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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1090.PDF
i6 FLIGHT JULY 3RD, 1947 Industrial Application of Gas Turbine Courses of Instruction Arranged by the National Gas Turbine Establishment DESPITE rapid progress and outstanding achievementthe design, construction and operation of the gas turbinemust still be regarded as a new art. Much of the develop-ment was effected under the essential secrecy of the war years and was in the hands of relatively small groups. Whilsttheory is drawn largely from older subjects such as thermo- dynamics and aerodynamics, established educational institu-tions are not yet equipped or staffed to supply '' transitional instruction to existing engineers or to teach the incominggeneration. In addition to its many other duties and functions, animportant activity of the National Gas Turbine Establishment has been the institution of a series of instructional courseson the aircraft turbine for Service, scientific and manufacturing personnel. Up to the present time twenty such courses havebeen completed and about 400 students have passed through. Initially, a course extending over six weeks was arranged but,as a substantial proportion of the '' students'' were senior executives of large firms who found it extremely inconvenientto absent themselves for such a period, it was compressed into an intensive course of two weeks. One course was reserved exclusively for foreigners. Twentystudents came from eight countries, including Belgium, China, France, Switzerland and U.S.A. These aircraft turbine coursesare being continued and to date applications for enrolment have accumulated for at least four more courses. It must not be thought, however, that the National GasTurbine Establishment is exclusively concerned with the air- craft gas turbine. In 1943, when the Government acquiredPower jets, of Whetstone, and detached the R.A.E. team at Pyestock to form the Power Jets Research and Developmentorganization under the chairmanship of Dr. H. Roxbee Cox, it was stipulated that it was to conduct research on land, sea and air applications. When, in the following year, thisorganization was transformed into a Government department, the National Gas Turbine Establishment, this general aspectwas re-emphasized. Since the termination of hostilities an increasing proportionof the Establishment's facilities and energies have been de- voted to the investigation of problems relating to heavier andlarger scale plants for power generation, naval and mercantile marine propulsion and locomotives. Both in this country and abroad there is intensive activityin the development of gas turbines for industrial purposes. A number of leading British firms are at present actively en-gaged on projects. As a consequence, the need has arisen for instruction in these specialized branches of the art which, ofcourse, are not adequately met by the existing aircraft turbinj courses. Accordingly, the N.G.T.E. has now arranged, underthe leadership of S/L. W. R. Thomson, a one-month course on the industrial applications of the gas turbine. The first course commenced on June 30th and according toplan it will be repeated in the autumn. At present the enrol- ments for the autumn course are about two-thirds of capacity.The lecturers will be members of the N.G.T.E. and specialists loaned by various firms engaged in the manufacture or develop-ment of gas turbine units. The courses are held at the N.G.T.E., Ladywood Works, Lutterworth, and the students areaccommodated under what are termed "hostel" conditions. Applications for enrolment should be made to S/L. W. R.Thomson at Lutterworth. The cost of the course, inclusive of board and accommodation, is ^60. For the two weeks' courseon aircraft turbines the charge is £ o. The courses are of a post-graduate character and the enrolments are subject toselection to spread the value of the courses over the Services, research and educational organizations and industrial firms. The De Ha villa nd Beaver Canadian Aircraft for Bush Pilots ET November plans were made by the de Havilland Air-craft Co., of Canada, for the production of an aircraftto meet the requirements of bush pilots operating in theNorthern territory, of Canada. Resulting from these plans the de Havilland Beaver is expected to make its appearancethis summer. The Beaver is to be an all-metal, high-wing, semi-cantilevi-imonoplane with skis, floats or wheels as alternative landing gear. Two versions are to be produced, one powered by thede Havilland Gipsy Queen Series 50 engine of 296 h.p., and the other by the Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior of 450 h.p.Because Wasp Junior engines are available from war surplus stocks., that model will be developed and flown first. TheBeaver has an all-up weight of 4,600 1b as a seaplane and 4,400 lb as a landplane. The engine mounting is of weldedsteel tube and the front portion of the fuselage is a tubular structure with removable metal coverings for ease of servicingand maintenance of controls, accessories and instruments. The rectangular wing has single bracing struts and slottedflaps extend from the fuselage to the ailerons, which occupy the rest of the span. 40 deg of flap downward travel and15 deg downward travel of aileron are used to improve take- off and angle of climb. Provision will be made for one pilotand three passengers, though the seat beside the pilot position will be removable and the flooring reinforced for the carriageof freight. Further baggage space is to be provided behind the rear seat, and a separate locker for emergency bush kit isalso planned. A thoughtful feature that will appeal to many bush pilots is the intended provision of two hatches, one onthe underside of the fuselage, another in the rear cabin wall, through which long pieces of freight may be easily stowed.Extra-wide rear doors, flush fitting to the flooring, will also facilitate the handling of freight. The Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior develops 450 h.p. attake-off and gives a cruising speeding of 146 m.p.h. at 5,000ft with 300 h.p. ; economical cruising at the same altitude is ex-pected to be 133 m.p.h., with 240 h.p. The figure given for the rate cf climb at sea level, using 450 h.p. at 80-90 m.p.h.,is 1,425ft./min. Absolute ceiling is approximated as 19,500ft. The take-off time is calculated to be 11 sec with 40 deg oiflap, using 515ft of runway, although, of course, these figures will depend upon existing conditions. Three removable fuel tanks are located in the fuselage belly,suspended from the floor structure, but only two of these tanks are used for the normal range. They are filled from a con-venient position in the side of the aircraft so that refuelling may be accomplished by standing on the ground or on the portfloat, and there is no need to clamber up on to the wings. An oil cooler and an oil tank of sufficient capacity for the extrarange are provided and an oil dilution system, almost a neces- sity for the cold winters of Canada, is fitted. An aggregateof 80 gallons will give a range of 530 miles at 10,000ft. Disposable load on the landplane version of the Beaver willbe 1,9861b with gross weight at 4,4001b, making an allowance for baggage of 7591b. Figures for the disposable load on theseaplane version are slightly lower 1REMGH RALLY '"PHE Aero Club of Versailles have now announced theA programme for their International Light Aircraft (maxi- mum 4-seaters) Rally to be held at Toussus le Noble over theweek-end of August 2nd, 3rd and 4th. At the present time all entries must be received by July 10th, but it is hoped thatthis' date may be extended in view of the short notice. En- trance fees are 2,000 francs per aircraft and 5,000 francs per Jfcperson, but it is pointed out that these sums cover all expenseff^ including hotel, meals, transport, entertainment, and aircraftfuel—also, of course, entrance to the various competitions. There is an advantage in taking a full complement of pas-sengers in that a bonus of ten points per passenger is given in the arrival competition. "THERE WE WERE UPSIDE DOWN" would not guarantee to be able to differentiate betweenthe top and bottom of every printing machine, and not every printer knows that the Merlin on a D.C.4M is underslung.That quite simply explains the cause of the 9,350ft "no deception " line by our photographer. There are still oneor two readers who have not written or telephoned to point out the inversion of the block on page 609 of last week's issue, somay we take this opportunity of thanking those who have told us about it, of acknowledging the error and of saving anyothers the trouble of letting us know
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