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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2149.PDF
FLIGHT NOVEMBER IST, 1945 AVRO LINCOLN II cause for some curious reason a security clamp on the machine still exists. This is understandable for reasons of patents policy, although we cannot understand how performance figures would have much bearing in this particular aspect. Nevertheless, the ban exists. As the photographs show, the Lincoln markedly resembles the Lancaster—it is longer and it has a larger span, but basically the aircraft are very alike. Intern- ally, in fact, one would be hard put to it to distinguish one from the other, although the forward view from the cockpit is obscured by the front turret rather more than it is in the Lancaster. The faceted glazing of the bomb- aimer's position would at first sight appear to give an increase in drag, but it has been established that pres- sure distribution around the nose is, in fact, better than with the Lancaster type. In addition, both the field of view and the quality of vision are vastly improved. Defensive Armament • Armament consists of twin 0.5m. in the front and tail turrets and twin 20 mm. cannon in the mid-upper turret. Front guns are remotely sighted and fired by the bomb aimer from his station beneath the turret, whilst the dorsal and tail turrets are equipped with gyro reflector sights; however, the tail turret also has, in a bulge beneath, a radar scanner, which gives a trace on a cathode tube and projects it on to the reflector screen, the gyro side of the sight being used to compensate when drawing a bead on the trace. This seemingly far-fetched arrangement has actually been used to shoot down enemy aircraft without the gunner having seen his target, although this did not occur with a Lincoln. Crews of No. 57 Squadron, 5 Group, who have Lin- colns on squadron service trials might be pardoned for feeling that it was a great pity the Japs caved in when they did, for that prevented Lincolns being used against an enemy and thus showing the world what the phrase "heavy bombing" really means. It will be noted that the aircraft have white painted upper surfaces to act as a heat reflector for tropic use. From the maintenance point cf view, the new aircraft is excellent, and the fitters are vastly appreciative of the new circular-section engine cowlings which incor- porate hinged panels that can be used as platforms. For combat work, too, there is advantage here, for the panels are thick enough to act as deflective armour against engine casualty. The Lincoln II is fitted with two-stage two-speed Merlin 68 engines of 1,750 h.p., each driving a de Havilland Hydromatic four-bladed airscrew, whilst the Lincoln I has Merlin 85 engines of similar power. Engines are installed as power plants and are fully inter- changeable, a complete engine change being possible in roughly 45 minutes. The electrical system is uncon- ventional in that it is single-pole throughout, although it is still 24-volt D.C. Two 6-kilowatt generators are fitted, one on each inboard engine, and a 1,200-watt alternator is fitted on each outboard engine. In consideration of flying characteristics, from a trip ot something over an hour, in not too pleasant weather, the Lincoln seems to be a sweet machine. Fit. Lt. F. M. Jones, A.F.C., who commands the Lincoln Flight of 57 Squadron, takes a very good view of the aircraft, but, as is to be expected, having done a great deal of time on Lancasters, he is not too willing to agree that the Lincoln is greatly superior—from the flying point of view. A Boulton Paul "D" turret, mounting two 0.5m. guns, protects the rear of the Lincoln. The bulge below the turret encloses a radar scanner to enable the gunner to fire blind at enemy fighters. He did say, however, that the Lincoln is rather more stable and holds its trim with remarkable accuracy. In view of the Lancaster's qualities in this direction, this is, indeed, praise. Control response is well up to the Avco standard, and control input forces are apparently similar to the Lancaster's, which is undoubtedly in part due to the '' mechanical advantage'' servo tabs on the control surfaces—which, incidentally, are metal-covered. As mentioned in the review of the Avro Tudor I (Flight, June 28th, 1945), the wing, which is basically identical for Lincoln and Tudor, is flexible to a remark- able degree—in fact, when flying in rough air the tins seem to flap rp and down with disconcerting abando. but we remember being told that under loading destruc-" tion tests the wing flexed eight feet at the tip before failing. We do not wish to raise the issue of the future of the heavy bomber; suffice to say that the Royal Air Force was prepared, and had the Far Eastern struggle con- tinued as was generally expected, the Lincoln would have been there and, equally undoubtedly, would have carried the roundels to new glories. Span Length Height Wing area Aspect ratio Dihedral (outer Aerofoil . . Wing loading Weight (max.) 1, .. panels) 78ft. 17ft. ,42! 120ft. 8iin. , , 31 i n. sq. ft. 10.13 4 deg. . N.A.C.A. 23,000 modified . . 52.75 !b 75 ./sq. ,000 in. + Ib. +
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