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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2160.PDF
26O FLIGHT SEPTEMBER 2ND, 1943 TUNISIAN "AERO SHOW to be driven or hauled aboard. Ex- tension pieces can be hooked to the bottom of the ramp to flatten the path of the vehicles, and there is a bridge which fits between the upper end of the ramp and the fuselage floor when the ramp is lowered. For moving the ramp there is a shaft which extends well forward under the floor of th* main cabin and which appears to be rotated by a little two- cylinder engine. This also operates a winch for hauling heavy loads up the ramp. The maximum load, indicated by stowage instructions painted inside the cabin, vrgs 8.5 metric tons. For a transport aircraft the arma- ment wa-s unusually heavy: there were six MG 15 guns firing laterally through windows ; one MG 151/20 on a manu- ally operated mounting in the tail; and one MH 151/20 in the dorsal turret. A gun was also mounted in the ventral position, which* is carried well forward under the fuselage. There is no apparent provision for carrying a bomb load in the Ju 290. The engines are four BMW 801 L-2, which "are generally similar to the A series, as fitted in the D0217E, but they are specially rated for use in transport aircraft. They are mounted on tubular aluminium alloy structures which terminate in four ball-and-socket joints. ., In each wing are two self-sealing petroj^fanks, giving a total capacity of 7,200 litres (1,584 gals.). The fuel can be jettisoned by means of CO.j bottles. There was little novelty to be found among the Ju 52s ; they were the old familiar freighters and troopers with corrugated skin; three BMW 132 A direct-drive radials with two-blade airscrews ; large, loading doors and fixed unfaired undercarriage. * Undoubtedly they did a good job in ferrying two tons or so of petrol, stores or personnel apiece, although whole formations of them met a fiery fate over the Mediterranean. Some were fitted with a glider-towing hook incorporated in the tailwheel, and at least one had a massive ring— similar to that on the Wellington—for detonating magnetic mines. / Italy had something more modern tw show in the way of three-engined transports: the S.M.82 and Fiat G.12. The Savoia is, undeniably a good transport aircraft, and the Germans apparently realise this, for crosses and Towed gliders were represented by this Go 242 twin-boom type, and by the D.F.S.zjo shown on the next page. swastikas appeared on a few of these machines. Due largely to Handley Page slots and slotted flaps, and to Bristol Pegasus type engines—actually Alfa-Romeo 128 RC 18-—the "82" will carry about 3 tons and will cruise at 170 m.p.h. Some readers may not appreciate the significance of the symbols following thfe type number of an Italian aircraft engine •For what it is worth, the explanation is that " R " indipafes '' geared " ; " C" " Supercharged '' ; and the figures—when multiplied by 100—give the rated altitude of the engine in metres. So the Alfa engines on this big Savoia are "blown" to only 1,800 m., allowing the high take-off output desirable in transport aircraft. Civil Conversion As indicated by the comparatively small dimensions of its fuselage, the Fiat G.12 was originally designed for civil use. It was, in fact, intended for high-altitude Alpine crossings. The engines are somewhat unusual for a trans- port aircraft in th*at they are fully supercharged Fiat A.74 RC 42s, similar to those installed in the G.50, MC 200* and other Italian fighters. These small-diameter 14-cylinder radials give a fairly high top speed (over 240 m.p.h. at 14,000ft.), but the fjetgnt load is comparatively small, at something over 3,000 lb. The three-piece wing, as on some otiier Italian types, is of steel tube construction The Fiat G.12 was originally designed as a commercial aircraft for high-altitude Alpine crossings. It has three fully-super- charged Fiat A. 74 R.C. 42 engines.
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