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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0100.PDF
FLIGHT JANUARY 14TH, 1943 Behind the Lines Service and Industrial News from the Inside of Axis and Enemy*occupied Countries Gliding RecordT HE German press reports the eleventhand successful attempt of Erich Vergens, member of the N.S.F.K., tobreak the International record. At 10 o'clock on the morning of November19th lie was towed to a high altitude by an aircraft. At 10.49 a.m. the tow ropewas released, and from that moment the prescribed International measuring in-struments were said to have begun to register automatically the course of theflight. The weather was thick fog. Vergensglided slowly over an 18,oooft. hill in order to reach the upward current. Thewind was favourable and he began to cruise in the available air space, theextent of which can be judged from the fact that he had to make 2,000 turns. Hemaintained an altitude of about 16,400ft. By 10 p.m. he had broken the record.He is said to have remained in the air, however, till 8.18 a.m. on November21st, when the wind dropped. Vergens was medically examinedbefore and after the flight, and lost 6.6 1b. in weight during his flight. Nazi WorriesI T is reported from Stockholm that theexpansion of the Norwegian war in- dustry is meeting with serious difficulties.Owing to the shortage of construction materials and machines several importantlight metal works, such a^ the Nordag and the Norsk Light Metal Companies,are reported to have suspended their projects for the expansion of their plantsand to have dismissed numbers of their employees. It is further stated that Nordag, which only recently employed 16,000 workers,had to transfer 10,000 men to the Ger- man Labour Corps, the Todt organisa-tion, operating in Norway. This would indicate that the Germans are facing thedilemma of a choice between the vital needs of their war machine and the man-power requirements for their defence structures in Norway. Aircraft on Subs.? ITALIAN sources attribute the successJL of Axis submarines to the close operation with aircraft. It is reportedthat the latest German submarines carry their own reconnaissance aircraft onboard. Whether the aircraft are cata- pulted or seaplanes lowered into thewater by means of a hoist is not stated. One of the types engaged on co-operationwith U-boats is known to be the Arado 196. Reorganisation THE V.D.M., of Frankfort-on-Main Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke), controlled by the Metallgesellschaft A.G.,is to-day one of the most important organisations in the German war in-dustry. Already in 1940 it operated twenty factories, but recently an im-portant reorganisation has been carried out. Several V.D.M. limited companieswere converted from independent units into divisions and subjected to a morestricter financial and technical centralised control. These divisions take charge ofthe different branches of the V.D.M. activities for the purpose of simplificationof management. Up to date the following new divisionshave been reported: The V.DM-Luflfahrt-werke (aircraft works),. of Frankfort-on-Main,engaged on the produc- tion and distribution ofaircraft and engine in- struments; the V.D.M.- Halbzeugwerke,of Frankfort-on-Main, engaged on the manu-facture and distribution of raw materials, scmi-and finished products of metals and metal alloys;The t.B.U.-Luftfaiirt- wcrkp Steiernrark, withworks in Austrian Styria, and headquarters inFrankfort-on-Main, en- gaged on the productionand distribution of in- struments. These divisions areapparently only a part of the reorganisation car-ried out. The German term for this new type .of Professor Messerschmittat the controls of his "Taifun," touringaircraft. organisation is Organgesellschaft, whichcan be best translated as division, i.e., not an independent company but anoperating concern under a parent organisation. From Hungary nPWO aircraft companies are reported-*- to be operating in Hungary. The Donau Flugzeugbau A.G., of Budapest,affiliated to the Manfred Weiss group, which has also a separate aircraft andengine division in Budapest. The other is the Danubia munition concern, ofBudapest, the technical director of which was Count Julius Karolyi, son-in-law ofthe Regent, and president of the Hun- garian Aero Club, who some months agowas killed in a flying accident. French Engine IN Flight, January 7th (Here and There)details were given of a new Gnome ei Rhone 18-cylinder engine. This engineis a development • of the 14R which was built before the French collapse,but appears to be now in quantity pro- duction. The engine is an air-cooled 14-cylinder twin-row type, with cylinders in nitrated steel, and a two-speed super-charger. One hundred octane fuel is used for maximum power,. 92 octane fuelfor continuous output. , Lubrication is by means of a dual suc-tion pump and a pressure pump; oil pressure 85 lb./sq. in. capable of boost-ing up to 170 lb./sq. in. for take-off, in which case the crankshaft and connect-ing rods are automatically lubricated by an additional jet. The following are given as character-istics: Bore 5|in.; stroke 6iin'; total swept volume 2,350 cu. in. ; compressionratio 1 to 6.43; diameter 51^111.; length with airscrew boss 64|in; weightincluding carburettor, fuel pump and ignition harness, 1,805 'u- Maximumpower developed in low supercharger gear at 2,600 r.p.m., and 22.05 lb./sq.in. boost pressure; 1,590 h.p. at sea- level take-off output and 1,660 h.p. at3,280ft. In high supercharger gear 1,580 h.p. at 16,400ft. Continuouspower on test bed in low supercharger gear at 2,400 r.p.m., and 17.8 1b. /sq. in.boost pressure 1,210 h.p. at sea-level and 1,320 h.p. at 6,890ft.; in high super-charger gear 995 h.p. at sea-level and 1,230 h.p. at 19,685ft. Under certain air-intake and gas-exhaust conditions the maximum per- formances in flight are 1,645 h.p. at21,oooft. and at 310 m.p.h. ; 1,675 nP- at 23,300ft. and at 373 m.p.h.; 1,715h.p. at 26,250ft. and at 435 m.p.h. Con- tinuous output in flight in low super-charger gear at 10,170ft. at 310 m-.p.h. and at 2,400 r.p.m., and 17.8 lb./sq. in.is 1,365 h.p. In high supercharger gear at 24,280ft., 1,290 h.p.* Fuel consumption in low supercharger gear is 0.573 lb./h.p./hr., in high super-charger gear 0.628 lb./h.p./hr. Oil con- sumption in low supercharger gear. is0.022 1b./h.p./hr., and in high super- charger gear 0.025 lb./h.p./hr. Weightper h.p. at take-off output 1,135 H">-, and .specific output 0.675 h./cu. in.
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