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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0395.PDF
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1941. 135 CHARIOTS FOR THE CLAMOUR BOYS (Continued) FIRST TWIN-ENGINED : A number of Bristol Blenheims were convertedto fighters by the addition of a fixed -battery of four Browning guns under"—the fuselage. As an escort fighter "'. and for night work it has done well.• Two 840 h.p. Bristol Mercury engines. Speed of Mark I, 285 m.p.h. and will blow over easily. On rough ground it is like the proverbial ' cat on hot bricks.' "The flying qualities of the Pup might be compared to the Tiger Moth with not so positive controls, and it had, of course, an unreliable engine. The all-up weight was about 1,100 lb. compared with the 1,800 for the Tiger Moth and 6,500 for the Hurricane, and possibly 11,000 to 12,000 for the single- seater of the future. "I have made much of the difficulty of throttle control on the Pup. It was a real difficulty, and its misuse was responsible for a great number of accidents. This applies only to rotary engines; the S.E.5 and the Spad, being fitted with Hispano engines, had the normal throttle control. "The closed cockpit, although not used, did exist, and the S.E.4 at Farnborough had one. This, however, was to prqjetff the pilot from the rush of air and make certain that he could breathe comfortably.! The maximum METROPOLITAN POLICEMAN : The Supermarine Spitfire,famous of fund and fights, has been used almost entirely for Home Defence. It has the same engine and armamentas the Hurricane, with which it is contemporary. Speed of Mark I, 367 m.p.h. diiectional gyro or turn indicator—and if he is lost above the clouds there is no radio to help him home. " To ^et back into the aerodrome, 'B' has to think quite a' lot. Undercarriage down, flaps down, and air- screw to fine pitch, keeping a careful watch on the airspeed indicator. ' A,' on the other hand, just throttles down ' to a fast tickover and uses the thumb-switch on the control column if he wants a little more engine. There is quite a big difference in the method of approach. Pilot A,' on his lightly loaded aeroplane, can do ' S' turns and sideslips, while Pilot 'B' has to watch his speed very carefully, and knows that if he stalls he will not have enough height to recover. His normal approach is the straight glide for the last few hundred feet with a certain amount of engine. "From then on the Hurricane pilot has, I think, an easier job. He has an excellent undercarriage without re- bound, brakes to prevent him swing- ing, and a high wing-loading which causes his machine to ' stay put' even >n a strong wind. The Pup, being loaded at about 7 lb. per sq! ft., is extremely touchy DIVE-BOMBER AND FIGHTER :The Blackburn Roc—a development of the Skua—has the same armamentas the Defiant. It is, however, a specialised type for service with theFleet and is stressed for dive-bombing. Engine, 900 h.p. Bristol Perseus. Speednot released. SPECIALISED : Designed, according to Air MarshalJoubert, for night fighting, the Boulton Paul Defiant has a power-operated turret with four Brownings. Engine,1,065 h.p. Rolls-Royce Merlin. Speed not released.
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