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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 0323.PDF
FEBRUARY 3, 1938. FLIGHT. Of the two flying pictureson the left one shows the Cygnet's two-piece flap gearin the "down" position while the other gives a goodidea of its smooth lines with the new cabin top andproduction finish. Below are two typical groundviews, showing in each case the tidy cantilever under-carriage, which certainly gives an impression ofground stability. The Final Version of the C.W.A. Cygnet Major : Special Luggage Arrange- ments : Air Impressions By H. A. TAYLOR (Illustrated by "Flight" Photographs) sticks, and it is possible that the standardversion of the Cygnet will be so equipped. There are certain objections to a centralposition tor this important item and the tendency is for the pilot to fly and land with :•'..."the left wing down. In order that the cabin proper shall not be unduly encum-bered, the. direct-operation flap-lever is arranged immediately beside the seat in a suitable recess, while the Bendix type of'' walking-stick-handle '' brake lever is conveniently reached but not in the way, placed as it is below the throttle quad-rant. The compass is mounted on the floor between the two occupants and the fuel control is in full view immediately be-low the dashboard, so that there is no possible excuse for leaving this tap in "off" position. Certain changes may bemade latei to the instruments, though their general arrange- ment will be unalteied. At the moment the Korect Depth(iauge people are responsible for some of them and it is pos- sible that in due course they will turn out the entire equip-ment in suitably matched form. Soundproofing, Ltd., have been responsible for the general furnishing and soundproofingarrangements, and these, I believe, form their first successful essay in such specialised work. Speed Tests Since the fiFst of the production machines made its appearancethe weather has not been suitable either for speed tests over a measured course or for such tests as those for rate of climb.In its unfinished form the machine covered a two-way course on full throttle at about 146 m.p.h., and the smoothness ofthe final finish should add 2 or 3 m.p.h. to this figure. The pitot head had not, when I flew the machine, been tested forposition error and the readings could not be taken too seriously. However, after giving the machine plenty of timeto gather speed these were 120 at 2,100 r.p.m. and a .little less than 140 m.p.h. on full throttle. The runs were made in airwhich was far from smooth at 3,000ft., ami the corrected figures, for what they are worth, would be 126 and 146 m.p.h. The bumps, which were directly caused by a fairly strongand gusty wind at lower levels and by the usual currents near the 4,000-foot cloud level, prevented any serious attempts athands and/or feet off flying. The machine would fly with comparative accuracy on the stick alone, but the bumpscaused a yawing motion which could not be immediately corrected. However, Mr. Wynne-Eyton, who has carried outall the more recent test flying, says that in smooth air the machine flies quite well without use of the rudder. AtCruising revolutions a certain amount of rudder correction is required and it will be necessary to fit a rudder bias before the machine could be left to fly entirely happily by itsell. This wind, which was blowing'at about 10 or 15 m p.h. atground level, also militated against any estimation of a take- off run. In the circumstances this run, when the machine wasflown either two or one up, seemed to be well below the 120 yards which is officially given, and the machine can safely bepulled oft the. ground" at or near the stall and will after- wards gather speed at quite a considerable climbing angle. 1found that, contrary to usual low-wing characteristics, the machine wor.ld fly itself off if the take-off was made withoutlifting the. tail too high. For the shortest possible length of run it would probably be better to hold the tail well up andto pull the Cygnet off the ground when the needle moved beyond the 40 m.p.h. mark. . The controls are smooth and nicely balanced and only atvery high speeds were the ailerons at all heavy in operation. I did not fly the machine in its original form, but I am toldthat, though considered quite satisfactory at the time, the controls have undergone an all-round improvement. Half-hearted stalling experiments at a very safe height (themachine has not yet been put through its spinning tests) showed that this stall, with flaps either up or down, was quiteharmless and, if carried to its logical conclusion, resulted only in a momentary7 drop of the nose and, sometimes, of onewing. Aileron and rudder control faded out at practically' the same moment, apparently a few miles an hour above theactual stalling speed. A virtually infinite variety of positions is provided for theflap lever, and if the machine is not too near the ground or fly- C.W. CYGNET. ISO H.r. GIPSY MAJOR ENGINE.* Length ... 24 ft. 3 in.Span Mft. 6 in. Weight empty 1,2001b.All-up weight : : 1,WOH). Maximum speed ... 150 Ill.p.h.Cruising speed ... .:. ... ... ... ... ••• 130m.p.h. Stallingspeed .":. ... 45 ni.p.h.Rate of climb at sea-level 850ft./min. Range 050 miles.Makers : C.W. Aircraft, Ltd., Trading Estate, ?!ougi), Bucks.
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