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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0582.PDF
-200 FLIGHT. MARCH 2, i939 THE OUTLOOK (CONTINUED) signed and manufactured everything themselves. Undercarriages, airscrews,' engine mountings and so forth all* came within the purview of the aircraft designer. With the introduction and almost general adoption of metal airscrews, of fixed or variable pitch, the design and manufacture of airscrews passed out of the aircraft designer's hands and into those of specialist firms. When engine installations became really complicated by the increasing number of accessories demanded, and when the specific powers developed began to make cool ing problems exacting, the engine manufacturers felt they ought to have a considerable say in the design of the power installation. When the retractable under carriage came to be almost universally adopted, many aircraft firms continued to do their own designing, al though quite a large percentage turned to the specialist firms. One may disregard the fact that Mr. Dowty is an "interested party," and examine the problem purely on technical grounds. Designing a retractable under carriage is a task demanding specialised knowledge and experience. But is it not a fact that nearly every one of the aircraft firms which have changed over to doing their own undercarriage work have done so not because they particularly wanted to but because, at the time, the specialist firms were not in a position to guarantee delivery by the specified date? We admit that the position may have changed by now, but most of the undercarriages which have failed recently were designed some months, or even years, ago, v*hen the delivery question was serious. Atlantic Items T WO Albatross machines which had been ordered with the idea of trying them out on the Atlantic crossing are to be handed over to Imperial Air ways for regular service elsewhere. This will ease the pressure on the company's fleet which has followed on the withdrawal of the Ensign machines. One cannot help wondering what will be said on the other side of the Atlantic about this change of plan, for unfortunately there is a section of the Press in the United States which persists in misunderstanding every decision taken by Imperial Airways. For instance, when the British company announced that it would start flights across the Atlantic in June, as soon as the waters in Newfoundland were free from ice, the comment was that the Americans were ready to start earlier but were held up because the British were not ready. An earlier start is only possible on the Azores route, which is not affected by ice; and the Cabot class of boats, which rely on fuelling in the air, cannot use that route, while the Boeing 314 boats can do so. As was announced by the Under-Secretary for Air in the House of Commons the stipulation in the agreement which provides for simultaneous starts has been waived, and if a Boeing boat arrives in the British Isles before June 1 it will be made welcome. It has been announced that one of these boats will cross to Lisbon next week. It will prob ably come up to Southampton. The North American Terminus A NOTHER instance was this. A change in the American arrangements for licensing routes made it necessary for Imperial Airways to make a new application to the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the States for leave to fly to New York, and it is expected that that permission will shortly be granted. In the meantime, Imperial Airways announced that, while they hoped to fly to New York, in any case they would fly from Foynes to Montreal. This has also been mis understood in parts of the United States, and the Evening Sun, of Baltimore, for instance, wrote: "What they (i.e., the British) have been discussing recently has been a scheme to land all of their planes in Canada— a scheme which would keep the North American base on English (sic) soil and would thus enable them to monopolise the service in both directions." There is no such desire on the part of the British. We want to fly to New York, and we shall do so if the Civil Aero nautics Authority grants permission, which, we hope and believe, will very soon be the case. In the meantime New Zealand is awaiting the re newal of the Pan-American service to Auckland, which has been held up for over a year by the American com pany's shortage of flying boats. The first of the Boeing 314 boats is now on the Pacific coast, and so the service may soon be resumed. But even with six of these new boats it is hard to see how Pan-American Airways will be able to maintain full services across both the Pacific and the Atlantic in the coming summer. The American- French service between New York and Marseilles is not, we understand, the concern of Pan-American Airways. According to a recent agreement that service will be operated by Export Air Lines. Forthcoming Events MARCH. R.Ae.S. Students' Section Lecture: "Plastics," by M. Langley, A.M. Inst. N.A., M.I.Ae.E. R.Ae.S.Portsmouth Branch Lecture: "Plastics," by G. Dring, M.A., B.Sc, F.I.C. Tues., 14th. R.Ae.S. Belfast Branch : Film on Steel Making, with commentary by J. G. Hopcraft, M.C., A.M.I.Ae.E. Wed., 15th. R.U.S.I. Lecture: "Work of the R.A.F. on the N.W. Frontier," by Group Capt.N. H. Bottomley, C.I.E., D.S.O., A.F.C. Thurs., 16th. R.Ae.S. Lecture*: "Relative Merits of Car buretters and Direct Petrol Injection," by J.E.Ellor,F.R.Ae.S.,andF.M.Owner,F.R.Ae.A. Thurs., 30th. R.Ae.S. Lecture: "The Problem of Ancillary Power Services on Aircraft," by R. H. Chaplin, B.Sc, A.F.R.Ae.S.,andF. Nixon, B.Sc,R.Ae.S. APRIL. Tues. Thurs. 7th. 9th. Sat. 15th. Opening of West Hartlepool Airport by the Secretary of State for Air. • All these lectures take place at 6.30 p.m. at the Institution Thurs., Thurs., Sat., Sat., Thurs., Sat., Man., Sat., Sat., Sat., 20th. 4th. 13th. 20th. 25th. 27th. 29th. 24th. 8th. 29th. of Mechanical R.Ae.S. Lecture*: "Possible Steel Develop ments," by Dr. T. Swinden, F.R.Ae.S. MAY. . . . R.Ae.S. Lecture*: " Strength of Thin Metal Construction," by H. L. Cox. R.Ae.S. Garden Party. Empire Air Day. R.Ae.S.: Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture by Dr. G. W. Lewis. London-I.O.M. Race. Manx Air Derby and Tynwald Race. JUNE. Royal Air Force Garden Party. JULY. -Sun., 23rd. Brussels Aero Show. -Sun., 30th. Frankfurt International Flying Meeting. Engineers. Storey's Gate, London, S.W.I.
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