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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0501.PDF
FEBRUARY 25TH, 1943 FLIGHT 20T CONSTELLATION flaps; trimming tabs; tail fins ; tailplanes; rudders ; ele- vator ; nacelle and engine cowlings ; all parts of the exhaust disposal system ; and the undercarriage. When the Constellation project was started, a .complete mock-up, comprising a duplicate of every item in the func- tional hydraulic system, was constructed for the purpose of testing all parts of the system. This made possible the running of complete tests of full-size pumps, valves, flap- control mechanism, cabin supercharging, undercarriage operation and power boosting equipment lor operation of ihe control surfaces. This mock-up was operated through thousands of cycles under simulated flight conditions, in- cluding temperatures down to —70 deg. Fahr., before the machine was completed and flown. The expense involved is said to have been fully justified. It not only provided against possible loss or damage of the aircraft through functional failure of some part of the hydraulic system during flight testing, but disclosed inadequacies and led to many improvements in items of equipment.normally pur- chased by the aircraft company. The hydraulic boosters connected with all flight controls relieve the pilot of most of the effort required to move the control surfaces, thus avoiding physical fatigue. A special supercharger for the pressurised cabin was designed and developed. Either of two of these installed in the ship can maintain an air pressure equal to that at 8,000ft. altitude with the aircraft in flight at any height up to 25,ocoft., and comfortable breathing pressure up to 35,000ft. altitude. The supercharger control system is designed not only to avoid rapid change of pressure during ascents and descents, but for maintaining a comfortable temperature by heating the air when the atmosphere is cold and cooling it when it is too warm, and also for eliminating smoke and stale air from the cabin. Future transports of this design, if not the prototype, are. to be equipped with de-icers heated by engine exhaust gases—a type first used in the United States on the Lock- heed 12 and tested by the NACA. The retractable tricycle undercarriage has dual main wheels with dual brakes and a steerable nose wheel. A retractable shock-absorbing bumper is also provided for emergency protection of the after portion of the fuselage and the tail assembly. Span 110ft. Height 18ft. 8in Length 85tt. Four 2,000 h.p. Wright Cyclones Provisional general-arrangement drawing of Lockheed Constellation Four independent lubricating and fuel systems are pro- vided, and the inter-'phone communication system lias stations for pilot, co-pilot, engineer, navigator, radio operator at the cabin entrance door, and at every nacelle and the external battery receptacle. To minimise drag, all external seams except on the fuselage are butt-jointed, all permanent exterior fastenings either flush riveted or spot-welded or the equivalent, and expcsed non-permanent fastening devices and control hinges are of the flush type. Air Transport Concern Over Government Inaction THE concern with which patriotic Britishers view theGovernment's lack of vigour with regard to air transportol the present and future is reflected in the formation of many committees all over the country. The aim is to urgemore energetic action and the pronouncement of a Government policy. Such a plea has been consistently advanced in thepages of Flight, for years past, but war needs have given the problem a new emphasis. Among the committees is one knownus the Walpole Group, founded in March, I94r, by Dr. Stanley Walpole " to focus informed opinion on topics of nationalimportance on which it is apparent that no adequate action is being taken." The chief concern oi the Walpole Group at the moment isthe subject of air transport and the British position. Among recent speakers was Mr. F. W. Farey Jones, whodespaired of Parliament being in the mood to attend to civil aviation at present. He said the many committees studyingthis problem must unite in one common and immediate decision. We were racing not against time, but behind it,We had to stop giving ourselves medals over the Battle of Britain and realise the need tor a change in British and Empirepolicy. It was no good blaming the Americans for being more far-sighted than \vc> and for building and planning air trans-port on ?., vast scale. Mr. Farey Jones argued that neither the War Office nor theAdmiralty,"and probably not the Air Ministry either, could tackle air transport for 'war purposes, and suggested that a Ministry oi An Transport should be iormed, which would havedirect access to the War Cabinet. The existing Department of Civil Aviation could form the nucleus. When hostilitiesceased, the Ministry of Air Transport could overnight become properly organised for civil air transport. The Air TransportMinistei would have to create an Empire Air Council, and initiate a non-national Air Transport Commission to cope withpost-war European problems. Ma] K. M. Beaumont gave a lengthy review of past aiitransport history. He touched upon such subjects as sub- sidies, "chosen instruments,' mails and transport aircraft.For a strictly national line he did not object to subsidies. For the widespread British Empire- and long-distance routes he didnot consider that there should be one " chosen instrument." Lines such as the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, South Africaby the West Coast, India and South Africa via Egypt, the Far East and Australia and New Zealand, should each be a full-time job for n separate organisation. Maj. Beaumont also gave some interesting figures on thefinancial aspect of the carriage of mail. At a rate of ?\(\. per half-ounce, h? said, 71,680 half-ounce letters, weighing oneton, produced £746. One penny added to the cost of 1,000,000 half-ounce letters, weighing 14 tons, produced the sum ot£4,166. When Roland Hill proposed the flat rale oi id. per half-ounce for postage throughout Great Britain 144 years agohe was ridiculed, but he was right in maintaining that the greatly increased volume of mail would soon pay for itself.
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