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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0359.PDF
FEBRUARY 24TH, 1949 FLIGHT 235 600 19O5 1O 15 Fig. 4. boat now under construction for B.S.A.A. will be the largest British aircraft ever built, but the small SR/Ai jet-propelled fighter had shown that a modern flying boat can develop speeds comparable with those of equivalent landplane types. He thought we may yet see the day when the flying boat or seaplane will compete for world records. Turning to practical performance in relation to contemporary record standards, Major Mayo stated that up till now the cruising speed of transport aircraft was rarely above 85 per cent of the maximum speed. This percentage would rise with jet propulsion and stratosphere flying. A graph was shown (Fig. 4) in which was illustrated the advance in cruising speeds during recent years. The line "B" is the speed- record line from Fig. 1, and line "C" has been obtained by plotting cruising speeds of several representative trans- port aircraft. Major Mayo had also drawn line "D," which represents half the world-record speed at any time. Due for a Rise It would be seen, he explained, that actual cruising speeds have been rising towards the half-record standard. If the lines were to be continued at their present slopes, this standard would be reached in about eight years' time. But remarkable things were going to happen during that period, and both the record curve and the cruising-speed curve were likely to take a fairly sharp upward bend, the 35 40 45 5025 3O YEAR Relation of air transport cruising speeds to world's speed record. record curve through conquering the sonic barrier and the cruising- speed curve through introduction of jet and turbine propulsion and stratospheric flying. The Saunders-Roe SR / 45 flying boats were expected to cruise at 380 m.p.h., about half the speed of sound at sea level. It was a nice question. Major Mayo said, whether the speed record will by then have reached the 760 m.p.h. mark. If his guess that cruising speeds will maintain the 50 per cent relationship hold good, cruis- ing speeds of 500 m.p.h. will be current practice by the time the record hits the 1,000 m.p.h. mark. Major Mayo went on to say that the SR/45 will have a range of 5,500 miles, almost exactly half of the present long-distance record. Present operating altitudes with piston engines go up to about 30,000ft, which is again half the altitude record. The SR/45 wl^ operate at be- tween 35,000 and 40,000ft, and by then the record might well be up to twice that figure. Without contesting the fact that good aircraft design leads to records, Major Mayo also held that records lead to good design. He put in a plea for Government assist- ance in the form of free technical help from national in- stitutions when an attempt on a world's record is contem- plated. Representatives of the appropriate Government departments and of the Royal Aero Club could form a committee to decide whether or not any proposed attempt was likely to be worth while. PROMISE OF PARIS Eighteenth Show Draivs Near - WHEN the eighteenth Paris Aero Show opens at the GrandPalais des Champs Elysees on April 29th (and remains open until May 15th) it will mark something of a milestone in exhibition history, for the first Paris Show was held in 1909, and thus 40 years will have elapsed since its incep- tion. The last pre-war show was in 1938, and the series was resumed in 1946. Under the usual biennial arrangement, the next should have taken place in 1948, but the Grand Palais was not available, and a postponement until this year was accordingly made. Whether or not the show is of outstanding technical interest, it is sure to attract as many international visitors as ever, if only for the reason that Paris in spring has a proverbial attraction; customarily, of course, the show is held in Novem- ber. Moreover, the monetary exchange and general conditions in France are in many ways more stable than they were in 1946. British participation this year is likely to be on a small scale, for it has been agreed that the very heavy expense incurred is unwarranted at the moment; at the same time, there are those in the industry who maintain that the present period of European rearmament is one in which Britain's potential should be publicized. At the time of writing, nevertheless, the only certain exhibitors from this country are (among the major airframe and engine constructors) Bristol and Armstrong Siddeley, while Vickers-Armstrong will have an accessories display only; Alvis engines may be seen as part of a helicopter exhibit; Hunting Aviation are a "possible." Two stands will be occupied by Bristol products: one will be devoted to the Type 171 helicopter, while the other will carry a sectioned Hermes IV installation of the Hercules 763, a sectioned Centaurus XVIII, and a Proteus turboprop. As is to be expected, the Armstrong Siddeley display will feature turbines, and at least one highly interesting new type is likely to make its appearance Pre,sent indications are that French participation this year will be on a quality rather than a quantity basis with an absence of the somewhat freakish types that have characterized previous shows. It is certain that among other European countries, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Italy will be repre- sented. America had only half a dozen stands at the 1946 show, but seems likely to make a very much bigger effort this year. DIJNLOP YEAR BOOK WITH the publication of the 1949 edition of the well-knownDunlop Aviation Year Book, the aeronautical engineer is given a compact and yet adequately comprehensive compen- dium of information and design data on the whole range of Dunlop activity in the aeronautical field. Starting off with a statement on tyre design, the book then provides graphic data on tyre-loading characteristics and an analysis of tyre construction, before dealing with the para- meters governing the selection of- tyre size and the design requirements for tyres used with the nosewheel undercarriage layout. Thereafter, no fewer than eleven pages are devoted to statistical data covering the whole range of Dunlop aero tyres. Wheel design forms the succeeding section of the book, and abridged lists of reference data for mainwheels, tailwheels and nosewheds are included. Thereafter, brake design is considered and, in addition to tabulated data on brake assemblies, a sec- tion of technical notes on braking is given, together with nomograms of energ ' absorption, temperature, torque and landing run. Brake control systems, both of pneumatic and hydraulic type (the latter for use in connection with plate brake assemblies) precede a short section dealing with the differential relay valve, air filter and reduction valve, which concludes the braking section. Dunlop pneumatic actuating systems are dealt with generally and, in addition, the individual circuits are examined and design recommendations given. Thence follows a number of pages listing the manifold components manufactured by the company, chiefly, but by no means exclusively, for use in connection with the various Dunlop systems. Hose assemblies, windscreen wipers, and gun-firing gear are dealt with, and information and design data on the large range of bonded rubber-metal and moulded rubber components is given, together with a description of the Dunlop anticer equipment. B 21
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