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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1717.PDF
FLIGHT, July 31st, 1941. g very good looking, particu- larly in its Alclad unadorned by camouflage. States Navy contract since the last war. One unusual feature was the fitting of wing-tip retractable floats. This aircraft set up, in J935> a new international distance record of 3,443 miles non-stop, and, after that, made many suc- cessful long formation flights. The Catalina (Model 28), which has been so very successful as a reconnaissance flying boat in our hands, was, of course, publicised recently by the good work it did in making contact with the Bismarck. It was also a boat of this type which, while being delivered across the Atlantic, lost both its ailerons after the automatic pilot, jamming the aileron controls, caused the aircraft to dive almost to sea level before any sort of control was regained. It says much for the stability of the aircraft that her pilot managed to bring her home in very rough weather with- out any lateral control. The PBY has a semi-cantilever wing with the centre- section mounted on a streamline superstructure which allows the airscrews to be set up well clear of the water and also close inboard, thus reducing the yawing moment with one engine stopped. The motors are two 1,000 h.p. Twin Wasps and general dimensions are: Span 104ft., weight empty 14,240 lb., weight loaded 27,000 lb. Its top speed is 199 miles per hour with a ceiling of 25,000ft. and a range of 4,000 miles. When Cyclones are fitted the top speed rises to 206 miles per hour. On the question of the wing-tip retractable floats it does seem that the gain in performance by retraction must be extremely small as against the added weight and mechanical complication of the retraction gear. Breaking away from the PBY lines, Consolidated pro- duced the models 29 and 31, which were boats strongly reminiscent of Short practice with one transverse step and a knife-edge vertical rear step such as was first introduced in the Empire boats in 1936 by Shorts. These aircraft also have semi-retractable floats approximately half-way out on the span of the wing; they also embody a retractable tri- cycle beaching gear. The model 31 is powered by two Duplex Cyclones of 2,000 h.p. each and carries a crew of five; the span is 110ft. with a gross weight of 50,000 lb. This aircraft was hailed as the most efficient flying boat in the world, this possibly being due to the fact that it used the Davis aerofoil. Al Fresco Production The model 29 or XPB 2Y-1 is similar to the model 31 but is a four-engined version powered by 1,050 h.p. Twin Wasps. The latest of Consolidated types is the Liberator Model 32, which again uses the Davis aerofoil and is being delivered in considerable quantities to the R.A.F. This bomber, with tricycle landing gear, has an all-up weight of 41,000 lb., its span is 110ft., and it is powered by four 1,200 h.p. Twin Wasps. A very interesting point about its production is that 30 per cent, of the manufacturing operations are completed outdoors. The Consolidated Company obviously has here a very good ally in the Cali- . . r took pictures of Taranto Harbour after the Fleet Air Arm had dropped in to pay a call. lornian weather, for it such a system were attempted in this country the resulting manoeuvres would rather resemble the weather gadget where a little man with'an umbrella comes out when it rains and the lady comes out when -it is fine. The Liberator is very imposing in its night-bomber black, but one is struck by the very low ground clearance under the belly of the machine, which must make the bombing-up operations rather difficult. The structural work is extremely robust and the workmanship is excel- lent. It is understood, however, that the wing is con- structed in one piece, which may be of some advantage in production but. which will surely make repair schemes rather difficult. This aeroplane should be a very formid- able addition to our bombing force when British armament is installed. Quick Work In the summer of 1938 the Liberator was merely a drawing-board layout, but it has already been in full pro- duction for some time now, a remarkably good perform- ance for such a big aircraft. Although official performance details of this aeroplane are not available, the latest version (according to recent American reports) will fly at over 300 miles per hour, seven miles high, for 3,000-4,000 miles, and will be fully equipped with turrets and armour and carry a bomb load exceeding four tons. Its performance must be ascribed, to a great extent, to the Davis aerofoil with its very high L/D. By a recent agreement three firms are to build this air- craft in the States. Fords are building a large factory at Ypslanti which will provide assemblies for erection at two new factories under the control of Consolidated and Douglas, where continuous assembly lines, three abreast, will produce the aircraft at a rate of 50 per month. The Douglas Company, which was established in 1920, first made itself known to the British public by the excel- lent performance of the D.C.2 " Flying Hotel " in the Mac- Robertson race to Melbourne in 1934. This aircraft was developed from the D.C.i and followed on to the D.C.3. After that, Douglas became tricycle-minded in the D.C.4 and later in the D.C.5. This firm has always remained faithful to the single fin and rudder, as have Shorts in this country, in spite of the trend towards two or even three vertical surfaces. A military form of the D.C.3 is the B.18A bomber, powered by two Cyclones and having a top speed of 225 miles per hour. Three hundred and fifty of these are in service with the United States Air Corps. A further development of the 18A is the DB.28A, which is going into service over here under its R.A.F. name of the "Digby," and which can be used as a troop carrier accommodating 17 men (Paratroops?). The B.23 is another United States improvement on the 18A.
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