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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1079.PDF
MAY 3OTH, 1946 FLIGHT 555 CORRESPONDENCE The.Editor does not hold himself responsible for the vteivs expressed by correspondent*. The names and addresses of the writers not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. LONDON AIRPORT Site for Proposed World FairW E note with envy that New York has a fine, if not thefinest airport in the world at Idlewild. However, if F.ngland had her World Fair on London's Airport, as Americadid on Idlewild, could we not improve«the whole outlay? With a tangent plan runway, such as the one suggested ingl, May ]6th, the bare necessities of an airport are at least KKXI control tower and an Underground to London. Withpaid for by the Fair proceeds and also the extra buildings, hotels, restaurants, etcv all left up for the use of the airport,not only would it improve London Airport, but it would give ensy access for aircraft from home and abroad flying in for aday to the Fair. P. A. C. Modern Terminal EssentialsW ITH reference to the above, I still maintain that my scaledrawing published in your Correspondence column some time ago takes care of the following essential features desirablein a modern metropolitan air terminal, viz.:— 1. Elimination of underground thoroughfares and under-ground car parks. 2. Centralization of control tower, passenger and goods' stations. 3. Last but not least, the placing of the control room andits relationship to the .rising, midday and setting sun. Incidentally this is a factor directly responsible for acci-dents due to errors in air traffic control. I would remind the responsible authorities that the victimiza-tion of pro-American officers in the Air Services is not the open road to efficiency, and may cause millions of pounds Sterling,to be spent on elaborate airports which, by the time they are completed, will be obsolete from an international point of viewand the cause of many headaches for future air traffic super- intendents. It is easy to understand the keen rivalry betweenthe "air powers" and the Federal Bureau of Aeronautics, which is not only legitimate, but the source of financial gain,together with commercial and military ascendancy in future years. \V. REGINALD DAINTY, Hon. Capt. K.A.F.(R.N., R.F.C.). KEEPING THEM RUNNING The General Novelty of the Gas Turbiner N reply to the letter from Sqn. Ldr. Cracknell (Flight, May9th), I must say that I still cannot agree that he was justi- fied in stating that in the event of erratic operation "it iscustomary to change the throttle valve or a.c.u." There is a type of mind, common in the Services, which tends to laythe blame on a particular component if anything goes wrong, and which will do so for no apparent reason. It is usually acase of a little learning being a dangerous thing, probably due to the general novelty of gas turbines. Such a statement asthat referred to above is likely to be fastened upon and the most literal construction placed upon it. That even E.O.s are not exempt from the attitude is shownby the authenticated instance of an E.O. who, on hearing -unusual and expensive noises coming from a Meteor nacelle, "tad the engine changed, in the belief that the wheelcase wasfaulty. When thfe replacement unit was started up, the same noises were heard. Subsequent investigation showed that the auxiliary gearbox was at fault.Further to Sqn. Ldr. Cracknell's letter, I wonder if he has ever come across a case of nozzle guide vane aerodynamicbreakdown without any attendant mechanical distortion ? While appreciating that the article in question was writtenfur no specific design, I must confess that when writing my first letter I was thinking in terms of the more successful types atpresent in production, or in the advanced stages of develop- ment, in this country. The recipients of his lecture are notvery likely to deal with the German engines referred to. % virtue of his position, Sqn. Ldr. Cracknell has probablyhad a greater experience of ex-enemy types of gas turbines than any other E.O. in this country. I suspect that it is from this^perience that the Squadron Leader gains his knowledge of the a.s.g. and of air-cooled turbine blade systems, but the fact remains that few British engines use them at the moment. R. E. T. HACK. FLIGHT OF BIRDS Wild Geese as an Example r\S page 477 of Flight, May ijth. appears a letter Iron. Mr.w Stanley Bradshaw on the flight of birds. I quite agree with his theory, and not with that ol Dr. |ulian Huxley. When 1 was at Rochester 1 observed flights of wild y<est- 111V-iorrnation. The leader kept his position. I saw the two birds immediately following leave the formation at the samemoment and -with a beautiful gliding curve join up again at the end of the formation. The V-shape formation was not for a moment distorted bytheir action. I am of the opinion that birds, like aircraft pilots, avoid the " down draught " of wings ahead of thembecause it leads to instability. H. O. SHORT, F.R.Ae.S.[Our correspondent's last sentence supports Dr. Huxley's contention that the explanation is one of aerodynamics— ED.j FOOL-PROOF FLYING Aircraft Becoming Too Complicated T^HE American Newsletter in Flight, May 16th, and your-*- comments on it, bring up some vital aspects of flying which are a great worry to many enthusiasts. I, for one, wouldwelcome more discussion on the subject. For commercial avia- tion with large-scale organization, there are great possibilities,as there were in the early days of railways and steamships. The same may also apply to the " fly-yourself " hire arrangements.For the private enthusiast of moderate means, however, owning his aircraft and requiring cheap but fool-proof flying, present-day aircraft development appears to hold out little hope. One feels that aircraft, like many modern developments, arebecoming increasingly complicated, instead of the greater know- ledge available making for simplification as it should ideally.There may be apparent simplifications due to "one knob" types of control, but the " workings " have often then becometoo complicated for one to do anything about them if things go wrong. It is thought that.the only hope for private flying isin developments aimed £t real simplicity and cheapness, and which may be in directions other than the more general air-craft trends that will be based on military or commercial per- formance. Again, such flying must not be dependent on air-port organization, however excellent. In conclusion may one hope that somebody will think of something different from theconventional stationary-wing aircraft, or helicopter, as calcula- tions made on their possibilities tend to leave one very pessi-mistic. R. II. THE PRICE OF COMFORT Airliner Luxury Costs Too MuchW ITH all the interest now centred on comfort in the newcivil aircraft and their operation, I should like to make two observations bearing directly on passenger appeal.Your journal is always very critical of passenger cabin lay- outs and their aesthetic and practical appeal, and this is a veryproper attitude. But there is another side to it. The war has done much to make a very large section of the public air-minded—the up and coming public, too: the ex-Service members. Many of them have got used to air travel and take it forgranted; they learnt of its advantages in Liberator bomb bays, or with the mail and the rations in a " Dak." They know air-craft are safe and reliable, and they won't worry overmuch now if the fuselage is " tunnel-like " or " the seat backs ratherhigh" if the aircraft gets them there cheaply and quickly. I think comfort is costing too much money. The majority ofus can'Cafford present, or past, airline prices, and would pos- sibly welcome less comfort at less cost. To illustrate my point—if there were two services to America, one in a Tudor 1 and another in a Tudor II with passengers installed in tiers instring hammocks at a quarter of the cost, I'm sure there would be a public for the cheaper service and that it would be themore profitable. It would make more people air-minded. My other is an operating point. As a paratroop I did muchflying, but could never get used to the bumps on the landing circuit. If this was kept up tor long it was too bad. If greattrouble is taken to make the rest of the trip comfortable, then this period at low altitude deserves special attention to keep itshort. Moreovei, since it is the last part of the trip, it may mar the passengers' memories of the rest. " FUSILIER."
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