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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1727.PDF
FLIGHT Air-Allan I i Recollections of a Pioneer Flight^ie^e^Eight^Y^rs Ago : Duration 20 Hours^fCange 2,854 Mnes By E. T. TRANSATLANTIC flights are now comnfcnplace, andlong-distance air services of the futurelare plannedon a grand scale. A pioneering event wQich was the forerunner of this activity, took place over el) ago on the night of July 5th, 1937. On that night the first organised commercial transatlantic flight was made. An Imperial Airways "Empire" flying boat Caledonia (made by Short Bros.) was the chief performer in this epi- sode.* For the previous six months a series of test flights had been taking place around the base at Southampton, culminating in a direct flight tor Alexandria ; a full-dress rehearsal over a longer coj*Tse, but with less difficult weather conditions and a miscellany of emergency alighting areas. Final decisions as to the composition of the Crew were made, together with tests of fuel consumptions, economic cruising and radio. Meanwhile, there were comprehensive investigations of all the difficulties, operational and tech- nical, which might occur on a two thousand mile flight from Ireland to Newfoundland. Then on the morning of July 2nd, after brief good wishes had been passed to the crew by the ground staff, the Cale- donia broke away from the restraining waters of South- ampton and flew* west to Foynes, preparatory to the actual Atlantic crossing. The Caledonia was one of the two Short "Empire" * By arrangement between Imperial Airways and Pan American Airways, anaircraft of the latter company flew across the Atlantic from west to east on the same night as that of the episode described above. / flying; boarf'specially fitted with long-range fuel tanks in the v&jpijff holding altogether 2,320 gallons of petrol and rajfcns of oil; a considerable increase on the normal 636 gallons of petrol and 58 gallons of oil. The four engines were standard Bristol Pegasus Xc, common to all the "Empire" boats, each generating 740 b.h.p. for take-off using 87 octane petrol. In order to allow for'the carriage of this great weight of fuel (8 tons of petrol and about 1 ton of oil), the maxi- mum permissible take-off weigh*"of the aircraft had been increased to 45,000 lb. (20.1 tons) instead of the normal 40,500 lb. (18.1 tons) at which other "Empire" flying boats were operating. This increased the wing loading from 27 to 30 1b. per sq. ft. and the power loadint' from 13.7 to 15.2 lb. per b.h.p. no difficulty was experi- enced in taking off and handling at this weight, although the take-off run was lengthened and the rate of climb was lower. Since that time, under the stress of war conditions, the same type of aircraft has operated at considerably higher weights. Spartan Accommodation The margin of capacity available for load was not very large. It was not, however, unsatisfactory for 2,oqp- miles for the year 1937, and some time later could M"ve been considerably increased, by the use of a higher take-off weight, had the aircraft remained on Atlantic operations. The interior of the hull was a dim and echoing vista of bare metal, all furnishings having been omitted to save weight on the preliminary flights. There was, as a result, ample space for dead load. Government meteorological facilities at Foynes and Bot- wood had previously been arranged, radio stations had been installed, and all the comprehensive ground services were waiting; moorings, launches, ground transport, minor repair facilities, communications, catering, accommodation and staff. Transatlantic shipping had been warned.and radio schedules settled. The only requirement then lacking was weather of not too bad a nature. The crew, a tested^smd experienced team, was able to undertake flying(^iffconditioris which the average trans- RUNNING-UP. Two of the Bristol engines of Caledonia being tested before the Atlantic flight in front of the old Supermarine • •-..' hangar at Hythe.
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