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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1359.PDF
JUNE 25TH, 1942 FLIGHT 651 assured. Recovery will, therefore,, be easy, provided the stall takes place at a reasonable height from the ground. However, there is aways the possibility of a stall near the ground, which may be reached before the glider has had room in which to pull out of even the short and mild dive following a stall, so in order to give the pilot as much protection as possible, a cockpit encloses him. This is not only much safer than the open saddle usually em ployed on primary trainers, but provide-, better aero dynamic properties and increases the glider's performance especially when soaring flight is to be attempted. Having in mind a towed launch by car or even by Tiger Moth, the wing has been given a greater safety factor than is uusally found on gliders of this type (the ultimate load factor is 10). Its leading-edge up to the main spar is ply wood covered, the rear portion being fabric covered. The -<&MB& *'PS nave special reinforcements for handling on the "Maps and Elementary Meteorology for Airmen." By W. Myerscough. Pitman 3s. bd. I NTENDED chiefly for airmen who have completed their yiementary training in the A.T.C., this book takes them i^Wough the more advanced requirements of the Initial Train ing Wing. It includes a series of sample problems in navigation with special reference to the triangle of velocities and the Mer- cator plotting map. Finally it refers to meteorology and its application to the altimeter and air speed indicator. "Air Navigation for Cadets." By D. E. Webster. J. M. Dent and Sons, Lid. 25. bd. W E have lost count, now, of the number of books on air navigation which have appeared during the past six months or so. This is one more addition to their number and it runs through the usual phases of the subject—map reading, the compass, triangle of velocities and so forth, to the begin nings of meteorology. Like all its predecessors, it should fulfil its purpose admirably. "Astro-Navigation, Part IV." By Francis Chichester. George Allen and Unwin. 45. bd. T ^HE objects of this book, which supplements the first three /J|>n the same subject by the same author, are to help an observer to iearn enough of the subject for position-fixing in the air without using up too much of an instructor's valuable time, and to serve as a refresher for the man who has already mastered astro-navigation but who has not touched a sextant for perhaos two or three months; often the most brilliant ground and these also serve as protecting skids when landing. As will be seen in the illustrations, the tail unit is carried on two spars and is of large area. Fixed surfaces are ply wood covered, elevators and rudder fabric covered. Wing and tailplane are both strut-braced and wire bracing runs from the nose of the fuselage to the wing and thence to the fin. The landing gear comprises a sprung skid under the fore part of the fuselage, immediately behind which is the single wheel, which improves take-off and simplifies handling on the ground. The landing speed of the de Havilland glider will be 23 to 25 m.p.h., its minimum sinking speed with pilot of average weight about 2.8 ft./sec. at approximately 30 m.p.h., and the speed at the best gliding angle about 37 m.p.h. mathematicians are apt to forget methods and formulae. The author, who is particularly well qualified to deal with this subject, has tried to cut down explanation to a minimum, but he has included the reason for performing each act since this makes it easier to remember. Flying observers will find this book a valuable addition to their reference libraries. "Air Pilot Training." By Bert A. Shields. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., Ltd. 24s. IT is claimed for this bcok that it is the only one on the market that covers all the essential material required for private and commercial pilot's licences. It is an American publication and it certainly embraces a wealth of extremely useful information in its four distinct parts; in fact it is really four books within one cover, the first giving an outline of the development of the aircraft from Leonado da Vinci onwards and, the theory of flight, the second deals with aircraft engines, Part III covers meteorology and Part IV air navigation. Abundantly illustrated with photographs and line-drawings, it is simply and clearly written, and not only does it include reference to all the latest advances and improvements in aviation, but it also describes several devices still in the ex perimental stage. That its contents may be confidently accepted as authentic may be gauged by the author's personal record. In 24 years as a pilot he has piled up more than 5,000 flying hours in his logbook, including military and commercial flight instruction. He has also lectured at New York University, the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and elsewhere. DISPLACEMENT LIFT Commander Campbell's Deep-sea Myth . A Sinking Ship Always Reaches the Bottom By GRIFFITH BREWER IN the "Brains Trust" on June lOth, Commander Campbell said that the Atlantic cable lies for the first 300 miles oryf8 the comparatively shallow bottom of the sea, but then it lea«« the shelf and crosses more than 1,000 miles where the affi is. 18,000ft. and where the enormous pressure of the wa>*#r pre vents it reaching the ground below. The hardest thing to kill is a myth, and the older the myth the stronger it clings to life. If Commander Campbell had attended my Roehampton Lec tures 25 y^rffs ago, or if being too young to do so he had spent a shilling recently on the purchase of the Air League's 1940 reprint of the Lectures, he would have learnt that a body once submerged in water will sii k and continue to sink until it reaches the bottom, no matter whether the water is shallow or is 18,000 feet deep. He would also have learnt that a sealed balloon floating in the atmosphere within range of A.A. guns could float lcr ever as a planet round the earth, provided you made it gastight and it was strong enough to resist expansiou. He referred to mythical shins floating abo/t in the depths of the sea for all eternity, unable to sink to the bottom. We ,#re indebted to Professor Huxley for his quiet branding of the Commander's belief as a superstition. Now that so many American airmen are over here it may interest them to know that 25 years ago, when a picked selection of U.S. Army cadets from West Point came to Roe hampton Royal Naval Air Station and attended the lectures, cne of their number taught his English lecturer that original thoughts and theories seldom survive the test of anticipation. He answered the question set in the ex*fn. on the principles of displacement lift correctly and then added to his answer, "This is the law of Archimedes." This was my first intimation that 1 had evolved by natural reasoning what Archimedes did 2,000 years ago, and in the later editions of the Roehampton lectures 1 gave that ancient sage credit for his early discovery. If battleships and aircraft had been built in Archimedes' time, he would no doubt have warned us that capital ships would be of no avail, against torpedoes launched from aircraft. It has taken 40 years for the present generation to realise this fa^f by painful practice and experience. BOOK REVIEWS
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