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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0735.PDF
FLIGHT Armstrong: Whit worth Apollo. This, the second of Britain's medium-range turboprop airliners, is designed to exploit to the full the qualities of the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba, though versions are offered with Rolls-Royce Merlin or Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp piston-engines. The standard version accommodates 24-31 passengers and freight but provision can be made in a larger model for 45 passengers and freight, the respective payloads being 7,500 lb and 10,0001b. A civil freighter version and a 20-case ambulance are also available. The main passenger compartment, measuring over 10 ft in diameter, is unob- structed by bulkheads and is pressurized to maintain at 25,000 ft an equivalent cabin altitude of 8,000 ft. Godfrey, Normalair and Marshall contribute to the pressurizing and air-conditioning systems, and cabin insulation is by Fibre- glass. Powered with Mambas, and flying at 36,998 lb, the Apollo, carrying a payload of 7,500 lb, takes off in 800 yd. With normal fuel load, the range (at 20,000 ft) is 1,000 miles and with maximum fuel, 1,500 miles. Top cruising speed is 305 m.p.h. The Merlin variant flies at a weight of 43,150 lb and with the same 7,500 lb payload takes off in 750 yd. Range and maximum cruising speed are identical with those of the Mamba version. All models have an excellent rate of climb : the Mamba version climbs initially at 2,100 ft/min, the Twin Wasp at 1,850 ft/min, and the Merlin at 2,040 ft/min. Avro XIX. Crew training, feeder-line and charter flying and survey are among the capabilities of this civil—and improved—version of the Anson. All-metal wings and tail, increased headroom and hydraulically-operated under- carriage are the main refinements. Nine, eight, or six passengers are provided for in transport versions, and there is a three-passenger model, with a range of 820 miles. All Bristol New-Type 170 an unobstructed cargo hold of 2,020 cu ft capacity; the main hold measures 31 ft 8 in long x 8 ft wide (max.) x 6 ft 7 V2 in (min.) high, and the rear hold is 8 ft long x 8 ft wide (max.) X 6 ft 6% in high (min.). The floor will support a unit load of 75 lb/sq ft. For a block distance of 300 miles, the Freighter Mk XI costs lid per ton mile to operate at capacity load (4.1 tons); 16.9d at 65 per cent load; and 13.7d at 80per cent. These estimates are based on the following assumption*: fuel reserve of 50 per cent, cruising speed 164 m.p.h. at 5,000 ft, aircraft utilisation 2,000 hr/p.a., and depreciation on an air- frame life of 15,000 hr and a power plant life of 7,500 hr. Dual controls, a Sperry A 3 automatic pilot and Marconi radio are normal equipment and Standard V.H.F. and S.B.A. are optional. The cabin heaters are by D. A. Daniels. British Transport Aircraft versions are powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah XV engines, with a take-off rating of 420 h.p., mounted in quickly-detachable installations, and driving two-bladed variable-pitch airscrews. Two freight compartments are provided; a hinged fuselage nose-cap gives access to a space of 17 cu ft, capable of holding 175 lb, and the rear compart- ment, of 40 cu ft, holds 325 lb. Avro Tudor. At .the time of writing, the conversion of Tudors into freight carriers or tankers for the Berlin air lift is under discussion. Though the actual status of negotiations may not be disclosed, an assortment of Mk I, III, IVb and IVc aircraft, totalling about 25, is known to be available for conversion. In a number of instances conversion would entail stripping the furnished interior and strengthening the ttoor to withstand the impact loads of heavy sacks. Additionally, the construction of a number of Avro Traders has been proposed; the whole project involving these aircraft may, however, be shelved. Though embody- ing certain Tudor components, the Trader would be virtu- ally a new type, having a special freighter fuselage and a nose-wheel undercarriage. The Tudor VIII and IX experimental turbojet types are scheduled for high-altitude tests. Bristol Mew-Type I1?©. Four standard variants of this unique freighter/airliner (2 Bristol Hercules engines) are offered: the Mk XII A, a 32/36-passenger aircraft; Mk XI freighter, with nose loading doors; Mk XI A mixed-traffic aircraft for 16 passengers and 825 cu ft of freight (likewise with nose loading); and the Mk XI E, a generally similar variant, but with a detachable bulkhead. This bulkhead is fitted in the forward position if the aircraft is to be used for 32 passengers, centrally if for operation as XI A, or removed altogether if only freight is to be carried. The Mk XI A has I>e Ilavilland Dove. Refined aerodynamic design has combined with geared and supercharged engines (Gipsy Queen) to give the Dove an exceptional standard of single- engine performance. The makers suggest as the most typical duty a 200-300-miles stage, with tanks about half-full, carrying eight to eleven passengers at a cruising speed of about 170 m.p.h. Branch lines have need of some ready flexibility of payload and range; the toilet and rear-luggage bulkheads are, therefore, detachable, permitting nine or eleven passengers to be carried on occasion. Full standard tankage gives a still-air range of 800 miles with a 1,460 lb payload—suitable for stages of 400-600 miles, with six passengers and luggage. The main cabin is 11 ft 9 in long, 5 ft 2 y2 in wide, and 4 ft 6 in high, and the fuselage cross- section is wider and higher than that of the earlier Rapide biplane. Marconi light-weight radio is standard. Armstrong Whitworth Apollo
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