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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1275.PDF
JUNE 28TH, 1945 FLIGHT 693 • THE AVRO TUDOR I the various accessories ; the two 15 Ib./min. capacity Mar- shall blowers tor cabin pressurising are driven from the inboard engines. Wing Layout Although the Tudor employs a basically similar but scaled-up version of the Lancaster wing, there is noticeably less dihedral. That is.probably due to the greater flexi- bility of the Tudor wing, which is indeed almost fluctuant, the nominal flexural difference at the tip between static and flight conditions being about 2ft. 6in. The most novel feature of the wing is that, between the spars outboard of the centre section in each wing is a tunnel of elliptical section in which are housed three Marston crash-proof col- lapsible bag-type fuel tanks. These are installed through an access door at the inboard end, laced together and pulled span wise through the tunnel until all are in place. A further tank of similar type is housed in the centre-section between the inboard nacelles and the fuselage. . Another feature of the wing is that the nominal outer panels are in two portions, the joint coming at about one-third the span of the ailerons and being of similar form to the centre-section joint. This measure connotes that the ailerons are also in two parts, and the short, cast, torque tube which joins each of the aileron sections is attached at each end with laminated spring-steel leaves which permit positive drive with flexibility. Flaps are hinged at their forward lowei edge with a piano-type hinge, and are actuated in a precisely similar fashion to those on the Lan- caster. All control surfaces have servo and trim tabs, but the rudder servo tab is a differential torsion-bar spring type by means of which the initial control force input by the pilot moves the tab, which in turn moves the rudder. If displacement loads are low (i.e., below the torsion spring deflection value) the rudder is directly operated, but at high loads the torsion bar flexes and the tab then moves first until, at peak loads, the torsion bar locks up solid and the control would then become directly manual—this latter would, of course, be a very extreme case. Tail unit structures are conventional in their use of plate web spars with extruded booms and diaphragm nose, inter-spar, and trailing-edge ribs. The tailplane, how- ever, is worthy of note in that it is of Lancaster origin with the '' end- plate " fins and rudders removed and in their place extension tips substi- tuted to increase the span. Addition- ally, the forward portion of the fin dorsal fillet is built integral with the fuselage, although the fin proper is a prate sub-assembly. The use of the dorsal fillet is a precautionary measure against the incidence of rudder stall at large angles of yaw—an unpleasant penalty which has sometimes to be paid for the use of high aspect ratio vertical Surfaces. Specialisation • At first sight the Tudor I would appear to be a not very well worth- while effort. It seems essentially ..wrong that a four-engined 120ft. span .aircraft should cater primarily for only 12 passengers (although a 24-seater version is available). But it must be remembered that the machine is a single-purpose type! It has been de- signed expressly for the high-speed luxury transport of a few people over a very long range. The pointed rear fairing of the AwoTudor Rudder post and rear diaphragm of the pressurised fuselage. Interior arrangement of the fuselage has been carefully thought out and is designed to give the passenger a sense of spaciousness and overt luxury that people who pay for transport on this level will necessarily expect. The cabin proper occupies roughly a third of the fuselage length, but considerable volume is devoted to baggage and toilet accommodation, and to the stowage of express mail and freight. The control compartment is nicely laid out for the five flight personnel (captain, first officer, flight engineer, radio operator, and navigator), who should benefit from the practical arrangement of their stations. For the pilots, the usual restricted visibility field seemingly beloved by transport pilots is apparent; the effective depth of the windscreen is but 15111., and the pilots' eyes are set well back from the screen. However, in this aircraft there is a very good ex- cuse for the restriction—pressurisa- tion. As it is, in providing the wind- screen they have, Avros are being generous in view of the design diffi- culties with such a high differential pressure as 5! lb. /sq. in. Instrument layout is characteristic- ally neat and functional, with dupli- cated blind-flying panels flanking the centrally positioned engine instru- ments, beneath which is the Sperry autopilot panel. Ancillary to the stan- dard b.f. instruments are the radio altimeter, beam-approach indicator and glide-path control indicator. Centrally placed between the pilots is a clean and workmanlike control pedestal, all the levers and knobs of which can easily be reached by both men. Control columns are in the Lan- caster manner with "spectacle" wheels for aileron control, whilst the rudder pedals are suspended from indi- vidual cross tubes carrying toggle linkages to operate the push-pull transmission rods through bell-cranks. A convenient feature which pilots will doubtless appreciate are the wide side trays outboard of each seat with lids giving access to spacious lockers.
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