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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1579.PDF
FLIGHT AUGUST QTH, 1945 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible jor the views expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses 0/ the writers, •not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. I THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Danger in Two-control " Safety " HAVE been having arguments with colleagues as to thedesirability oi simplified airciaft controls, e.g.. two-surface control instr-ad of three, and my contention is that, whilstmeasures ot simplification appeal at first sight to be attractive, unless very well done indeed are likely to be a danger. To support this view, I contend that the pilot who haslearnt to fly on, say 3 Tiger Moth might well be a perfectly safe and competent pilot of a " safe " two-control aircraft,but the man who learns to fly on the latter type is unfitted to handle conventional controls. Again, as I see it, two-controltypes will have limitations of manoeuvre where, ordinarily, crossed contiols would be used, and under these circumstancescould easily find themselves in conditions where the " safety measure " was a severely limiting obstacle to winning free witha whole skin. So long as straightforward flight from A to B is envisaged, all well arid good, but 1 submit that immediately this narrow l>atb is forsaken (and sometimes it is unavoidable), then the very advanced, super-scientific " safe " aircraft is infinitely less safe than the orthodox machine. Perhaps some other readers will air then views on this matter. KUFUS CARMODY. WHAT DOES THE PRIVATE OWNER WANT ? A Single-engined Four-seater and a Twin-engined Six-seater IN replying to Indicator's question (Flight. July 12th), 1*- found it difficult not to start oS, like Mr Joad, by saying It all depends on what you mean by a private owner." To my mind, a private owner can be:U) The amateur whc learns to fly and is content to keep an aircraft at an airfield and fly it about mostly onweek-ends and summei evenings;, with little more motive other than letting off steam and giving his friends occa-sional flips (or frights). (2) The enthusiast who takes flying as a serious hobby, toursabroad and uses his aircraft as a means of getting from A to B, where there is a definite motive at B.(;j) The owner who combines (2) above with his business arid possibly n certain amount of charter work.J don't feel any useful purpose would be served in dealing with an aircraft for (1) above, as any good trainer type willdo. but (2) and (3) both seem to me best served by a single- engined aircraft such as the Stinson Reliant. Ileston Phoenix01 Percival Gull, 01 a twin such as the D.H. Dragonfly 01 Rapide, Percival Q.6 and the Lockheed " 12." I don't consider that any oi the above aircraft really meetpost-war requirements except possibly the Stinson Reliant and the Lockheed " 12," both of which were comparatively ex-pensive in capital outlay. What 1 feel is required is sufficient speed range to maintainan absolute minimum 150 rr. p.h. against any normal head wind; a motor car finish inside; adequate luggage accommo-dation for four people with the single-engined type and six tor the twin-engined type; full blind-flying equipment; radioinstallations to meet all legal requirements and to enable the aircraft to be flown in comfort with the minimum traffic restric-tions; a range of 600 miles in still air; full night-flying equip- ment; and self-starters for the engines.Arrangements should be made whereby, so far as possible, inspection of all working parts within the fuselage, wings andengine can be undertaken without removing cowlings or cutting fabric (in other words, free use of the zipp fastener and quicklydetachable cover-plate), and a very detailed study made, on the part of the designer, with a view to low maintenance andcost of C. of A The only othei type of aircratt for which 1 would have anyuse would be a 200 m.p.h. side-by-side two-seater, with a range of about 500 miles and week-end luggage accommodation;but it is open to doubt as to whether such a type, which could not have the full quota of na1. igational aids, would be allowedthe freedom of movement, geographically, for its full benefit to be appreciated.In setting out the above very brief requirements, I appre- ciate that many obvious details, some of which are a matterof personal choice, have been left out. 1 have considered that the private owner's aircraft is mostlikely to be a four-seater, or slightly larger, on the assumption that there will be few private owners, other than the very rich,who will be able, fo the next ten years, to aflord to fly their own aircraft without they combine it with business, and thusrecover a large percentage of their overheads. That is why I have also put a small, high-speed aircraft in rather as an after-thought. It has a limited business application, and is merely the rich amateur's sports car of the air. . While on this point, and in view of what I have said above,it has got to be made more easy for the private owner to obtain a " B " licence or its posl-war equivalent, so that he will beable partly to commercialise his flying. It is to be hoped that C.M.E or its equivalent will appreciate that the safe and coin-,petent pilot can be found as much by a study of his past record, f$j practical experience and ability, as by finding what sort of asquint he has, or wbat is his lung capacity, and the shape of his nostrils. Many of these physical " defects " can eitherbe ignored 01 rectified. J. R. BRYANS. IMPROVING THE BREED " Indicator " Replies to " Technician " SINCE we are both concerned with exactly the same thing—the improvement of design with the least possible wastage of time and effort—I would not have replied to " Technician's"views (July 26) were it not for the fact that he appears to have mistaken the real object of my arguments.First of all, it is just the ballyhoo surrounding the glamorous and heroic (and quite imaginary) test pilot that we all wantto lose so that we can proceed unhampered with the business oi the day. The idea of the experimental test pilot as a manwho, trailing .^"open parachute, staggers into the chief designer's office, hands in his report and staggers out to the localfor refreshment is still, I regretjieiSfnigTrg^tly u€ the minds of many of those who do the hj*ra work. x fIn my article of May undeniable gulf betweenMaybe it would be malfe practical suggests, the other way round. Btpilot, in order to jpiderstant not need the __designer to do nil in the more p'' little le*arnin effect) would1formulae. On stand compressreason why me than fabric-cove ^when, for instano root fillet. Butthe other hand, t, y in which theght be bridged. ,st " Technician"t tljmk so. A test lat is;going on, doesexpcne^c^aft^training|required by the .0 be vary well-groomed :tical aspects %^Kerodynamic theory. Hfc(and much pra^ncal experience of cause and duly convsdwl by thaf design staff intolesn't needijipwiematica/ training to under- mple examples, theare so much lighter il-buffeting may occurfitting panel in the wing- to kiio*f what the air is doing. Ot,iciao-would require a great deal nr-** even than the trained ability to fly successive modern type-writ h safety and skill for his opinion on flying characteristics to be of any value to him in his work. Certainly a few hours ontraining types would put him firmly in the category of those to whom a " little learning is a dangerous thing." j/1Ot course, the technicians must take their share af'the credit for the excellent characteristics of most present-day aircraft.But to whom must go the discredit for the few aircraft, pro- duced on both sides of the Atlantic, which have been veryfar from good ? I blame the technicians and the test pilots equally ; Koth should have known better. But the technicianis helpless if he is not backed by a really intelligent and imaginative test pilot. If the test pilots concerned with thedevelopment of one type which comes to my mind had been able (or been allowed) to produce something more than a setof facts and figures, a great deal of time and some valuable lives would have been saved. In another case, a "not-so-brainy " test pilot assisted a no-doubt very excellent and brainjr designer to produce an aircraft which was almost completelyunacceptable in its original form. The designer could know no better; all he needed was a test pilot with enough experienceto know what was wanted and whose "preconceived theories" of how an aircraft should behave were sound. Both edges of the sword must be equally sharp. At themoment, I feel, the test pilot's edge could, with good effect, be sharper. "INDICATOR."
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