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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0897.PDF
and•^AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD .• FOUNDED WO9 Editor C. M. POULSEN Editorial, Advertising and Managing Editor G. GEOFFREY SMITH Publishing Offices : DORSET Telegrams : Truditur, Sedist, London. 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: No. 1631. Vol. XXXVII. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS, NAVIGATION ST., BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 lines). Home and Canada: Year, £1 13 Other Countries : Year, £1 16 MARCH 28, HOUSE, STAMFORD Telephone : Waterloo Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL STREET, LONDON, S.E.I 3133 (50 lines). 260, DEANSGATE, 26B, RENFIELD ST., MANCHESTER, 3. GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams ; Iliffe, Manchester. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow, Telephone: Blackfriars 4412 Telephone : Central 4857. 0. 6 months. 16s. 6d. 0. 6 months, 18s. Od. 1940. 3 months, 8s. 3d. 3 months, 9s. Od. Thursdays, Price 6d. The Outlooks '*; Hundred Octane * : r ; ?T HE article Fighter Station in this issue contains a significant reference to the use of fuel of IOCH octane number by our fighters. Precise figures for the increase in performance attained are not im- mediately available, but it may be said that in an emergency the Merlin engines as used in the Spitfires and Hurricanes can be boosted to a pressure of I2lb. It is also permissible to state that with its two-speed supercharger in high gear and operating on ioo-octane fuel the Merlin R.M.2S.M. engine has a maximum out- put at 16,750ft. of 1,145 h.p. The effect of the forward- facing air intake will raise considerably the height for maximum speed. Like other nations, America has for some time past used ioo-octane fuel in limited quantities for her mili- tary aircraft. Lately she has adopted it as a standard, and we may refer to the performance figures for the Republic single-seater of the type used by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The top speed is increased by five m.p.h. (to 315 m.p.h.) ; the maximum rate of climb is •3,150 ft./min. instead of 2,950 ft./min., and the ceiling •is raised from 29,500ft. to 31,500ft. These increases do not represent such improvements as are claimed for a Continental machine with a Bristol Mercury XV. Using ioo-octane fuel the top speed is 260 m.p.h. at 17,300ft. whereas with "87" it was 236 m.p.h. at 15,700ft. The rate of climb to 19,500ft. is reduced by four minutes. The immense improvement in the range of the Bristol Blenheim can be attributed directly to the use of ioo- octane fuel which permits take-off at a much higher all-up weight. Actually the Mercury now gives 1,050 h.p. for take-off, compared with 830 h.p. Whatever the gains which accrue from the use of the new fuel in our Spitfires, Hurricanes and Defiants, it is certain that they now have an even better chance of catching and shooting down raiders. Exchange of PersonnelA FACILITY which has existed for many years in the educational sphere might well be applied to aeronautical activities within the Empire. It has long been a custom for teachers of all grades and uni- versity lecturers in the Dominions and Colonies who seek overseas experience to arrange an exchange with an "opposite number" in the United Kingdom. After approval by their respective authorities the two ex- change posts for a definite period, usually a year, and do each other's work. Innumerable examples of this exchanging are avail- able, and in all cases the results have been most bene- ficial to all concerned. The teachers have their technical and general horizons extended; their students benefit by receiving instruction from persons who have some knowledge of countries other than their own ; and the teaching authorities benefit by the rise in qualifications and experience of their staffs after the exchange is completed. The aeronautical industry is now being actively and permanently established in Canada and Australia, and strong bodies of technical men are being gathered, together. There is no need to enlarge upon the advan- tages of exchange jobs for such men. The value of interchange of technical ideas and contact with people of other parts of the Empire is self-evident and will be seen to the full in the peace which will have to be won when this war is over. It is unlikely that any exchanges could be brought about during wartime, but our reason for bringing the idea up at this stage is that such things take considerable time to arrange and must be got under way now to take effect after the war. The establishment of such a scheme would be aided if those people desiring to exchange made their wishes known to those in authority above them. think that the exchange system can be applied
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