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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 0057.PDF
JANUARY IOTH, 1946 FLIGHT UNLIKE TWINS ing mechanism, undercarriage gear and the airintake ducts for the rear engine. To a large degree this is made possible by retracting thewheels outwards into the main folding sections of the wing. An additional advantage of thislayout is found in the accessibility of the guns for servicing with wings folded. In addition to the four 0.5m. Browningguns carried in the wing roots, four rockets may be carried on detachable mountings on theouter wing sections. Provision is also made for two 1,000 lb. bombs to be slung under thewings. ' Unlike the Ryan Fireball, which is of quiteconventional appearance, to most people the Blohm and Voss P-194 01 fighter /bomber isunconventional to the point of being grotesque; yet it is only one of many similar types on thedrawing boards of this well-known manufac- turer at the cessation of hostilities. On close examination and in spite of theasymmetric layout, the protrusions in the wings for land- ing wheels, the odd pairing of engines and the squareaspect of wing tips and tail units, this aircraft has smooth- ness and a certain grace. It has a wing span of 50ft. 2m.and a length of 38ft. 7m. Among the advantages claimed for the unusual designare good visibility for the pilot, concentration of armament without interruption by the airscrew arc and internal bombstowage behind the piston engine. STRANGE BIRD : With neatly folded wings and jet nozzle at the rearindicating the contents of the fuselage, the two-engined Fireball with its squarely placed tricycle undercarriage is seen to be well suited for carrier-based operation. The piston engine specified for the P-194 >s the B.M.VV. 8OID fourteen-cyiinder radial, which develops 1,580 h.p.at 3,000ft. This unit is fitted with an exhaust-driven turbo- blower. The jet engine slung under the pilot's nacelle is aJumo 004, which gives a static thrust of 1,980 1b. All four cannon—two 20 mm. MG 151/20s and two30 mm. MK 108s—are grouped in the nose of the pilot's nacelle. In addition to these a bomb load of up to 2,000 lb.can be carried. American Newsletter P-80 Speed Record Possibilities • Private-flying Flood • The Douglas " Mixmaster" •• Opportunity for Britain By " KIBITZER " \ THE capture of the world's speed record by the Meteorseems to have created more of a stir in the Americanaircraft industry than appeared on the surface. At the time it was made, there was a sort of "so what " atti-tude, but it seems this was for outside (and American public) consumption only. Apparently the trade is putting considerable pressureon the U.S.A.A.F. to get them to try to recapture this record, and thereby hold both it and the long-distancerecord at the same time. The Air Force, however, is said to be against such an attempt at the moment, and thismay be due to the fact that the P-80 has not shown up well at high Mach numbers, and that further research isnecessary before it can be ready to tackle such high speeds as will be required to get the record under the F.A.I,low-altitude conditions. It also seems likely that those who, in the past, havebeen loudest in their statements regarding the very high >-peNd of this machine have found their exaggerationsbouncing back on them. A few weeks ago, for instance, it was being rumoured that a P-80 had done 714 m.p.h. onan unofficial run. The natural reaction was that if that was the case, why hadn't the record already been recap-tured by America? An5'way, one would guess that special P-80 aircraft,designed for an attempt on the speed record, are probably in existence and perhaps flying, but that a considerableamount of preparatory work will be done by the Air Force at Muroc Lake before anything official is said. It is knownthat some of the compressibility troubles previously ex- perienced on this aircraft have been cured by modificationsto the wing-root air intakes, so that any future attempt in this country might well be successful. Any machinethat can exceed the present record at its high sea-level Mach number will be a good one. + • • •Allison's are making a determined attempt to get into the civil aircraft field. T.W.A. are reported to be interestedin an Allison-powered DC-6 and to be investigating the possible installation of this engine in the DC-4. Thislatter rumour doesn't make a lot of sense, however, as the DC-4 is admitted as obsolete and the engineering worknecessary for such a radical change in power units would not only be very great, but would take much time. Tostart with, anyhow, Allisons will be fitted into the DC-8, although the final conversion of this machine to jet seemscertain. • • • The small four-seater tricycle-undercarriage, commercialaircraft that is being built by North American at Ingle- wood, California, should now have flown. The four seatsare two and two, under a bubble canopy, and the general outline of the machine bears a strong resemblance to itsfamous predecessor, the Mustang. If it is successful and the Company decide to go into production, the idea is tobuild something in the neighbourhood of 10,000 machines over the next two years. At present the power unit isa 165 h.p. Continental, but this may be changed if the 200 h.p. General Motors engine proves successful.• • . > The Government has now sold over 15,000 surplus lightaircraft to dealers or private owners throughout the United States. These sales will merely swell the flood of smallaircraft which are expected to spill out during 1946 and
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