaner Hawkers, which came whining down at the target in the best " hell-dive" style. A Hind pilot from the Bomber Command was eventually de clared triumphant, scoring 165 points out of a possible 200. His average error was 8.75 yards, which gives an idea of how accurate dive bombing can be. In actual practice, of course, the approach would be deliberately erratic to confuse the "Archie " gunners, but the final "step " of the dive is well and. truly directed. The bombs used on Saturday—each machine dropped four—were filled with liquid stannic. Aerobatlc Overstrand For the next item, the evergreen 101 Squadron Boulton Paul Overstrand was matched this year against three Kestrel V- Demons of No. 604 (County of Middlesex) (Fighter) Squad ron, Auxiliary Air Force. Sergeant W. Cockburn took full advantage of the Overstrand's docility and agility—profiting from either virtue as circumstances demanded—and led the Demons a dance such as would make any ordinary fighter pilot shed tears of blood. In their first assault the Demons approached from the stern, laying themselves open to fire from either of the B.P.'s two rear guns. One of their number was immediately picked off, and his companions closed in with added doggedness. Then came those marvellous stall turns half rolls and loops and the sickening stall for which the multitude of Overstrand fans had been waiting, till at last one tenacious Demon got in the fatal burst which sent this proudest, of all bombers lurching into the Valhalla of Overstrands Mill Hill way. The Hawker Hectors of No. 13 (Army-Co-operation) Squad ron, with Napier Dagger engines, held the attention of every body when, in close formation, they flew low overhead, wires whistling, to drop messages. Immediately following thiS three members of the Squadron swooped down to pick up replies to the messages, but only one succeeded. Of the other The Hectors of No. 13 (A.C.) Squadron sesn above the D. H. Albatross, whose size easily dominated the machines in the " New and Experimental" park. This 91, to use its series number, is to be used by the Air Ministry for Atlantic experiments.
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