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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1311.PDF
MAY 12, 1938. FLIGHT. 459 Military Aircraft Entertain 4,000 Visitors d 'affaires and air attaches of a dozen nations; members of the Parliamentary Air Committee; and high officers of the Air Council and Royal Air Force. And among the aeroplanes—but where to begin amid such a wealth of fabric, metal and wood shining in cool, intermittent sunlight? By force of numbers, a line of six Bristol Blenheims of No. 61 (B.) Squadron, from Hemswell, Lincoln, at once took the eye. Yet perhaps it would be wisest to commence with the aircraft which were demonstrated for the edification of the visitors on Mr. C. R. Fairey's expansive greensward. Where flying characteristics permitted, demonstrations were given in pairs. The Cub. Sport (4oh.p. Continental)—late Taylor Cub—and the Chilton monoplane (32 h.p. Carden) led off. Mr. P. B Elwell, in the former, put this cabin tandem- seater into a nice variety of postures to prove its controlla- bility, his offerings including a series of tight loops and some aileron turns. Mr. R. L. Porteous, evidently determined to consolidate the favourable opinions which had been center- ing round the pretty single-seater Chilton as it stood on the ground, indulged in a series of " shootings-up " at high speed and negligible altitude, the little Carden humming as sweetly 'as any sewing machine. At one time he " dusted " the grass at a good 100 m.p.h. It was a stroke of showmanship to put something as big as the Vickers Wellington (two Pegasus) next on the list. Look- ing a " heavy " rather than the " medium " which (until such classification was recently abandoned) it was officially desig- nated, it made a grimly inspiring sight as Fit. Lt. Summers took it skyward in a series of steep climbing turns, the sun- light glinting dully on camouflage and windows ; perhaps it was as well that Mr. B. N. Wallis was not with us, earlier, to overhear an observation by a sweet young thing after a close study of the geodetics through the fuselage windows: " I wonder why the window frames are so strong and com- plicated? It must be to prevent the glass blowing in when the thing is going fast." Percivality The programme returning to pairs again, Capt. Percival flew his new Q.6 (two Gipsy Sixes) in company with a Vega Gull (one ditto) in the hands of Mr. D. M. Bay. Never can a family resemblance between two aircraft of different types from the same factory have been more clearly marked. Most people were seeing Capt. Percival's little airliner for the first time, and most, one feels, liked its looks. In spite of the established cult of retractability there is something pleasing about the appearance of a neatly trousered undercart on a twin-engined low-wing monoplane. The " Q ship," by the way, cruises at 183 m.p.h. Mr. H. W. Skinner was down to fly the Phillips and Powis Kestrel-engined trainer, but the machine was an absentee, and he took up a Magister instead, putting it through a convinc- ing series of aerobatics which included two longish spins. There followed the tricycle-wheeled Monospar, now sold to the Air Ministry for research and wearing R.A.F. colours. Mr. Hollis Williams persistently took it off and put it down— hard, from a variety of angles—in order to prove that from such'treatment the new redesigned undercarriage emerges not only unbroken, but also unbent. He showed, too, how the ground-ha-dling qualities of the tricycle resemble those of a car rather than of an aeroplane. Performing at the same time was the Taylorcrait, which is, f'" " Flight " pl-.viograph. Somebody wanted to know if Calpnrnia had been well greased underneath—just in case.
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