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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0970.PDF
396 FLIGHT APRIL 15TH, 1943 AIR TRANSPORTS imagination, and to-day we are confronted with at least two examples of this unorthodox arrangement, namely, the Cunliffe Owen Flying Wing and the even less conventional Northrop fighter, both of which have flown. The former was a bold compromise and was virtually a cabin wing machine retaining the normal empennage car- ried on two tail boom arms. The Northrop design puts a rather different complexion on the matter and is basically different. The tail unit is dispensed with, and a back-swept wing with pusher air- screws featured. A fuselage, as such, is not-employed but instead the pay-load is housed within the wing. The en- gines are located aft of this compartment, and it is thought that the arrangement will assist in sound dissipation and result in a more quiet cabin. The amount of research and experiment that has been put into this enterprise must be enormous, and there will follow an equally extensive flight testing before a final verdict is pronounced. In the meantime, it is possible that other ventures will follow, for there is yet another variant of the scheme which is in principle intermediate between the two foregoing designs and is as shown in Fig. 7. The layout is self-explanatory, and is intended as a large trans-Atlantic or long-range air-liner using normally aspir- ated engines or jet propulsion power units The fuselage length has been reduced to a minimum in order to concen- trate the loads, and within the fuselage are two large DATA Engines - Six of 4,000 h. p. each Wing area - - - 6,000 sq. ft. Gross weight - - 300,0001b. Wing loading - - SO Ib./sq. ft. Power loading - - 12.5 Ib./h.p. Performance Max. speed - - - 350 m.p.h. Cruising speed - - 300 m.p.h. Still-air range - - 3,000 miles. Fig. 7. Long-range passenger machine. cabins arranged transversely one above the other. Engines and fuel, along with some of the load, are placed in the wing, the tips of which are depressed to offer lateral stability. No tail unit is fitted and a consequent reduction of wetted surface and drag effected, flying control being maintained by ailerons only. The moderate top spe^d to be expected of this size of aircraft would be consistent with the use of tractor air- screws, since the increased drag of the slipstream would be reasonably tolerable and there would be some improvement in the wing lift under take-off conditions. Air versus Sea Transport Sir Frederick Boivhill's Vietvs on Their Relative Values in War AIR transport as we know it can never take the place **•' of ships for the movement of passengers and freight in volume, and its possible use to beat the U-boat fnenace to ocean ship lanes has been greatly exaggerated, it was asserted in Montreal by Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill, who was A.O.C.-in-C. R.A.F. Ferry Command before he was placed in charge of the recently created R.A.F. Transport Command. The idea that the threat of enemy submarines could be obviated by the extensive use of cargo planes was a "dream not for us in this war," Sir Frederick told the Montreal Advertising and Sales Executive Club at a lun- cheon meeting in the Mount Royal Hotel. ' '' Ships are going to win this war, the ships of the Allied merchant navies," he emphasised. "This war is really a -war of communications, especially across the sea lanes. We have got to have ships and we have got to keep them moving to the battle zones." Using air transport in place of ships would not only require a tremendous number of large aircraft but a vastly greater amount of precious fuel to operate them, he pointed out. A cargo of 6,400 tons could be moved by a 12,000-ton steamship, over a course requiring two months to traverse, with consumption of 425,000 gallons of fuel. A single cargo aircraft could only carry 4! tons of shipments at a time, so it would require 1,440 flights to move the same , cargo carried on the single steamship. This meant that it would take 10 trips by 144 aircraft to transport the shipment in the same time required for the ship to handle it, Sir Frederick estimated. The total flying involved would total 20,000,000 miles and require 18,000,000 gallons of fuel, of which 15,000,00c would have to be shipped by tanker to be available at refuelling stations and at destination. MORE A.T.C, OFFICERS TAKE SPECIALCOURSES DURING April, 350 A.T.C. officers are going through thespecial administrative courses recently opened at R.A.F. stations. This is the largest number to attend in any month since the scheme was started. The courses last from one to three weeks, the'longer courses tjeing intended mainly for officers likely to become squadron commanders. In addition, there are week-end courses for those whose business or professional ties prevent them taking their instruction in one spell. Over 800 R.A.F.V.R. officers in the corps have now been through these schools, where special training has been devised to develop the quality of leadership in A.T.C. officers, and through them in their cadets. The curriculum of the present courses has been largely modelled on suggestions made by the officers themselves. As the time allotted to cover the syllabus is short, these courses are hard work. The first parade is at 7 a.m.; and with drill, lectures and practical instruction of various kinds the "students" are usually kept busy until 8.30 p.m. A.T.A. BENEVOLENT FUND OUBSCRIPTIONS to the A.T.A. Benevolent Fund continue O to be received by Headquarters. The new list of dona- tions given below is considerably swelled by the first item on the list, one of ^900 from Mrs. V. Coleman, who has made this generous donation in memory of her husband, First Officer Alan Coleman, who lost his life in the service of A.T.A. early this year. Amount last acknowledged (excluding contribu- tions from A.T.A. and B.O. A.C.) £6,076 7 7 Mrs V. Coleman 900 o o The Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd 250 o o Sir Frederick Handley Page 50 o o Crofts (Engineers), Ltd., Bradford 25 o o L. E. Creagh 10 o o Herbert Fitch and Co., Ltd 5 5 o Col. P. F. Keene 3 6 4 M. H. Fortlage ... 212 0 Messrs. L. Hepplethwaite 2 2 o 159 Sqn. A.T.C., per H. G. Bradley 1 1 <> Scottish Aviation Social and Welfare Club .... 1 1 o F. Watkinsons, Ltd 76 J. S. Webber .'... 5 o £7,327 7 11
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