FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0137.PDF
JANUARY 19, 1939 FLIGHT. 61 " Flight " photographs. who operate the school) with Air Comdre. Sydney Smith, A.O.C. e Ansons ; and on the right, Air Comdre. Sydney Smith is talking to The Air Force List THE January issue of the Air Force List has now been pub lished. It can be purchased (price 4s.) from H.M. Stationery Office at the following addresses: Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 120, George Street, Edinburgh; 2, York Street, Man chester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; 15, Donegall Square, Belfast; or through any bookseller. Flying Accidents THE Air Ministry regrets to announce the following accidents: — F/O. Ian Douglas Shields, L.A/C. Gordon Eric Betts, L.A/C. Henry Gilbert Stewart Briggs and Mr. Norman Hector Duff lost their lives in an accident which occurred near Dairy, Kirkcudbright shire, on January 9, to an aircraft of No. 10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Prestwick, Ayrshire. F/O. Shields was the pilot of the aircraft and L.A/C. Betts, L.A/C. Briggs and Mr. Duff were the other members of the crew. Sgt. George Anthony Bell (flying solo) lost his life in an acci dent which occurred at Derby on January 3, to an aircraft of No. 30 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Derby. Sgt. Eric James Beer and A/C.2 William Ingram are missing and are believed to have lost their lives as the result of an accident which occurred near Souter Point off the coast of Durham on January 13, to an aircraft of No. 106 (Bomber) Squadron, Thornaby, Yorkshire. Sgt. Beer was the pilot and A/C.2 Ingram the other member of the crew. SERVICE AVIATION (CONTINUED) Foreign Service News A Czech Bomber ON page 65 of this issue appear first photographs of the Aero A-300, a twin-engined day and night bomber and reconnaissance machine. Of Czech design, this type is of interest because it corresponds to the Blenheim and Dornier Do. 17 formula, i.e., com paratively small dimensions, high speed, two fully supercharged engines, and a crew of three. With the same power plant as the standard short-n^osed Blenheim (two Bristol Mercurys giving a maxi mum output of S40 h.p. at 14,000ft.), the speed" is claimed to be rather better though the range is shorter. The machine can hardly compare, of course, with the new long-nosed version of the Bristol (295 m.p.h., 1,900-mile range). The A-300 has a welded steel fuselage with fabric covering, and a wooden, ply-covered wing. The tail unit embodies twin fins and rudders. There is a movable belt-fed machine gun in the nose with the bomb sight behind. The flooring, which carries the seats and bomb sight, can be dismounted to make way for a camera. Remote controls for the wireless are operated by the observer. Behind the single-seater pilot's cockpit is the upper gun position, which em bodies a turret retractable by hydraulic or electric-and-hand power. While the turret is retracted the gunner has a reasonable field of view through a projection in its upper surface. When the machine is used for reconnaissance (or scouting, as the makers call it) thcie is a third gun position in the floor, the machine gun being attached to the edge of the opening, winch is normally covered by a door. General arrangement of the Czecho-Slovakian A-300 bomber. Photographs appear on p. 65. All the guns have optical sights. The bomber version of the A-300 carries 700 rounds of ammunition and the reconnaissance version 1,000 rounds. There is internal stowage for up to 2,200 lb. of bombs. Additional bombs may be carried externally. Equipped as a bomber the machine will carry its 2,200-lb. bomb load for 560 miles at 70 per cent, of the engine output. The top speed is about 292 m.p.h. at 18,000ft. The climb to 16,400ft. takes 9.04 min. Climb IT is reported that a new fighter built by the Curtiss-Wright Cor poration (presumably one of the two Allison-engined prototypes now on test) has given the following performance: climb to 5,000ft.. 1.6 min.; climb to 10,000ft., 2.8 min.; climb to 20,000ft., under 6 min.; cruising speed at 17,500ft., 300 m.p.h.; and ceiling, 35,000ft. Armour plating is fitted behind and beneath the pilot. If these figures are correct, the machine has a climb considerably better than that of the standard Hurricane as now in service; the
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
