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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0325.PDF
FEBRUARY 4TH, 1943 FLIGHT CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. "UNSUNG WORTHIES" The Men Who " Keep 'em Flying " I READ with interest in the Flight issue dated January 14thyour reference, under the above title, to the " unadorned " tradesmen of the R.A.F. who, to put it briefly, keep 'em flying. Why is it, I wonder, that these men, in whose hands rest the lives of our aircrews, are not given a badge in recognition of their trade and responsibility ? 1 am sure that a great majority of the public wish, as I do, to see these men receive the recogni- tion that has long been due to them. H. B. FIGHTER SPEEDS S.6B Exceeded 400 m p.h. 12 Years Ago ON September 29th, 1931, a Supermarine S.6B won theSchneider Trophy outright for Great Britain with an average speed of 407.5 m.p.h. It had a 2,600 h.p. Rolls-Royce "R" engine, which drove a two-bladed airscrew. Since that impressive victory nearly twelve years have passed,'and air- craft are claimed- to be further advanced. But is this so? The maximum speeds of aircrait nowadays, whether friend or foe, are below 400 m.p.h. unless subjected to power dives. The only exception, to this, so far as is known, is the Typhoon. What is the reason for the reduction in speed over the last twelve years ? Why was the Spitfire, for instance, only equipped with a 1,030 h.p. engine ? You might argue and say the fighters of to-day have to carry guns and ammunition, armour plating, extra fuel, etc. But think of the colossal drag set up by the large floats as carried by the S,6B. Also remember that the S.6B only had a two-bladed airscrew, whereas the modern fighter has at least a three-bladed and sometimes four- bladed airscrew, which puts the S.6B at a decided disadvantage. Can any reader please enlighten me as to why the speeds of modern day fighters are inferior to that of the S.GB of 1931 ? C. G. WILLEY. POST-WAR AIR-MINDEDNESS Light Aircraft for the Sportsman I WAS glad to read "Moth's" letter, considering the post-war outlook of the private pilot. As a young R.A.F. officer said to me, the light aircraft reveals the most fascinating aspect of flying. Liners, except in mountainous country, are apt to be dull; you can watch people munching or dozing as in trains ! And fast war-type machines cater for performance, not pleasure. Flying a light aircraft just as and where one likes is the sport at its best. He was right. The machine required is a covered one; an open aircraft is too cold at over 13,000ft. in the Alps. Its ceiling for European mountains will be 17,500-18,500ft., at which level no oxygen tube will be needed for healthy folk. 1 have read much about the uses of oxygen, but I recall that mountaineers, even when struggling hard up Mt. Blanc or Mt. Elbruz (Caucasus), dispense with this luxury. Many also dispense with special heavy garments. Similarly, during many years of air adventures I found my ordinary lounge suit quite comfort- able (I don't possess an overcoat), e.g., when photographing, through an open window, the highest Alpine peaks. Let no amateur, with robust heart and lungs, be dissuaded from doing like things. There's no call for Eskimo clothes in the Alps. I eliminate, thus, all that makes for discomforting weight, including a parachute, and am able to "fly at caprice " with maximum pleasure. The machine, touring at 120 m.p.h., will allow one to leave Berne in the morning and have tea in London. What more is needed? Now, I believe that a machine of this kind, of the " cheap and safe" order desired by "Moth," will be available, if the de Havilland Co. carries through intentions interrupted by the war. I refer to the two-seater Moth Minor monoplane. The Gipsy Minor engine of 90 h.p. suffices well, and may it turn out as admirable a possession as the Gipsy Major ! I found this aircraft very easy to fly and land, but had no ftpportunity of determining its ceiling in the high places where this is important. I flew an open aircraft, but was told that the coupe one contemplated would be an even better mount and faster. Finally, let me advise all intending flyers to ignore the talk about aerial sport being a " young man's job." Your medico will tell you best whose job it is. 1 learnt my aerobatics at 71 and am allowed by the doctor 20 years' more fun, if J so desire. So that's that. "AVIATOR." RAID ON STONELESS Village Said Not to Exist MAY I be allowed to draw your attention to an error inyour issue of December 31st ? I refer to the statement that the village of Stoneless claimed to have been bombed by the enemy does not exist. Reference to any large-scale map of East Kent will reveal that this village, consisting of one public-house and two private houses, "is situated on the main Sandwich-Ramsgate road, approximately equidistant from these two spots. At this point a secondary road branches from the main road and leads to Minster. * P. ADKINS. [The statement was made in an official news item issued by the Air Ministry; the German radio, they said, reported a raid on " Stonesless."—ED.] BOOST PRESSURE VARIATION Maintained Increase After Diving I HAVE followed with considerable interest the recent corre-spondence on the subject of boost pressure variation. Mr. Young's clear and concise explanation in your issue of January 14th appears to hit the nail on the head for the first time. Not long ago I was discussing this phenomenon with a Rolls- Royce representative, and his explanation corresponded almost word for word with Mr. Young's. While on the subject of Merlin engines and boost variation, there is another rather similai phenomenon which many readers have probably noticed. If an aircraft is put into a dive on predetermined r.p.m. and boost, the boost will rise steadily in the course of the descent, and on flattening out it will remain at a new higher level, although the cockpit throttle setting is the same as at the start of the dive. I have always assumed this to be due to the increase of air density as the aircraft loses height, but possibly readers may have other interesting views on the subject. I am assuming, of course, that a constant-speed airscrew is fitted. "HURRI." AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITIES The Voice of the Coming Generation AS one very keen exponent of civil aviation, in all its aspects,I salute Mr. F. G. Miles for his inspired article—" The Air and the Commonwealth—Now ! " I have, however, only one regret, and that is, assuming that his article was published only in Flight, and even if in all the other aeronautical journals, it would only reach those who are already aware of the pressing need* of our country, in the sphere of aviation. I would like to agitate ior the publication of this article in pamphlet form. I would place one of these leaflets on every seat in both Houses of Parliament. Of the remainder, I would distribute them freely .among the public. I was going to suggest underlining, in red ink, the vital items; but, on read- ing the article again, I realised that the entire article would require to be underlined. In order to reach every intelligent citizen, I would ask every newspaper company to reprint the article in a very prominent position in their papers. I also believe that great benefit would be wrought if Mr. Miles himself would give a very strong, frank and urgent heart-to-heart talk to all Britons in the postscript to the "Nine O'clock News" some Sunday in the not-too-distant future. There is, unfortunately, one point which I should like to dispute with Mr. Miles, and that is the small sentence, " Find the students." There is no need to look for us. We have been waiting for years for such a glorious opportunity. Unfor- tunately, being scattered all over the Commonwealth, we cannot unite enough to make ourselves heard.
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