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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1924.PDF
b FLIGHT. JULY 8. 1937. 4 iOt• h i.#Ht;.m <- "ft r rnrtit'T t ********* HITH 8*irt ta urn t, *' *** c»r ' *•## /" &*£ltGft| rv III Sriil^Tlo i\s- One of the least encouraging factors to Fit. Lt. Adam must have been his glimpse, on entering the cockpit, of the emergency instructions inscribed on the fuselage of the Bristol. (Flight photograph.) Relying on his weather report and his own estimates of wind speed and direction, he set a course that would keep him within the coasts. Apparently the record height was attained somewhere between Bristol and Oxford. The ascent, which occupied just over an hour and a half, was made on a course which touched Winchester, the North-eastern fringe of London, and Dorking. The take-oli from Farnborough was at 5.40 a.m. on Wednes day , June 30, and the Bristol was headed south-west. Just west of Winchester, Fit. Lt. Adam met a cloud bank which stretched unbroken from Spithead far into the north-east at 7,000 ft. This forced him east, but, blinded by the sun, -he turned again to the north-east. At 20,000 ft. he was over Staines, with the cloud base forming rapidly about 5,000 ft. above. By the time the Bristol had climbed 35,000 ft. there were few gaps in the two cloud layers beneath, the last town recognised by the pilot being Rochester, glimpsed from some where north-east of the Metropolis. Auxiliary Boost After engaging the second supercharger at 35,000 ft., Fit, Lt. Adam lost sight of the earth completely until he was down to 15,000 ft. on the descent. For thirty minutes, up 1o 50,000 ft., the machine was headed into a north-westerly gale, and after another half-hour's climb it appeared to have reached its ceiling. At this point the altimeter registered 55,000 ft., and the outside tempera ture was minus 48.9 deg. C. Near the ceiling the transparent cockpit cover split, owing to contraction with the cold. From his first glimpse of the ground on the descent Fit. Lt. Adam formed the impression that he was somewhere near Bristol. Altering his course to the north-east, he glimpsed a river through a gap in the clouds, which he guessed was the Isis, near Oxford. A few minutes later he sighted the reser voirs near Staines, and at 7.55 he set the Bristol down at Farnborough. The attempt was observed by an official representative of the Royal Aero Club, and the height attained has been officially communicated to the Ministry by the Club; it was arrived at from an examination by the National Physical Laboratory of the sealed barothermographs which were carried in the wings of the machine. The figures are subject to the usual confirmation and acceptance by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, to which application for homologa tion will be made in due course. Fit. Lt. Adam, who was chosen to succeed Squadron Leader Swain on high altitude duties, was born at St. Andrews in November, 1908. He was educated at the Madras College, St. Andrews, and George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, later being a student at thi Episcopal Theological College, Edin burgh, and the Edu&urgh Tutorial College. Entering the R^ya, Air Force as a short-service commis sioned officer for jiiof ing duties in August, 1929, his initial period of service nas since been extended by the grant of a medium-service c<)mriission. Fit. Lt. Adam, qualified as a pilot at No. 1 Flying Training School, Nethera.von. in the summer of 1930, and after a short term with No. 24 (Communications) Squadron, Hendon, he proceeded to India, where he served on the N.W. Frontier with No. 11 (Bo:-oer) Squadron, at Karachi with the Aircraft Depot, and .later with No. 60 (Bomber) Squadron. He took part in va?.-( us air operations in 1930 and 1931, and again in the spring al d autumn of last year. He returned to England towards tne ~nd of 1935 ar|d joined the strength of the Royal Aircraft Establishment in February of last year. Details of the Bristol 138 monoplane were given in Flight of October 1, 1936, at the time of Sqn. Ldr. Swain's success. It is if* low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed under carriage and a special engine of the Pegasus series with a two- stage jtipercharger. Thtrftpllowing items were among those which contributed towar|s\the success of the venture: Shell fuel, K.L.G. plugs, Claudii IHobson carburettor, Saro plywood. Smith's instru- mentj, Ixeid and Sigrist turn indicator and fore-and-aft level, and jDusnlop tyres. r i
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