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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2274.PDF
NOVEMBER 22ND, 1945 F LI'G H T\^s -morrow'sTo Light Airer. Metal ? High Wing or how J Comfm By ROGEH!/TENNANT The 3/4-seater Miles Messenger : A pilot who knows it well is able to take the llfesenger off in a matter of 60 yards. The stalling^iffeed is in the region of 28 m.p.h. TT THAT will our post-war light afrc/aft lookjjtfe? \J\! '' Indicator'' and the recent doritesponden/e his " ™ ideas have inspired give us some iutaiLpf >^nat the private owner wants. How will the designer, demands? Like all users of aircraft theyjiskxfor the maxi- mum in conflicting requirements. High top speed and low stalling speed ; good vision and good lines ; performance, comfort, safety and economy—all directly conflicting re- quirements with which the designer must juggle until he reaches the best compromise. If we look at some of. these problems from the designer's angle we shall, perhaps, be in a better position to see how far the pilot's demands can be met. The first problem for the designer is to choose his materials—wood, light alloy, or steel and fabric. Wood has always been the favourite medium in Britain, and is likely to remain so. A light alloy stressed-skin design is very expensive for Ultra modern in conception is the twin-boom Piper Skycoupe. It has a " flat four " engine driving a pusher airscrew through bevel gears. As ah anti-stall device, fixed slots are built into the leading edge. conflicting Claims: Wood or .Safety versus Performance • U;oo. prototype^ror small-scale production. Only a large firm with oai^rs enough to enable quantity production can be to produce a metal-skinned aeroplane at a com- petitive price. Even then it is likely to remain a luxury type for the wealthier class of owner. The fact that the minimum gauges for handling and secondary-failure requirements will be thicker tb/m those indicated by the direct loads also tends to make a metal- skimied type rather heavier than its equivalent in wood. For these reasons, it seems unlikely that light allpys will ever gain the ascendancy in the private-owner field that * they have among commercial and military types. Constructional A welded-steel-tube fuselage and a wooden wing—once called " Fokker construction "—has long been the favourite in America for low-priced types. The anglicised versions of the American Taylorcraft and Aeronca have been the only recent British representatives in this class. Welded-tube construction has much to commend it for light aircraft, particu- larly in keeping down the costs in proto- type or small-scale production. One effi- cient welder and a couple of hard-working fitters cas build an experimental fuselage in a matter of two or three days—an economy in labour not to be approached by any other method. Steel also gains some points for durability and ease of maintenance. One disadvantage is its slightly greater weight compared with an equivalent fuselage in wood. Another is the fact that the efficiency of the structure de- pends not only on the efficiency of the de- signer but on the skill of the welder. Designer, welder and inspector all need considerable experience to guarantee safe fuselages. Once the welding is done no modification or repair work can be done
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