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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2259.PDF
532 FLIGHT NOVEMBER T945 -M fflamilcar Famous Load^carrying Qlider Note Engine-assisted ; Two Bristol ; v^ .Mercury< XXXls Facilitate Take'off and Cruising : "Returned A: Empty" Flights Without Tug , . , I F one is faced with the problem of carrying quantitiesof freight from point A to point B (a journey entail-ing an over-water trip), and the operation must be performed in the minimum time, then air transport is the answer. 'But air carriage of bulky, high-density loads in large quantities is one of the worst possible operational cases in that it needs large, powerful and specialised aircraft to do the job. Such a problem confronted the planners of our*invasion of the Continent, and the answer they found was the General Aircraft Hamilcar glider, a full and detailed description of which was published in the December 14th," 1944, issue of Flight. The glider was designed to carry a military load of 17,500 lb. (7.8 tons) for an all-up weight of 37,000 lb. It was the largest and heaviest aircraft which it was possible to envisage, at that time, as being capable of safe take-off and climb from a 2,000-yard <unway in tem perate conditions, using the most up-to-date four-engine bomber as a tug. Stirling, Lancaster and Halifax bombers were the available tug aircraft and the eventual selection fell upon the Halifax III. ' ' „ In this form the Hamilcar successfully took part in the airborne operations on D-Day, at Arnhem and at the Rhine crossing. Even then, however, preparations were under- I way to invest the Hamilcar with power assistance in order to improve the take-off of the glider/tug combination under tropical conditions from possibly indifferent airfields, and, furthermore, to increase the operational radius of action. It was also desirable for the power-assisted Hamilcar to be capable of independent flight at light load so that it could return under its own power from an operation, and at the same time be far more suitable for air transport use. Simplified Installation . The result of these deliberations was the Hamilcar X, the all-up weight of which has been increased from 37,000 lb. to 47,000 lb., whilst still having a military load of 17,500 lb. and retaining the good aerodynamic characteristics of the Hamilcar 1. The engines are Bristol Mercury XXXIs, which are simplified so as to require only -he throttles in the cockpit; the mixture controls are interconnected with the throttles, and cowling gills have been deleted in favour of a permanently flared skirt to each cowling. No airscrew 'controls are required as the engines are fitted with two blade fixed-pitch wooden airscrews with blades of Douglas Fir on Jicwood roots, and at 130 lb.- each these are just about the lightest airscrews for their size it is possible to have. * V. . ' •""" Power assistance is used throughout the glider's flight, the drill being that take-off is accomplished with all six engines of the combination doing their utmost, and when at the desired alti- tude the glider's engines are throttled to cruising condition for straight and level flight. The ideal case is for the glider's fuel to be totally consumed at the landing, leaving the tug with a little under half the take-off fuel load for its return journey to base. Tht; normal fuel load carried by the Hamil- ••car X is 400 gallons, which is enough for an operational range of 690 miles, mid up tw thin range the Hamllcnr etui be used as a solo aircraft if it is re quired to return to base by itself. Furthermore, as the tare weight is 29,500 lb. and the maximum solo ta'ke- off weight is 32,500 lb., it can carry a maximum pay- This gives a good load oi 3.000 lb.idea of cabin f°r the return capacity and the journey. Forow level loading. ranges in excess
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