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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0981.PDF
ArRiL 15TH, 1943 FLIGHT 401 CORRESPONDENCE facts, and draws his (acts from experience gained while acting as war correspondent with the R.A.F. since 1940. Here I would venture into what may be called rank heresy and state that though bombing obviously cannot win the war alone, it can and will be the decisive factor to a far greater degree than is apparently believed in official quarters. Whatever strateg5' is adopted, or plans implemented, 10,000 or 20,000 heavy bombers (Lancasters or Stirlings) would be a colossal asset; whereas I cannot see one quarter the value in the obsolete and obsolescent types we still use. Further, I cannot for the life of me see why the heavy bomber (perhaps slightly adapted) cannot be used for low attacks and close support, in addition to its present longer- term strategic use. When things went badly in Central Tunisia several weeks ago Fortresses successfully joined the smaller types in low-level attack. After all, bombers are only long-range artillery, and the preliminary to any operation is a " softening-up " by artillery barrage. Add to the artillery a thousand Lancasters' bomb loads and the softening-up might be so severe that the Army would only need to do a little mopping up. The mere threat of a 10,000-bomber raid on Germany might start a saueal for peace. Debatable, but worth trying. I do not suggest for a moment that fighter production should be interfered with in any way to produce these vast numbers of heavies, but that production should be shifted from medium and light bombers (except the Mosquito) as they are an in- efficient method of ferrying explosive and should be discarded. Neither should naval tj pes be diverted, nor transpoit aircraft,but there are so many varied machines without any particular purpose or performance with which we could dispense.I submit this for what it is worth, and hope perhaps it will stimulate interest. ERNEST P. BRODIE. ROTATING-WING AIRCRAFT Theory of Auto Rotation WITH reference to your article on the Rotating Wing Air-craft, can any reader explain in simple language what causes the rotation of wings mounted to revolve in the same plane as the direction of the relative wind? I have read many articles about gyroplanes and have never seen this explained. Perhaps I am very slow on the uptake, but I know there are many otr.crs in the same boat as myself in this respect. It seems to me that if air acts ou a plane mounted as in a gyroplane, the blaoes will in any case tend to revolve in the opposite direction required for lift, but even if, as must be the case, this is not so. I cannot see how sufficient, or any, power can be developed in order to turn the blades fast enough to give adequate lift, and in the case of a gyroplane coming down vertically, why do not the planes stop altogether? The theory of the hclicoptei is, of course, straightforward^ enough, but 1 cannot see. how the small amount of air that can in point of fact act in a horizontal direction on the planes of a gyroplane makes u;, for the engine power directly applied^to the vertical airscrew of the former. "R.N.A.S." Book Reviews "What's the Gen?" By " HW." Illustrated by "Stacey." John Crowtlter. is. 3d.E VERY Command and every squadron of the R.A.F. all over the world contributes its quota to the jargon of the Service, and this booklet is an alphabetical glossary of Air Force slang terms copiously illustrated with humorous sketches. It is at once informative and entcitaining. " Adastral Bodies." By Basil Boothroyd. Illustrated by C. F. Greatbach. Allen and Vnu-in. 5s. HPHERE have been many books by and about the men who •*- fly with the R.A.F., but this humorous book by a regular contributor to Punch deals in highly entertaining (and some- times slightly libellous) fashion with air force life as the erk, or sprog, experiences it; but embryo recruits will not, we feel sure, be unduly discouraged. "The Air 'Cadets' Handbook on Radio." By 1. R. Vesselo and R. D. Morrison. Allen and Unwin. 2S. TXESIGNED for A.T.C. students, this little book first of all -•-' explains the elementary principles of electricity and then describes its application to the practical use of radio on air- craft. It is written in simple language and clearly illustrated by many diagrams. "D/F Handbook for Wireless Operators." by W. E. Crook. Pitman. 5s. 6d. '"THE qualified wireless operator will find this exposition on -*• the rotating frame ami fixed-loop systems most informa- tive, since special attention has been devoted to various sources of error which arise and other practical difficulties. "Aircraft Radio." (Second edition.) By D. Hay Surgeoncr. Pitman. /5s. 'PHE scope of this book is wider than its title suggests, for it -*• deals not only with the different types of radio equipment as applied to aircraft, but with such matters as international radio regulations, allocation of wavelengths, directional systems, beam approach and airport equipment and lighting. " The Revolving Heavens." By Reginald L. Waterfield. Duckworth.' Ss. 6d. A LTIIOUGH this is not directly concerned witli astro-naviga- •* * tion, it follows that an understanding of the characteristics Md movements of the bodies in the celestial sphere would be useful background information for any potential navigator. fins book describes phenomena which can be seen with the naked eye. " 1 he Morse Code." By R. G. Shackel. Longmans. is.; and ".Practical Morse." By John Clarricoats. Pitman. is.i. 3.T HE former booklet confines itself to instruction in the code but the latter extends its scope to advice on signalling by Morse and descriptions of practice equipment. " Laughs with the R.A.F." Compiled by S. Evelyn Thomas, llarrap. is.T HIS collection of jokes, cartoons and comic verse will while away half an honr very pleasantly. Due acknow- ledgment is made by the compiler to a number of periodicals and other publications from which most of them have been culled, including the special Christmas pages of Flight. "Aircraft of the Fighting Powers." (Vol. ?.)• Compiled by H. J. Cooper and O. G. Thelford. Edited by D. A. Russell. Harborough Publishing Co., Ltd. us. 6d.I N continuing the good work begun in volumes one and two, Messrs. Cooper and Thetford have again produced a very useful reference booky It contains the latest available data and much general information on eighty-one different types of air- craft, each of which is photographically illustrated and accom- panied by sets of three dimensional drawings, and a great deal of careful work must obviously have been done by the com- pilers to ensure accuracy over such a generous list. One thing one immediately notices about this book is that almost half of it is devoted to American aircraft, the remainder being more or less equally divided between British (seven types), Russian (nine), German (seven), Italian Xsixi. Nether- lands East Indies (eight) and Japanese (nine). -'In fact, four of the eight aircraft under the N E.I. heading are American types, making thirty-nine out of the eighty-one aircraft in the book. However, the first two volumes contained, between them, fifty-four British types, so it cannot be alleged that Britain has been neglected, for there is no modern type of any importance, up to and including tiie Mosquito, which has not been included in the three books, having regard to the dictates of censorship. NOW READY AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION A reprint of a highly effective and successful series of articles from FLIGHT delineating and describing Service types and their characteristics. 36 (or 3/9 post free) High) Publishing Co. Ltd. Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, S.E.7
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