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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1376.PDF
250 FLIGHT AUGUST 26TH, 1948 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents. The names ami addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany Utters. PASSENGER PARACHUTES Hovering the Real Solution I HAVE read the letter by your correspondent D. G. H. inFlight of July 15th, and while agreeing that the provision of individual parachutes may be necessary, I still considerthat means of saving the aircraft itself, and its passengers and crew the necessity of leaving it, either individually orotherwise, should be the main objective of future development. Since learning to fly in the 1914-1918 war I have seen air-craft grow out of all recognition compared with the equipment we then used, but the necessity to maintain a comparativelyhigh speed under any conditions, and the alternative uncon- trolled dive, are still with us; , The modern aircraft is a good looking and substantial pieeeof engineering, and I am sure that recent developments in power units have brought the day nearer when aircraft willhover under perfect control, awaiting their turn to make a slow-speed landing; and this with very little departure fromtheir present design. It is-going to cost money, but I am convinced that in thisdirection lies the solution of many of today's disasters. Stroud, Glos. ALLEN E. JEFFRIES, M.S.W.I.E. PROMOTOR PERFORMANCE Position Errors to be RemediedI HAVE received Flight of August 5th containing your opinion and experience of the Promoter. Our chief de- signer, Mr. Beeling, in reading through the article, told me that the speeds indicated by us in our pamphlets have been officially measured, and from your article it appears that there should be some doubt about the speed indicated by us. I enclose a copy of the official graph of the calibration of this 15O Ia; 2 13O o bJ I 11O O LJ 9Oo a 7O 5O v 5O 7O 9O 11O T3O TRUE AIRSPEED M.PH. 15O 17O air speed indicator, from which you will see that the errorsof the indicator may be neglected at low speed, but that this difference in indication increases to about 10 m.p.h. at highspeed. It is our intention to place the pitot static tube in a better, position in order to avoid this error. H. VAN BEEM,Amsterdam. . • Publicity Man-'tger, "Fokker." THE CANAJDAIR PURCHASE Why Not Tudor VII.s ? WITH reference to the Tudor aircraft "debacle," whichhas been so aptly described as "the muddle without parallel in British aviation," and which has led to the purchase of Canadian-built D.C.4 M aircraft, it is noted with regret that apparently no mention has been made, either in the House or in the national Press, of the existence of the Tudor Mark VII aircraft. We are led to believe by the report of the Courtney Com- mittee that the main reasons for the rejection of the Tudor II are two-fold: (i) lack of take-off power, and (2) insufficient specific, air range. We are further informed that the Tudor VII overcomes both these objections. Why, therefore, has notthis apparently simple solution to the question "Why not fly British? " been adopted? Apart from the question of dollars, prestige, etc.., the Tudor airframes and Hercules engines ate available, and the combina- tion could be flying on our civil air routes at a considcrably earlier date than the Canadair aircraft, which are not, as yet, constructed for B.O.A.C. Further, it is pertinent to point out that the specific air range of the Canadair aircraft is inferior to that of the Tudor VII. - Also the noise level of the Tudor VII, a major factor Affecting passengers' comfort, is reputed to be the lowest of any four-engined commercial aircraft in the world. In view of the above statements., which have been substan- tiated, it is wondered why the present pathetic state of affairs has been allowed to arise, and it would appear that some sec- tion of the authorities has a peculiar axe to grind in a peculiarly ulterior manner. We feel that these thoughts are very prominent in the minds of the technicians of the aircraft industry and would welcome some explanation. W. H. D. Blackpool. J. Y. T. ANOTHER PLEA FOR TIGER REPLACEMENT Why Not Prentices for the V.R.? SOME time ago you reported Mr. Whitney Straight as say-ing : " It is one thing to fly an uneconomical aircraft so. long as the aircraft is filled with passengers, but if you fly an uneconomical aircraft empty, then you are in serious trouble. I regret to say that is what was beginning to happen." In other words, passengers were no longer prepared to put ap with the old bomber conversions when modern airliners were available. It seems to me there is a direct parallel between this situation and the V.R. I do not suggest that the Tiger is uneconomical, but it is fairly common knowledge that most V.R. pilots are browned off with Tigers, and that quite a lot of other younger ex-R.A..F. types would sign on for the V.R. if there was some- thing more useful and interesting to fly than the old Tiger. A sure way to get a whole lot more pilots to join the V.R. and to get a whole lot more enthusiasm out of those already in would be to give the schools a new aircraft at once. The newspapers said some months ago that Chipmunks were to be given- to the V.R., but since then no more has been heard and nothing seems to have happened. It seems to me that experienced pilots could make better use of Prentices for prac- tice and polishing-up than the ab initios for whom they were built, and, what is more, plenty of Prentices appear to be coming through. Why not a few Prentices for the R.A.F.V.R. if the more advanced machines are exclusively for Navy V.R.s and Auxiliaries? A. J. WALKER. London, S.W.3. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. p EVENTS 18th to 28th.—Model Engineer exhibition, New Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster. 26th to Sept. 11th.—Machine Tool and Engineering exhibition, Olympia, London. 27th to Sept. 5th.—Aero Club de France. " Tour de France." • 28th.—R.Ae.S. (Graduate and Student) : Visit to Vickers-Armstrongs. 28th and 29th.—Cinque Ports Flying Club : International flying meeting, Lympne airport. 28th and 29th.—Aero Club de Touraine : Rally, Internationale des Grands Vins de Touraine. 29th and 30th.—Ghent Aviation Club : International Air Rally, Ostend. 4th.—Northants Aero Club : Air display at Sywell. (Cancelled). 4th.—Butlin's Week-end Air Rally, Speeton, Filey, Yorks. 4th.—Bristol and Wessex Aeroplane Club : Air display, Whitchurch airfield, Bristol. 5th.—Light aircraft rally and model flying meeting. Hers. France. 7th to 12th.—S.B.A.C. Exhibition and Display, Farnborough airfield, Hants. 12th.—Royal Air Forces Association : Festival of the Battle of Britain at the Royal Albert Hail. 18th to Oct. 3rd.—Copenhagen Show, organized by the F.B.I. 18th and 19th.—Aero Club of Milan : Air rally, Forlanini airfield, Milan. 25th and 26th.—Butlin's Week-end Air Rally at Ingoldmells, Skegnest. 26th and 27th.—International air ralJy, Chateauneuf Airport, Sion, Switzerland. B 26
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