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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1545.PDF
MAY 26, 1938. FLIGHT. SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Official ••'•'. -:: Announcements': Fleet Air Arm • News : Military Aviation Abroad \: • ' ' New Aircraft - IT has become possible to refer to the performances attainedby certain new military machines. The Westland Lysander Army co-operation monoplane wHh Mercury XII moderately supercharged engine, flying at an all-up weight of 5,920 lb. (the empty weight is 4,065 lb.), has given the following results : Speed at sea level, 206 m.p.h. ; at 5,000ft., 220 m.p.h.; at 10,000ft., 229 m.p.h.; at 15,000ft., 223 m.p.h.; climb to 5,000ft., 3.1 min.; to 10,000, 6.8 min.; to 15.000, 11.4 min.; service ceiling, 26,000ft.; and range, 600 miles at 150 m.p.h. The stalling speed, due to the slots and flaps, is, of course, exceptionally low and the take-off remarkably short. Front and rear guns are specified and bombs may be carried in faired racks which look like stub wings. The production Lysanders have camouflage finish. The Perseus engine is specified for the Lysander II which will be delivered after the Mercury-powered machines have been despatched. The top speed of the Fairey P.4/34 light bomber (1,050 h.p. Merlin) has been quoted as 283 m.p.h. at 15,000ft., though it is believed that even better results have been obtained. This machine should lend itself very well for development as a fighter. The Hawker Henley, designed to the same specification and ordered in quantity, is now officially classed as a target-towing aircraft. Figures are not available, but speed quoted for the Faitey gives an indication of its potentialities. Alternative engines to the Pegasus in the Vickers Wellington are Rolls-Royce Merlins or Bristol Hercules. Two-speed blowers are to be expected. Announcement has just been made of the new Reid and Sigrist monoplane trainer, a private venture three-seater with two Gipsy Six engines, which should give a speed of over 200 m.p.h. The span is only 32ft. 6in. and the all-up weight about 5,000 lb. Details will be forthcoming shortly. New R.A.F.V.R. Centres A RRANGEMENTS have been completed for the entry of per-A sonnel for training as pilots at three new R.A.F.V.R. centres, at Grimsby, Nottingham and Oxford. This brings the total of suchcentres to twenty-five. Coventry R.A.F.V.R. WELL over 500 people attended the dance at the Drill Hall,Coventry, on Friday, May 13, to celebrate the official open- ing of Keresley Grange, the new Town Centre of the R.A.F. Volun-teer Reserve at Coventry. Transfers to Middle East Command ' NO. 80 Squadron (Gladiatois) and Nos. 113 and 211 Squadrons"(Hinds) have arrived in Egypt to supplement the eight squad- rons of the Middle East Command. The appearance of Blenheimsand Wellesleys in the Middle East may be taken as an indication of further re-equipment. ; Renaissance in New Zealand MR. JONKS, the Minister for Defence for New Zealand, hasannounced that the expenditure on civil and military aviation kist year was ^567,000. In his policy speech he stated that theGovernment had established the Air Force as a separate service, approved the formation of two new operational stations, establisheda training school for pilots and approved the establishment of a repair and storage depot. Five Airspeed Oxfords have been ordered for training and surveywork and the operational squadrons will be armed with thirty Vickers Wellington (happv name!) bombers.Approval for the formation of four Territorial squadrons has been given and twenty-nine Blackburn BafBns have been acquired atvery low cost from Air Ministry reserves. New Zealanders are being accepted for Short Services Commissionsin the R.A.F. The permanent-New -Zealand Air Force personnel will be raisedto 900 by 1940. l ' phvtouraph. The Airspeed Oxford twin-engined trainer demonstrates its agility at Martlesham. ; : Qift of a Bomber ''- 'T'Hli president of the Bank of New South Wales has given-J- /io,5oo to the Commonwealth Government " for the purchase of a modern bomber," and in the hope that others will followhis example. The machine should be ready within two months. At the Royal Tournament •O NE of the most satisfying items in the programme of the RoyalTournament, in progress at Olympia, London, until June 4, is the physical training display by 128 recruits of the Royal AirForce. The men, oi an average age of 19 years and four months' service, demonstrate figure marching in double time, maze marching,and club-swinging- They give their display to the music of the Royal Air Force Band. v .:: . .: : Flying Accident ••"•••-, ^ THE Air Ministry regrets to announce that N0.-561216 Cpl. LeonardFrancis Stone and No. 565853 A/Cr William John Ashtonare missing and believed to have lost their lives as the result of a collision in the air which occurred at Seletar, Straits Settlements,on May 18, between two aircraft of No. 100 (T.B.) Sqn., Seletar. Cpl. Stone and A/C. Ashton were the members of the crew of oneaircraft, the pilot of which, F/O. Frank Howard Roberts, was rescued. The occupants of the other aircraft were not injured. ..' Old Haltonian Continental Tour IN view of the great success of last year's tour to Belgium, Ger-many and Austria it has been suggested that another tour forex-Haltort apprentices should be arranged this year. The_ tour will probably be during the first fortnight in August. It will be open toall ranks, but, except by special application, it will be limited to ex-apprentices and past and present members of the staff of one ofthe R.A.F. Schools of Technical Training. Anyone interested should communicate at once with Mr. A. C. Kermode, Purwell Mill House,Hitchin, Herts.
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