FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0316.PDF
-27O FLIGHT MARCH 4TH, 19.48 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents. The names and addresses of the writers, , i not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. . \ • •_[• THE R.A.F.V.R. Too Little Assistance for Recruiting Drives I READ with interest the letter from your correspondent" 474 " in your issue dated February igth, and most heartily agree with all his comments. As a Reserve Frying School instructor L have been able to discuss this matter of recruiting for the R.A.F.V.R. with a number of reservists, and the amazing thing seems to be, not that so lew recruits are coming forward, but that any are forthcoming at all! The chief reason for this would appear to be the almost complete lack of publicity given to the R.A.F.V.R., most of what is being given is organized as a private venture, either by the Reserve Centre commandants or by the civilian companies operating the Reserve Schools, or by a combination of both. Further, no financial assistance appears to be forthcoming from "higher-up" for recruiting drives, publicity and what not. So is the lack of response really so surprising after all? DONALD A. S. McKAY. Desford, Leicester. P.S.—1 suspect "474" of being one of our own reservists here at Desford! • • - . * -.-.-. . • :. ON GETTING LOST "^ ' It Has Happened to Most Pilots *•- '•'"•, ' I READ with interest and some amusement your recentcorrespondence headed '' Women Pilots '' and '' On (Jetting Lost" by Mr. Keith-Jopp (December 25th, 1947), and Mr. H. Mason (February 5th) respectively. In the first, by Keith-Jopp, he stated, only to force his argument, that eleven R.A.F. pilots had lost themselves; and in the second Mr. Mason showed no mercy in letting readers know that Keith-Jopp had once lost himself. Whether or not Mr. M. likes Mr. K-J. I don't know. I also do not know whether or not Mr. Mason is a pilot; I suppose he is. If so, has he ever been lost? I myself have done almost 2,000 hours' flying, and although I jfciave not actually been lost, I have at times been doubtful, and I think if we pilots are honest about this, we will all agree that there has been sorrie time in our careers when we have been^to quote a former CO. of mine—" temporarily misplaced." I am unemployed at present, but I must say that, should the deciding factor of whether or not I gained a position be the honest and truthful answer to an employer's question: " Do you think you would ever get lost? " I'm afraid I should stay jobless. ARTHUR COOK. 'Dipton, Newcastle-on-Tyne. THE INFORMAL LIGHT AIRCRAFT COMMITTEE Aimed at Avoiding Maintenance I WOULD like to answer various points raised in your corre-spondence columns by Mr. W. j. Andrews (January 29th) and Mr. David G. Thorpe (February 12th). As I was a completely independent technical member of the Informal Light Aircraft Committee up to the time of the pub- lication of the Report. I can speak without bias. The. object of the Committee was to draw up a suggested specification for a new generation of civil trainer-tourer aircraft hiving markedly better characteristics than any existing types; better characteristics, that is, in safety, long life and easy maintenance. Other features were to be sacrificed, and all the way through the Report runs this emphasis on safety and easy maintenance. How bad earlier types of trainers had been in these respects was only too well known. In Annexe B (Part II). paragraph 2(b), we noted the need for: " (ii) Reduction of inspection, maintenance and over- haul costs.'' The theme is repeated in the next paragraph, 2(c), where we said: " Any reasonable compromise, in the specification as now set out will be considered if it has as its result the intro- duction of an appreciable improvement of robustness of construction, economy of servicing, etc. ..." In paragraph io, dealing with the undercarriage, we called for a guard to prevent airscrew damage, and we banned oleo- pneumatic shock absorbers, and either hydraulic or pneumatic; brakes. Elsewhere we banned folding wings on similar grounds.- So the story goes 011 right through the Report... Paragraphs J2 and 16 of Annexe B, and the whole of Annexe D are devote^' to it: '"•,', . ... V .' The point of all this is that the designer, to whom the Report was primarly addressed, has it in his.power td.empbasizi cer- tain features in his design at the expense of other features^. We asked him on nearly every page to stress ease of ' tenance and so to help make club flying possible by its cost. - • The actual figures of relative salaries of pilots, elu.b secret. .ie4 and licensed engineers were, to the best of our knowledge, those ruling at the time, and it was no part of our purpose to enter into controversy on them. They are settled or altered by committees very different from the "informal Light Aircraft Committee and I, personally, am surprised that the chairman, of the Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers should have pitched on our work in that respect. There are more fruitful1 methods of raising salaries than in giving side kicks to bodies which have no powers in the matter. If Mr. Andrews suc- ceeds in raising salaries, the result would appear purely objec- tively in future reports of the Informal Light Aircraft Com- mittee. Regarding Mr. Thorpe's point of the need for first-class, main- tenance, so much was the Committee aware of it that they tried to do away with it in the future. It emphasizes the designer's failure in the past. MARCUS LANGLEY. Redhill Surrey. ".._.. AUXILIARY RAM-JETS Could They be used on Piston-engined Fighters ? IN view of the fact that jet propulsion is taking the fieldin the fighter aircraft class, would it not be possible to equip the existing high-powered piston-engined aircraft with an auxiliary ram-jet unit fitted'beneath the fuselage, in order to give that '' little bit'' extra under combat conditions ? As most fighter aircraft attain 400+ m.p.h., the effect on the ram-jet unit might provide a useful propelling jet on the application of ignition and fuel. No doubt the range of the aircraft would suffer in order to cater for the fuel for the jet unit, but for a short-range, home-defence aircraft such limitations of range might be worth while. Additional accessories on the instrument panel would at the outside amount to two small switches, one to complete the ignition circuit for initial burning of fuel in the jet combustion chamber, and the other for turning-on the fuel supply. The fuel pump could be driven off the main power unit, and when the jet unit was not in operation a pressure relief valve would allow the pump to circulate the fuel back to its inlet port. On the pilot's operation of the press-button or switc| solenoid could open the fuel line and the drop in pressure \\* close the pressure relief valve, with subsequent supply oi* to the jet nozzle. This is, of course, purely surmise, but this country must not be caught again with aircraft unable to cope with an enemy air force without losing gallant airmen. Chelsea, S.W.i. T. BRAUN. [A number of letters have had to de held over.—ED.] Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar •4th 10th lOch llth 12th 16th 18th 20th 22nd 25th 31st FORTHCOMING EVENTS .—R.Ae.S. (Gloucester and Cheltenham) : " Castings and Forgrngs." A film introduced by C. F. Ingram. .—R.Ae.S. (Preston) : " Bird Flight." Capt. J. L. Pritchard, Hon. F.R.Ae.S. .—Ro/al United Service Institution : " Progress in Aircraft Design," B. N. Wallis, C.B.E., F.R.S. .—R.Ae.S. (Yeovil) : Lecture by P. G. Masefield. M.A.. F.R.Ae.S. .—Institute of Navigation : " Air Sextants. F. F. Everitt, B.Sc. .—R.Ae.S. (Belfast) : " Inside Occupied Japan " W. Courtenay, M.M., A.R.Ae.S. .—Royal Aeronautical Society : " Flight Testing at High Sub- sonic Speeds." H. Davies. B.A., M.Sc, A.F.R.Ae.S. .—Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers : " Brains Trust," in co-operation with the N.C.A. and A.R.B. Question Master, R. H. Hardingbam, O.B.E. .—R.Ae.S. (Bristol) : " Operation of Civil Transport Aircraft." N. E. Rowe, C.B.E.. F.R.Ae.S. .—R.Ae.S. (Yeovil) : " Recent Developments in Flying-Boats." H. Knowksr, F.R.Ae.S. .—Ro/al United Service Institution : " Atomic EnerjY." Prof. H. S. W. Massey, F.R.S.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
