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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0882.PDF
648 FLIGHT JUNE IOTH, 1948 Correspondence to think ot it. In a recent paper, Mr. Walter Tye, F.R.Ae.S.,Chief Technical Officer of A.R.B., referred to the fact that in general British aircraft have smaller control surface areasthan American aircraft and that from 1940-42 there were more accidents caused to the former by engine or handling failures.The two statements taken together seem to have some signifi- cance. Mr. Tye, in fact, seems to come to the reluctantcbnclusion that in most matters of design the U.S.A. is ahead of ourselves—their aircraft apparently need some 20 per centless take-off distance due to improved flaps, and incorporate such advances as automatic feathering in the case of at leastone modern aircraft, to give other examples of this superiority. E. Twickenham, Mddx. D. G. H. (ex-R.A.F. Pilot). Exit Notices Inside ...'•'.'I N Mr. W. A. Hannam's analysis of air safety (Flight, May20th) he mentions crash tanks to diminish the risk of fire in a forced landing. He also recommends civil aviation todraw up a set of regulations to ensure a standard of safety which would afford passengers a quick, sure way ot leavingthe aircraft in event of an accident. This, it would seem to me, depends on three things: —One, an improved way of individual release from the lap- strap or safety harness. Two, all emergency exits to be located easily from the insideof the aircraft, as, more often than not, the emergency exit is proclaimed to the world as such from the outside. But,alas, only too often is the fact waived for sleek, beautiful lines and superb interior decor instead of the notice being self-evident. Three, tanks to withstand greater shock, especially at theiuel-pipe exit from the tank. (This cannot be too strongly stressed, as it is here that a fracture can so often occur.) Of number two, I -can speak with authority, as I am thechap who writes the signs for the aircraft, including registra- tion, trade marks, and safety notices. Often, whilst writingthe Emergency Exit notice on the OUTSIDE in wonderful large letters, the thought has struck me, "If only we couldput this where the passenger could see it." Number one, I am proud to say, I have done somethingpractical about in minimizing the risk of passengers being trapped in an accident. It has been my fortune to devise anentirely new method of release in the safety-harness buckle. This I have proved to be four seconds faster than all presentknown makes of safety buckle in use. This new patent of mine is now in the prototype stage, I having scrapped thefirst attempt in its design for a more rugged type, which should pass all stress tests applied to it (A.R.B. will be pleased atthis). I am now confidently awaiting the views of the manufac-turers befoxe being able to say: "That's at least helped to save someone's life." Number three is for the aircraft engineers and designers,and, therefore, when it comes, as I'm sure it will, I hope they, lite the car manufacturers of to-day, will advertise itas a sales advantage and perhaps will advise us through your excellent magazine, which always goes a long way to iron outthe industry's snags. " C.-OF-A. MICHAEL ANGELO.", Liverpool.. — *- . • :.-. •.',-.- „• - . - .:,^.., • •-.-. . •_.. Reliability of Instruments I REFER to the article by Mr. W. A. Hannam entitled" Towards Greater Air Safety" (May 20th). Civil aircraft accidents are the subject of extensive enquiry, and one hesitates to put forward theories which are pure con- jecture. Are we entitled, however, to dismiss as pilot errois and weather hazards those accidents in which aircraft flying over regular airline routes hit mountains, etc., when the crew concerned have maintained routine radio contact without indi- cating gross alarm ? Are we entirely satisfied with our blind-flying instruments ? When aircraft hit mountains or just disappear (as in the case of the Star Tiger) the answer can only be :— (a) Pilot error, yet it seems unlikely that an experienced pilot over a well-worn route would reduce altitude below safety minimum without letting anyone know. (b) Structural failure of some vital control. A possibility but unlikely nowadays, and in the case of the mountaineers ruled out by subsequent investigation. (c) Weather, radio information would surely be given. (d) Instruments. Is the pitot-head heating adequate for all conditions and does it always work ? Js there anything in the peculiar stories one hears about altimeter variations or is this just nonsense ? The writer once listened to an extraordinary story related by three high-ranking military pilots who got caught in the fringe of a cumulo nimbus in a medium-sized twin-engined- aircraft. Air-speed indicators, altimeters, everything failed according to them ; obviously they shouldn't have been there, but there are certainly other wartime pilots who have lived to tell the tale when such or lesser things have happened. It does not take long for an aircraft to be sufficiently out of control to topple its gyro instruments, and then what—par- ticularly in a lair-sizeu civil airliner ? One wonders what the variation would be if a number of altimeters, pitot heads, gyro instruments, etc., were given a simultaneous test under some synthetic weather conditions in, say, the R.A.E. altitude chamber. All this is asked in a spirit of enquiry. To revert to another aspect of this article, viz., crash fire risks, it is difficult to see how crash-proof tanks help an air- craft which is making a crash landing, and possibly ploughing through trees, stone walls, etc. As your contributor rightly states, the occupants may still be all right, the human frame is very resilient, but petrol pipes and connections aren't, and the fuel escapes even though the tanks may or may not bos ruptured. TQP I feel it is quite impractical to design aircraft with a view ' to their performance after a crash landing, and we should be very chary of suggesting to our regulatory bodies that they should extend their control into this sphere, otherwise who knows where it will end. The superimposing factor is that aircraft use heat engines, and that this heat is supplied by the combustion of fuel, which means that the engines are hot and the fuel inflammable. The only palliative is to reduce the volatility of the fuel so that, if a fire starts, the result is not some immediate catastrophic holocaust which is far beyond the powers of any fire appliances, should they be handy. Low volatility" fuels, commonly called "safety fuels," could be produced in the anti-knock range required for the spark- ignition piston engine. Common sense suggests that the use of such fuels would reduce the incidence of fire, and what is more important if fire occurred, increase the time available for the occupants of the aircraft either to remove themselves or be removed to safer quarters. Common sense can only justify their adoption. G. D. SOLTZ. Chelsea, S.W.3. AMERICAN UNDERCARRIAGES Levered Suspension and Liquid Springing TN reply to Mr. Conway's letter in your issue of May. 27th,-*- no practical engineer would cavil at the statements" made by "Comparator." The incorporation of an additional shock absorber struton the undercarriage is both cumbersome and unnecessarily complex, and will not relieve the main shock absorber ofbending as does the levered suspension system. Consistently good results of levered suspension undercarriages both at homeand abroad fully justify the comments made by "Com- parator." Mr. Conway's gratuitous apology for the over-enthusiasmof Lockheed's publicity department leads me to think that his letter shows the same over-enthusiasm for publicity, al-though perhaps not so unbiased as Lockheed's ! i The '' unique and revolutionary discovery '' of liquid com>|pressibility has long been known, but it was left to my com- pany to find a practical application for this. Mr. Conway isapparently unwilling to give credit for this achievement, but even a self-styled " representative" of the British AircraftIndustry should appreciate merit when he sees it. Cheltenham, Glos. , G. H. DOWTY,A number of letters have had to be held over until next week. FORTHCOMING EVENTS June 12th.—Wolverhampton Aero Club : " At Home." June 12th and 13th.—Butlin's Week-end Air Rally at Ingoldmelts, Skegness. June 13th.—Henri Bardel Cup for model aircraft with mechanical motors. June 16th.—R.Ae.S (Hatfield) : "The Development of the Brabazon I," G. P. Hepden, B.Sc, A.C.G.I., D.I.C. June 19th.—Old Comrades Day for the Airborne Forces, Parachute Regt., Alders hot. June 19th to 21st.—Royal Aero Club : Week-end for Foreign Guests, London. June 20th.—Northern Heights Model Flying Club : Gala Day. Queen's Cup and Helicopter Trophy. Langley airfield, Bucks. June 26th.—Derby Aero Club and No. 16 Reserve Flying School : Flying display at Bumaston airport (postponed from June 5th). June 26th and 27th.—Butlin's Week-end Air Rally. Broom Hall, Pwlltieli, N. Wales. July 3rd.—Air Service Training : Flying display and '* Open Day,'* Hamble airfield, Hants. July 3rd to 5th.—Private Air Rally for members and associate members of the Royal Aero Club at Deauville, France. (Guests of M. F. Andre.)-
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