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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1470.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .- FOUNDED 1909 Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor C. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I Teleerami : Trnditnr, Sedlit, London. TelOJ&One : Waterloo 3333 150 lines). _T.«ilO, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone: Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrarns: Autopress. Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 Lues). 260, DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER, 3. **** Telegrams: Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 2CB, RENFIELD ST:. GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams.; Ihffe, Glasgow, Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home and Canada: Other Countries: Year, Year, £1 13 0. £1 16 0. 6 months, 16s. 6d. 6 months, 18s. Od. 3 months. 8s. 6d. 3 months, 9s. Od. No. 1586. Vol. XXXV. MAY 18, 1939. Thursdays, Price 6d. The Outlooks A Notable Occasion Y EAR in, year out, Flight keeps in touch with the Royal Air Force, describing the technical features of its new types of machines as those details are released for publication, recording and commenting on the developments and changes in its organisation, paying visits to individual squadrons and describing their work and recalling their war history. Once a year a special issue is brought out which is devoted almost entirely to the Royal Air Force. In former days this special number was always published in the week when the Display at Hendon was held. That gorgeous spectacle is now a thing of the past, but its mantle has fallen upon Empire Air Day, and so the week in which that day occurs has been chosen for our special R.A.F. issue. It is a day on which the Air Force is host to the British public, and that public warmly welcomes the chance of seeing for itself something of the inner workings of what has become the most popular of the fighting Services. It is the only day in the year on which many people have a chance of seeing an aero plane at close quarters, let alone climbing into a cock pit and working the controls—in fact, of doing almost everything that the public loves to do except flying the machine and writing their names upon (or through) its wings. Filled with a desire to learn all that can be learnt about the R.A.F., the public will, we believe, welcome the information given in this special issue of Flight; and we hope that the officers and men in the Service will also find in it much to approve. The Fleet Air Arm has not this year opened any of its four ground stations to the public, but it must be remem bered that Navy Week is not far ahead, and that then a fine display of naval air work will be given to the public; so the result will be two air occasions instead of one. Atlantic Delays T HE official statement issued by Imperial Airways last Thursday evening, that it will not be possible to start the Atlantic experimental flights on June i as planned, confirms our forecast in Flight of April 27, when we predicted that it was unlikely that these flights could start on the scheduled date. It is, of course, obvious that before the crossings could be undertaken with that degree of confidence which is necessary, some hundreds of hours test flying of the new boats should be made over home waters. The delay in delivering the boats ready for refuelling has prevented such tests from being made up till now. The delay is regrettable because capital will un doubtedly be made of it by those who are ever ready to detract from British flying achievements. Actually there is nothing seriously wrong, and to prevent exaggerations from being spread about it seems wise to state the true facts. So far as we have been able to ascertain them they are as follows: — Certain cooling problems were encountered during taxying trials, and when those had been- overcome it was discovered that, during aerial refuelling, the petrol sys tem tended to allow one tank to fill and overflow before the others had filled up. It is only a matter of incor porating certain valves in the system, and then this trouble should disappear. There is nothing very alarm ing in any of these difficulties, andthey will undoubtedly be overcome very shortly. But when they are there will, as we have already said, have to be a period of ex periment before the actual Atlantic nights can begin. In the meantime,. Sir Alan Cobham is ready at Ford to do his share of the refuelling tests. Two of the tankers are already at Botwood, in Newfoundland, the crews are trained and ready to begin, and from the moment the flying boats are received there should be no delay in making the final tests.
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