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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2406.PDF
54» THE AERIAL MERCANTILE MARINE FUG A Dornier W von Gronau, with a crew of three, and was along a course set to include the Faroes-Reyk javik - Ivigtut - Cartwright - Queensport - Halifax - New York. These early flights, extended and expanded by later efforts, laid the groundwork for the survey flights across the North Atlantic in 1937 by the brilliant Short Empire flying boats and the Sikorsky S42 Clippers preparatory to the introduction of a regular service. As well as Great Britain and America, other countries displayed a keen interest in the problems of long-distance oceanic aerial trans port ; notably Germany who, as was to be ex pected, tackled the problem with characteristic ingenuity. The situation confronting the D L.H. (Deutsche Luft Hansa) included lack of suitable bases and airports of requisite size and convenient location to permit the use of the large heavily loaded landplanes which would have been required. Neither did D.L.H. have any flying equipment capable of making (at that time) a non-stop crossing of any great stretch of water, with mentionable payload. So the use of depot ships was resorted to. The story of the operation of these depot ships, co operating so brilliantly with tb£ir winged charges, is an air transport epic in itself. Dornier Wals, 18s and 26s, and later the crude and clumsy Blohm und Voss Ha 139 seaplanes were used over a period, of time from February 4th, 1934 (when a regular fortnightly mail service was commenced). It is worth remembering that the first weekly mail service started on this rim in September, 1934 (Ref. 2). France also undertook experimental flights, mostly over the South Atlantic, using Late-coere, Bleriot and Liore-et- Olivier flying boats. In the mam, however, only mail ser vices were operated. To ignore the achievements in spanning the Pacific and other great expanses of sea would be an injustice to the memory of those farseeing pioneers, Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, and many other gallant figures. Suffice it to say that these efforts, made for the most part in land machines, paved the way (if that is figuratively correct!) for the services operated—until December 7th last and Wal flying boat on the landing apron of the mother ship estfalen. The machines were catapulted off the deck. spasmodically since—by flying boats of Short Bros, design, and the Martin, Sikorsky and Boeing Clippers. These routes, although of great length, did not involve quite the same dangers as the Atlantic crossing. There were more suitable bases along the routes, the meteorological -con ditions were more favourable, and the run in general was less hazardous. From all these experimental, probing, survey flights, long-distance air transport, nowadays chiefly by marine aircraft, has progressed so far that it is now the accepted means of travel for high-ranking executives, Governmental heads, and all employed upon vital, urgent missions. The Type of Aircraft Used '** Most types of aircraft have been used for long-distance oceanic work, some designed for the job, others being con versions. Thus, biplane and monoplane landplanes with one, two, three and four engines; seaplanes, most notably the Mercury (upper components of the Short-Mayo com posite aircraft) and t^re Blohm und Voss Ha 139 or D.L.H. ; monoplane and biplane flying boats with various power DATA OF TYPfCAL LONG-RANGE FLYING BOATS Flying Boat Curtiss N.C. Dornier Do-X. 1 a Potez-Scan 161 ... Boeing 314-A Booing 314 Latecoere 521 Short Bros. Golden Hini Glenn Martin 157-C Glenn Martin 130... Vought-Sikorskv V-44A Excalibui Short Bros. Special "C" Clas; Latecoere 300 Croix-du-Sitd I.atecocre SO-1 ... Bleriot 5190 Santos-Dumont Doruier Do-26 ... Sikorsky S-42 Clipper. T»»e Biplane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mouo- ptaa • Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Mono plane Span Feet 126 top 94bot. 157.5 150.8 152 157.4 101.75 134.3 157 130 121 111 145 144.11 141.0 08.5 114.2 L'gth Feet 68.25 131.4 106 ioe 131.3 103.75 103.15 91.8 90.10 79.36 88 83 84.7 85.3 80.3 67.8 Height Feet — 2'J.G 27.3 28.3 28.3 29.0 37.C5 21". 24.7 27.'". 31.10 21.40 80* 11 — '--•'"' 17.40 Wing Area MJ. It. 2,380 4,885 2,810 2,867 2,867 3.550 2,100 2,300 2,315 — 1,500 2,800 3,202 2,389 1,20? 1,330 Total h.p. 1,000 7,200 6,000 6,000 6,000 5,100 5,500 4,800 3,200 4,800 3,200 2,560 2,000 2,600 £,400 2,800 Engines Make No. ana h.p. Liberty 4X350 Curtiss Conqueror 12x600 Hispano-Suiza 6x1,000 Wright-Cyclon.- 4x1,650 Wright-Cyclone 4X1,500 Hispano-Suiza 12YBKS. 6x040 Bristol Hercules VI 4X1,375 Wright-Cyclone 4x1,200 Twin Wasp R1.830.S.I.A.C. P. & W.K.-1830- S.1,C.3-U, 1 > 1.2011 Perseus X11C 4x800 Hispano-Suiza 12VBRS. 4x640 Hispano-Suiza 12 Nbr. 4X050 Hispano-Suiza 12 Nbr. 4X850 Jumo 205 ' 4X600 P. & W. Hornet S.5.D.-10 4 X 700 Weight Empty lb. 15,874 68.800 50.300 55,550 18.727 43,454 37,700- 34,600 23,100 30,200 27,340 26,070 24,000 24,040 22,4!;7 23,045 Weight All-Up ft. 28,000 123.200 04.000 88.000 82,000 81,500 73,500 70,000 51,000 67,600 53,000" 92,600 50,000 Wing Load ing ft.iq.ft. 11.7 25.3 33.70 33.50 28.80 22.9 34 30.4 22.0 — 18.80 15.4 20.70 32.9! 28,00 Power Load ing lb. h.p 17.6 17.10 15.81 13.33 13.75 15.70 13.3 11.0 i ;,.'.> 10.20 20.5 19.5 19.0 18.29 13.60 Max. Speed m.p.h. 81 |:50 220 210 sw 161 tee 182 ISO — 200 130 130 tw 208 18S Cruise Speed ntp.h. 105 134 188 104 125 180 140 155 150 104 111 110 110 l M 170 Lateral Stability Aid Wing.tip Floats Sponsons W'in.a-tip Floats re tract into engine nacelles. Sponsons Sponsous Combined sponsors and Wing Moats Wing-tip Floats Sponsons Sponsons Wing-tip Floats Wing-tip Floats Sponsons Sponsons Inboard Floats Retractable Wing Floats Wing-tip Floats Range Miles 1,450 — 3,73fi 4,000 3,600 2,812 3.200 3,100 2,100 3,800 3,401 > 2,980 2,980 2,000 6J100 3,00' * Flight refuelled.
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