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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 0289.PDF
FEBRUARY IOTH, 1944 FLIGHT irecis precise figures as such. That is not to say that an aircraft has not completely incalculable qualities of its own. In fact, in some ways air craft are essentially feminine and, in the hands of a skilled and sympathetic pilot, can reveal almost human character and personality not possessed by any other man-made machine. Be that as it may, the fact is that by assess ing the combination of desirable features of any given type of aircraft in terms of an ideal, what may be termed a "quality factor" can be calculated for that aircraft as an overall per centage of the ideal. If, for example, the maximum speed which any aircraft might hope to attain to-day were set at 500 m.p.h. and a certain type m fact attained 420 m.p.h., then its "quality factor" on that count would be 84 per cent, of the ideal 500 m.p.h. Similarly, if the maximum attain able rate of climb were set at 6,000 feet per minute and the hypothetical aircraft achieved 4,000 feet per minute, then its "quality factor" on that one feature would be 60.6 per cent. Combining the two together, the overall figure for the two factors would be 75.3 per cent. Of course there is much more to it than that. Obviously the first thing to decide is with what categories of aircraft one must deal—single-seat fighter, heavy day bomber, naval dive bomber and so forth. Then one must decide what NScMPe the desirable qualities to look for in each category of air craft before any assessment can be attempted. First things first; the respective categories. First of all there are four broad divisions of aircraft: land-based strategic and tactical types; ship-borne types, and transports. Strategic aircraft are those long-range types whose operations are designed to influence the disposition and the numbers of the enemy's forces which can be brought to the battlefield, wher ever that may be. Tactical aircraft are those designed to intervene over the battlefield itselt, both in defence of main In three classes, reconnaissance bomber, bomber-destroyer and night in truder fighter, the De Havilland Mosquito gets more than 90 per cent of marks. attack-bomber (g) Two engine buster) (h) Land-based torpedo-bomber (and tank- firepower, speed,load. ... range, speed, manoeuvrability. 3. Ship-based aircraft may be divided into four main cate gories : MAJOR REQUIREMENTS speed, climb, bomb-load, speed, speed, manoeuvrability, range, speed. (a) Single-seat naval interceptor fighter (b) Single-engine naval dive-bomber ... (cj Single-motor naval torpedo-bomber (d) Naval escort fighter In the transport categories there is scope for an almost unlimited number of types of aircraft, according to the routes to be operated and the local conditions along them. For gen eralised purposes the types of transport required can, perhaps, be boiled down to six main categories. They are: LANDPLANES (a) Long-range ocean transport (3,000 miles in still air) (b) Medium-range, high-capacity transport (1,500 miles in still air) (c) High-speed, medium-capacity personnel transport (1,500 miles in still air) ... (d) Short-range, single-engine " rough- rider " transport (600 miles in still air) MA,OR REQUIREMENTS payload, ton-miles per gal. payload, ton-miles per gal. speed, ton-miles per gal. -A. The Bristol Beaufighter X tops the bill as a land-based torpedo-bomber. It would also stand top as a night inter ceptor fighter—a class which the author considers as not worthy of inclusion. bases and acting as cover and support to surface forces. The ship-borne types are all those designed to be flown from ships at sea, whether carriers or other classes of war or merchant ships. The transports—landplanes and flying boats,are self- evident. In each of these four main divisions there are, obviously, different classes of aircraft for different specialised purposes. Let us set them down and at the same time put down against each of them the quality which, combined with other all- round attributes, is the chief requirement for success in the particular job—such as a good eye for a baseball batter. i. Four types of aircraft are important for strategic opera tions : M\JOR REQUIREMENTS defence, range, bomb-load, range, speed, range, range, load. V (a) Long-range heavy day bomber (b) Long-range heavy night bomber ... (c) Day and night reconnaissance bomber (d) Long-range ocean patrol-bomber (anti-sub 2. For tactical missions there are eight important categories MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (a) Single-seat single-engine dog-fighter (low and medium altitudes) (b) Single-seat single-engine dog-fighter (high- altitude) (c) Single-seat fighter-bomber (d) Single-seat escort fighter speed, manoeuvrability. (e) Bomber-destroyer (f) Night intruder fighter speed, ceiling. speed, bomb-load. range, speed, manoeuvrability. firepower, speed. speed, range, firepower. take-oft, ton-miles per gal. SEAPLANES (a) Long-range ocean transport flying-boat (3,000 miles) payload, ton-milec per gal. per hi' (b) Short-range air-sea rescue and general purpose amphibian (1,000 miles in still air) payload, ton-miles per gal. per hr In all that gives 22 different categories of aircraft. And although this does not make full provision for many types of aircraft which are doing fine^ war work—such as the "grass hoppers," the catapult seaplanes, any of the many classes et trainer or any gliders—nevertheless these 22 categories do cover all the more important types of aircraft required for operational flying in modern air war. Desirable Qualities Having decided on the various categories to be represented, the next important step is to determine in each category the qualities needed t6 give all-round excellence. For instance a single-seat fighter needs a first-class combination of speed, manoeuvrability, rate of climb, high ceiling, range, fire-power, armour, ease of maintenance and low cost of production (reckoned in man hours). The requirements for a heavy night bomber are naturally tather different and include emphasis on bomb-load and range. Perhaps the best way to look at this requirement of qualities is to imagine oneself at a conference called to select the best aircraft for a particular job. Represented at the conference are: 1. The Commander-in-Chief of Air Operations. 2. The air crew which is to fly the aircraft in action. 3. The ground crew which is to keep the aircraft flying, 4. The production engineer who has to build it in quantity. Each will want different features. If the type under discus sion is a bomber, the C.-in-C. will want the maximum possible bomb load which can be dropped on a target, and sufficient lange to bring all targets within reach. The air crew will want speed, defence, and pleasant flying qualities, combined with a good ceiling to escape the worst of the flak. The ground crew will want ease of maintenance and the production engineer
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