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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1160.PDF
FLIGHT JUNE 13TH. 1945 EASIER FLYING tion; and airscrew located so that there are no unsym-metrical fin areas within the slipstream. Low-speed characteristics. 50 m.p.h. minimum flying speed with complete control andgood engine cooling; same minimum speed for power on and off; and climb available with full throttle at minimumspeed. FlapsAutomatic flap, down at low speeds and up at high speeds ; aircraft substantially level at all speeds; and flap raisedautomatically when the brakes are used. View Unobstructed vision forward and down; the engine shouldnot be in front, particularly as this location is not com- patible with low moments of inertia in pitch and yaw.General safety features. Non-icing induction system (fuel injection); fuel systemrequiring no shut-off cock; and control system arranged so that motion of one control does not inadvertently pro-duce motion of another; this suggests the use of foot accelerator for emergency application of power, and withhand throttle for cruising. With such a layout the conditioned reflexes of a car driver would be used to the maximum possible extent. On the ground the aircraft would be controlled in exactly the same way, and the effect of the neutral aerodynamic stability around the rear wheels would mean that in cross winds there would be no particular yawing forces on the ground. During take-off the aircraft would gain speed while a familiar technique was being used, and, since the flaps would be automatically down, excessive elevator would not be necessary to obtain a correct angle of attack for take-off. The more experienced pilot might use the brake pedal to-hold the automatic flap in the "up" position while taking off in strong winds. The climb characteristics •would not differ from those of a conventional aircraft except, that the nose would not be appreciably higher than in level flight. Before any control simplification can be considered, the phenomena involved in making a turn should be under stood. Briefly, a turn is produced by a horizontal com- ponent of lift as a result of banking. The rudder is used solely to prevent undesirable yaw—largely in the interests of a "tradition of precision" which has been present in flying training since the very early days. The primary cause of yaw is that of aileron drag, and the simplest solu- tion of the two-control problem would be to provide ailerons which produce no such yawing tendency. Inter- connection of the rudder and ailerons is made more difficult by the fact that they are used at different times during a turn, and not in any fixed ratio. There is, of course, another source of yaw moment—the movement of the nose resulting from inward slip when the aircraft is too direc- tionally stable. Apart from the use of a tricycle undercarriage with its dynamic directional stability, it is necessary for an aircraft to be stable in cross-wind landings that it should not be too aerodynamically stable around the rear wheels. During a cross-wind landing the dynamic and aerodynamic forces are opposed; in the first place it will be attempting to turn into wind, and in the second the tricycle gear will try to make the aircraft follow the direction of drift. The design should permit the two to cancel out. Since nearly all serious accidents are caused by contact with the ground in a nose-down attitude, another point in the design would be that of keeping the fore-and-aft atti- tude constant and towards the nose-up position. This can be arranged by the use of an automatic flap which, though a compromise, could be made to achieve the result. The age-old technique of the engine-off spot-landing would obviously find no place in the operation of a simplified air- craft. The throttle would normally be used to control the glide path unless and until the pilot concerned had developed a sufficient degree of natural skill. The entire philosophy of private aircraft design should be that of fitting the aircraft to people as they are, rather than of trying to mould people to fit the aircraft. ROLLS-ROYCE JETS FOR FRANCE FOLLOWING the recent announcement by the Government,it may now be revealed that Rolls-Royce have granted a licence to Hispano-Suiza to build Rolls-Royce jet propulsion engines in France. French engineers are working in the Rolls- Royce factory at Derby, and Derwent and Nene engines will be supplied to France in addition to drawings and designs. The Derwent engine holds the world's speed record and the Nene is the most powerful aero engine in production in the world. R.A.F. AND R.N. FLYING CLUBS AT the Annual General Meeting of the R.A.F. Flying Clubheld at Bush House on May 30th last, the temporary war- time committee was re-elected and is composed as follows: — Wing Cdr. R. E. G. Brittain (Chairman), Wing Cdr. W. A Hammerton (Vice-Chairman), C. Keith Robinson, Esq. (Vice- Chairman), Wing Cdr. C. A. Pike, A.F.C. (Hon. Secretary), Sqn. Ldr. K. W. Hole (Hon. Treasurer), Capt. A. G. Lam- plugh, Wing Cdr. R. S. Sikes, A.F.C., Wing Cdr. E. Shipley, Wring Cdr. R. W. Hase, Wing Cdr. J. H. Brown, Sqn. Ldr. D. MacBeath. It was confirmed that bar and like facilities of the London Flying Club (also operating from Panshanger Field) were avail- able to members and guests, and that the Officers' Mess of the D.H.-administered E.F.T.S. would cater for members at all meal times and for ladies at prescribed times. Difficulties with regard to aircraft were mentioned and the position is now given as two Moth Minors serviceable, one serviceable Auster on loan, two Austers on order, and a tender for two Hornet Moths unsuccessful. The Royal Naval Flying Club is anxious to amalgamate with the R.A.F. Club and membership has been offered to Naval pilots who have the requisite number of flying hours. In- creased insurance rates, and therefore increased flying rates, would be necessary if Naval pilots with less than the minimum of 50 hours as pilot are accepted. The present R.A.F. club membership is 237 and the rates are £2 per hour flying time and 2s per hour parking time when landing away by special arrangement at week-ends. NOT SO HAPPYT O be considered, perhaps, as a successor to Tee Emm, a newjournal, mainty for internal preservation in the R.A.F., is being published by the Directorate of Accident Prevention.Its title, Happy Landings, might, judging at least from the contents of the March issue, be described as entertaininglycynical; this issue is crammed full of nasty accidents and accom- panying blood-curdling titles. Since the journal is intended todiscourage dangerous or stupid flying, such is no doubt the way in which to tackle the matter, and the articles should givepilots furiously to think. Most surprising are the "potted" accident statistics fortake-off and landing swings. The percentages given, however, may not offer a particularly true picture, since they are workedout on a basis of hours flown rather than on the number of land- ings or take-offs made. The Spitfire, strangely enough,heads the list on landings, with 2.8 accidents per 10,000 hours' flying; for take-offs the winner is the Stirling, with a figure of 3-3 Magnificent is the '' box '' which encourages the readers tolook forward to "next month's issue . . . which contains . . . a special article on 'Flying Into High Ground' ..." GLIDER PILOT KILLEDM R. GERALD OKE MANNING, who lost his life in a glidticrash at Dunstable on June 2nd, was the son of Mr. W. O. Manning, one of Britain's pioneer designers. The accidentoccurred in a very gusty wind, shortly after the tow-rope hail been cast off. H.P. SECRETARY RETIRESH ANDLEY PAGE, LTD., announce that after 28 years'service with the firm, Mr. Edmund Easy, a director an.i secretary of the company, has retired. During his long periodat Cricklewood Mr. Easy has played an important part in the financial success of the firm. His post as secretary is beingtaken over by Mr. Ernest Walmsley, hitherto secretary of Aero Engines, Ltd., of Bristol. The directors of Handley Page, Ltd., presented Mr. Easywith a silver rose bowl engraved with signatures of members of the H.P. staff.
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