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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1861.PDF
Jutv i, 1937- FLIGHT. 33- Commercial Aviation ESSENTIAL DUPLICATION Special Radio Equipment for the North Sea Service D.H. 865 : Indepen dent Power Supplies Two views of the interior of the Allied Airways' 86B, showing the dis position of the special equipment in " radio alcove '' behind the con trol cabin. The picture on the right is actually the cabin wall continua tion of that on the left, which shows the parti tion wall. MORE than once Flight has stressed the need for virtual duplication of all the navigational and radio equipment in transport machines. We have not suggested that the radio equipment, for instance, should be duplicated piece by piece, but that failure of any item should always leave the crew with some means of carrying out a journey in safety. When Allied Airways' new D.H. 86B goes over shortly— possibly this week—on its first Newcastle-Stavanger run, it will be equipped in a manner which should make it one of the safest machines in operation to-day. Not only are the leading edges and struts laid out with Dunlop Anticer equipment, the usual navigational instruments duplicated, and an electrically heated pitot head fitted, but the Standard radio equipment is such that no failure should leave the machine without very necessary D/F assistance. The main two-way communication set is a Standard A.T.R.4 set, with a wave range of 550-1,100 metres, the power being supplied by a dual-voltage windmill-driven generator, the out put of which is arranged also to charge the battery. In case of possible failure due to breakdown or icing-up arrangements have been made for the two-way equipment to be switched over to two rotary converters, one for transmission and the other for reception. The control box for this converter system is quite independent of that for the normal generator. In addition to the A.T.R.4 equipment, a self-contained D/F receiver is installed, the receiver for which is an exact duplica tion of that for "communication." The aerial system for the R.C.8 visual type of D/F attachment consists of the usual rota table loop working in conjunction with a short fixed aerial, which is quite separate from the normal three-wire fixed aerial used for short-range work when the trailing aerial has been wound in. This D/F receiver has its own rotary converter and can, of course, be used for ordinary reception if the A.T.R.4 receiver breaks down. Since the most important use of an aircraft transmitter is that of providing signals so that ground stations may take bearings, the provision of self-contained D/F is in itself an insurance against transmitter failure, whilst, at the same time, enabling the crew, in this case, to take their own bearings from the various marine beacons along the North Sea coast. The entire equipment is housed in a special compartment behind the control cabin. The usual means of communica tions will be by C.W. telegraphy, but it may be said that, with the same two-way equipment in Aberdeen Airways machines used on the Kirkwall run, telephony has been re ceived very well in Norway. On its first crossing the 8GB will probably have on board, as radio technical adviser, Mr. H. M. Samuelson, of Smith's Air craft Instruments, who has been in charge of this particular installation and who has demonstrated Smith's "Flving Laboratory '' Dragon over most of Europe since this interesting machine made its first appearance. Charier Comfort "DIRKETT AIR SERVICE, LTD., of Heston, tell us that •*-* they have added a D.H. Dragonfly, equipped with radio, to their charter fleet. Pilots' Union "DOR several weeks there have been rumours of the impend- •*- ing or actual formation of a pilots' trade union. On Sunday the British Air Lines Pilots' Association, as the organ isation is known, held its first meeting, during which it was decided that there should be a nation-wide ballot for the elec tion of officers. A provisional committee was appointed to make the necessary arrangements, with Mr. Burslem as chair man, and Captain Rogers in charge of the investigation sec tion. It may be remembered that a society has already been tormed (Flight, May 27) for the protection of the aircraft opera tors interests. Presumably, these two associations, with those tor radio operators and G.E.'s, will work together for the Benefit of all and sundry. We understand that Imperials, at ny rate, have given the Pilots' Association their private bless- feelth ^hat ab?ut the GAPAN? Apparently, pilots +;«> *v?at **"s organisation is concentrating more on technicali- es ttlan on domestic affairs. Liverpool—Amsterdam T HE time-table for the K.L.M. Liverpool-Doncaster- Amsterdam service, which was restarted to-day, involves a daily departure (except on Sundays) from Liverpool at 10 a.m., and from Amsterdam at 2.30. There are useful con nections over here by Railway Air Services and North- Eastern Airways, and Douglas D.C.2 machines will be used exclusively. On the same day North-Eastern Airways, in cidentally, will be starting their new services between Don- caster and Manchester, and Hull and Grimsby. Selling Air Transport F ULL marks must be given to Northern and Scottish Airways for the 1937 edition of their official guide, Go By Air. It is not often that we find an air transport company going so very far in a real effort to sell air travel to the uninitiated traveller. . It is, at once, an illustrated guide to Campbeltown. Islay, Skye, the Hebrides, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland— with really well-written articles on each centre—and good piece of propaganda for Northern and Scottish. What other people think of it may be gathered from the amount of totel and other support to be found therein.
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