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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 2233.PDF
AUGUST 4, 1938. FLIGHT. in A Southern Star (7 c.c. Mighty Midget) of the type described on this page. MODELS By M. R. KNIGHT Petrol Power Panorama SUBSTANTIAL progress in all directions has been made with petrol-engined models in recent months. Three years ago five of these craft flew at Heath Row in the S.M.A.E. contest for the Sir John Shelley Cup, and lulls of an hour between attempts were not uncommon. This year the same contest attracted thirty-six entries, and with the forty-one entered for the Bowden Trophy, models were con tinuously in the air from n o'clock until dusk. With the exception of two biplanes all the machines were of the well- tried high-wing type, and ranged from the 40 in. span ii lb. Satellite (2.4 c.c. Trojan) of Mr. E. Ross to the 9 ft. span 6 lb. monocoque of Mr. A. Wilson. The biggest engine was an inverted 15 c.c. Atom Minor in Mr. W E. Evans' high- wing model. This machine has made over one hundred flights without untoward incident. One model folded its wings and disintegrated as it hit the ground, but otherwise mishaps were confined to a few cases of overturning in taking- off in the choppy wind which sprang up at the close of a perfect day. The S.M.A.E. has formulated sound rules for the safe opera tion of, petrol-powered craft. Flying is barred from public open spaces, a time switch limiting the engine run to two minutes must be employed, and every model must bear its official S.M.A.E. registration. Both the Bowden and the Shelley contests were designed to promote reliability and control, and officials and competitors went about their busi ness in a manner calculated to inspire confidence in the S.M.A.E. management of power flying. The assembled company was welcomed over the micro phone by Mr. Richard Fairey, president of the Hayes and District M.A.C. The Bowden. • Trophy TN the Bowden International contest three unassisted rise- -*- off-ground flights of 40-60 sec. were stipulated with loss of points for duration above or below this range. Failure to start the engine within three minutes of the competitor's name being called involved disqualification in that round. Extra points were awarded for an undamaged or only slightly damaged model. The absence of foreign entries was understandable in a year when the Wakefield contest is not being held in this country. Two competitors scored 120 points, and three further flights were made before Mr. E. Ross (Essex Power M.A.C.) was able to beat his opponent and win the cup. He flew a Southern Star, a picture and brief description of which appear on this page. The runner-up was Mr. L. A. George, of the Hayes Club, whose modified American-type constant-chord high-wing (6 c.c. Baby Cyclone) was charac terised by the small amount of, dihedral. Mr. S. T. Grant's 5 ft. biplane Grampus, though scarcely a thing of beauty, flew exceptionally well. It is hoped to publish a description in due course. Certain contestants found the flat glide of their models a difficult factor in secur ing the stipulated flight duration. For instance, Mr. T. W. Longley (R.A.F.. Halton) obtained a flight of 88 sec. with Petrol Progress ; Safety Regulations a 15 sec. engine run, and only kept within the required range by setting the time switch for 10 sec. Several other British-built American designs shaped well, including Mr. S. R. Crow's 5 ft. 6 in. cabin high-wing Buccaneer, Mr. P. W. Clempson's 7 ft. 6 in. Super-Buccaneer, and Mr. R. Brigden's Zephyr, a 6 ft. cabin high-wing with typically American wing, constant chord for the major portion of the span, and sharply dihedralled elliptical , tips. The Sir John Shelley Cup THE Shelley Cup rules called for two flights of 60 sec. and one of 45 sec, with loss of points for duration above or below these figures, and complete forfeiture for a landing beyond the aerodrome boundary. Three competitors scored 57 points, and an additional "nearest to 45 sec." attempt was imposed to decide the winner. This proved to be Mr. J. S. Wreford (Essex Power M.A.C.), who achieved 47 sec. with a constant-- chord high-wing of his own design. It had a span of 5 ft. 11 in., an overall length of 4 ft. 9 in., 781 sq. in. of wing-area, and a total weight of 4 lb. 12 oz. The fuselage was of hardwood, silk covered, and wings and tail of balsa covered with bamboo paper. An inverted American 9 c.c. Ohlsson was employed. Mr. F. J. Almond (N. Kent M.A.S.) secured second place with a constant-chord high-wing of, original design, weighing 4 lb. 5 oz. and powered with an American 7J c.c. Gwin Aero. The span was 6 ft. 9 in., the chord 10 in., and the section RAF 32, balsa, spruce, and hard plywood were the construc tional materials, the covering being bamboo paper finished with aluminium dope. Mr. J. C. Gardner (Banbury D.M.A.C.) came third with an original high-wing of about 7 ft. span. A Winner THE Southern Star, with which Mr. Ross won the Bowden Trophy, is a small cabin version of his 1936 Shelley Cup winner, which was described in Flight of September 3 of that year. Built for heavy duty, spruce has been substituted for balsa for all parts except the ribs. The covering material is Jap silk, doped, and finished with cellulose paint. The two-piece wing has a span of 6 ft. 6 in. and a section l\ times the depth of Clark Y. A backswept leading edge tapers the chord from 8 in. to n in. The tailplane has a lift ing section, but is set at 2 deg. negative incidence. Brass rods projecting from the fine-base pass through the tail-plane and through plywood plates in the fuselage and are secured with nuts. The American 7 c.c. Mighty Midget normally turns the satin-walnut airscrew of 14 in. diameter and 8 in. pitch at 3,000 r.p.m., but full throttle gives 7,000 r.p.m. The model weighs 3J lb., and the wing loading is 7! oz. per sq. ft. « * * The Lady Shelley Cup has been won in a nearest to 45 sec' seaplane contest held by the S.M.A.E. at Danson Park by Mr. T. W. Wickens (N. Kent M.A.S.). He clocked 44.5 sec. rise- off-water with a constant-chord high-wing cabin model of 33 in. span, 129 sq. in. loading and 23 in. overall length. Three flat- bottomed floats were used. An airscrew of 12 in. diameter and 12 in. pitch was turned by five strands of £ in. Pirelli rubber. » » « The N. Kent Model Aircraft Society will hold a flying-boat contest for the Roberts Trophy at Danson Park, Welling, at 3 p.m. on October 2. A member of this club, Mr. H. Sayers, recently achieved an unassisted rise-ofl-water flight of 37 sec. with a io| oz. boat with a rubber skein in a nacelle under each wing. , A message from Dr. A. P. Thurston, president of the S.M.A.E., announces that Great Britain has won the King Peter Cup and all first prizes in the contest just concluded in Yugoslavia. Eight countries participated. Mr. R. Copland (Northern Heights M.F.C.) is understood to have set up a world record. The other Britishers were Messrs. R. N. Bullock and E. Chasteneuf, (Blackheath MFC.) and J. Worden (T.M.A.C.). The British team was enabled to attend in person through the munificence of Lord Wakefield.
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