FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0206.PDF
d FLIGHT ^January 2yd, 1941 NEW, AMERICAN BOMBER (C o n t i ri u e d) engine nacelles project well for-d of the wing, which is placed slightly above centre of fuselage JOI Britain. The company is also manufacturing an- other important type, the Martin PBM, a flying boat patrol bomber for the U.S. Navy. The B-26 has several modern features worthy of comment. The moulded plastic nose is free of all structural supporting members except one horizontal one is of a most efficient aerodynamic pe. The four-bladed airscrew is a Very late development and will be of smaller diameter than a three-blader of the same power, but it will also be slightly less efficient. The drop in efficiency due to increase of number of blades may, however, be offset by the lower tip speed which the four- blader will have. Sheet metal cuffs on the inner parts of the blades will be noticed. The function of these is to make the round part of the blades a more efficient shape and so drive more the engine. The three inlets an,cooling air into the engine cowling are, no doubt, the oil cooler and car-11 burettor air intakes. Cooling gills on the air outlets of the engines are on the lower halves of the cowlings so that this exit flow does not interfere with air flow over the wing. BOOK REVIEWS Dynamic Defence. By Capt. Liddell Hart. (Faber and Faber, 2s. 6d. net.) IT has been charged against Capt. Liddell Hart that he hasbeen discredited because he used to uphold the power of the defence, whereas in the present war German attacks havebeen successful. In this little book he combats the charge, pointing out'that he had advocated "dynamic defence," andhad prophesied the success of the tank used in connection with aircraft. He complains that in the British Army the possi-bilities of the tank have never been properly realised and developed. Dive Bomber, by Robert A. Winston. (Harrap. 3s. 6d.) THE author of this book was an American newspaper-manand he wanted to fly. But the flying-school on Long Island wanted 18 dollars an hour and this was going to teartoo big a hole in his pay-cheque. Then a friend pointed out that the Navy wanted pilots. The upshot of it was that hewent to the Naval Reserve Aviation Base at Floyd Bennett Field, signed on the dotted line and, in due course, began histraining behind a 250 h.p. Wright Whirlwind in " the sluggish, dependable old NY." His book tells the story of his progress via the Navy'straining school at Pensacola, where he learnt to handle all types of service aircraft, including the big flying-boats; tofly in formation, to make deck-landings, and dive-bombing attacks, and to navigate by night. Ultimately he was postedfor active service in a fighter-squadron with the fleet on the West-coast. Finally he returns to Pensacola as an instructorwith more houis to his credit than the man who gave him his first lessons and who "bawled him out" for his mistakesbut who, after they had landed, always changed into a quirt, cordial, friendly soul who explained his errors and " ironed-out " most of his difficulties. Mr. Winston has a pleasantly direct style and a sure de-scriptive touch whether he is dealing with some phase of life in the Navy or a near squeak in the air. Many readers willbe familiar with most of the racy Americanisms which have current expression in the flying circles of that country, butfor the benefit of those who might be mystified by such terms as "cutting the gun," a "flipper-turn," and a "wing-over,"a very complete glossary is appended. The only point that is not explained is why the author chose the title of DiveBomber, since every phase of American naval flying-training is covered from cadet to commissioned officer, but perhaps itis to be found in his expressed opinion that dive-bombing is the most thrilling part of it all. Production Engineering, Jig and Tool Design, by E. ]. H.Jones, M.I.Prod.E. (G. Newnes, Ltd., 12s. 6d.) MR. JONES brings to the reader of l$is book a most im-portant contribution to the knowledge of modern pro- duction methods.It is in the tool room that production really begins to fulfil (or not) the obligations imposed upon the factory by its plan-ning department. We have seen too often the ambitions of production thwarted by the tool room; vision and imaginationare not, sadly enough, part and parcel of the average tool maker. Mr. Jones has imagination, and much more than thishe has the happy knack of being able to write with desirable quality. The reader finds in this book, not only awealth of information and valuable hints and tips and handy ideas, but also a sound basis for building up and utilising tothe full an efficient jig and tool department. There is one point about which there may be difference ofopinion. Mr. Jones considers that the tool maker should re- member that the operative has brains and that the jig or toolshould be such that it quickens the interest. This is not con- sistent with actual practice. It has been found that the moreautomatic the action the faster the speed of the operator. Since machine speed can neither be hastened or slackened bythe operator, jig loading and picking up and putting aside can be the only operations which require attention by theworker To have to think about these elements is to slow the floor-to-floor time, which in these days is unthinkable. Thebook is well worth the published price, for both student and works manager. Sea Power. By 7".124. (Jonathan Cape, 8s. 6d.) THIS author, so we are told on the jacket, is a well-knownwriter obliged to use a pen-name on this occasion. His views on sea-power are extremely interesting and may be thesummit of wisdom, but his chapter on "The Influence of Air on Sea Power '' is disappointing. He never really comes to gripswith his subject. The success of the Dunkerque evacuation he attributes entirely to the Royal Navy, and overlooks the partplayed by the R.A.F. Fighter Command. That part was not overlooked by the Prime Minister, who said that the R.A.F.had then won "a victory."
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
