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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0254.PDF
158 FLIGHT NOT UNFAIR TO VETERANS Methods of Demonstrating Old-time Aircraft at Flying Displays : An Operator's Explanation By A. Cdre. A. H. WHEELER. O.B.E. The Sop/with Pup of World War I is, of course, the most nimble of the veterans under discussion. It is flown by the author of this article. IN an article in the December 21st issue of Flight, Mr.A. H. Curtis gave his views on methods of flyingveteran aircraft at present-day displays. We who operate several of them for the Shuttleworth Trust also want to be fair to these aircraft, but Mr. Curtis, it seems, does not like the middle course we aim at. He asks, in effect, for one of two extremes—either that they should metaphorically (and probably literally) be flown to bits, or that they should, so to speak, be put in a glass case. We try to reconcile these extremes. We want to show them off at their best, but we also feel an obligation to ensure that they are preserved and kept flying for the interest and education of generations to come. Our aim at present is to fly the veterans up to the reasonable limits of their perform- ance and manoeuvrability but to avoid any risk either to them or to the crowds who watch them. In this policy I believe we have the support of the authorities concerned. It is only fair to those who fly the veterans and adhere to the limitations I personally imposed to put the other side of the case as we see it. Let me say at once that none of the pilots has been worried by the absence of parachutes or modern instruments. Nor are they unskilled. They do, however, all have a proper respect for the piece of mechanical history which they have in their hands. The top limit of their performance and manoeuvrability is well illustrated by Mr. Curtis, who quotes interesting his- torical data on the subject; but he quotes it in a way which could be misleading. For instancy the Bleriot XI with the fan-type Anzani engine which we have is certainly almost identical with the mar-hing in which Louis Bleriot flew the Channel. It is therefore probably the most interesting type in that range. It is true that Bleriot achieved an estimated height (no instruments) of 200 feet on the way over, but the cuffs he started from were ISO feet high. If he did gain the extra 20 feet it was 'Still not an appreciably better rate of climb than the Shuttleworth Bleriot managed last summer. Perhaps Bleriot could have got higher, particu- larly if the rain-storm which cooled his engine in die nick DEMONSTRATIONS of pre-1914 aircraft have beenanunfailingly popular feature of a number of flying displays during recent years. A few weeks ago, under the title "Unfair toVeterans," a contributor suggested that the modest evolutions which these machines execute do not reflect their true capabili-ties in the light of their known performances when they were in their prime. In this article—which reaches us from Cyprus,where be is at present serving—A. Cdre. Wheeler explains some of the considerations mat govern the conditions under whichveterans are demonstrated. By virtue of his association with the Shuttleworth Trust, which owns most of the existing airworthyveterans, he is well qualified to write on the subject. of time had persisted; but, in fact, after 37 minutes' flying he was unable to get over the Dover Cliffs—no higher than his starring point—and had to fly along them to find the valley in which he landed. It seems, therefore, that the Bleriot XI to-day puts up a performance at least good enough to demonstrate how it used to fly in the practised and able hands of its designer. The Deperdussin has certainly some excellent flights to its credit, not only in the hands of Mr. Jimmie Edmunds but also when it was flown by the late Richard Shuttleworth; on one occasion, in 1939, he got it up to 1,200 feet But it climbs slowly, and even completing a circuit takes longer than can usually be allowed at a public display. The Dep, like the Bleriot, does not like modern slipstreams and at Beaulieu in 1947, when it did a circuit during the Battle of Britain Display, it took an extremely poor view of the twin jet-streams from a Meteor which had passed that way a few minutes before. Let it be remembered that berth the Bleriot and the Dep are flown to-day in weather conditions which, in the old days, would have kept them in their hangars. It is true that the Dep, on one day of the R.A.F. Display, failed to fly, but this was due to a sparking plug oiling up so that one out of its three cylinders was cut out. No one can complain that that was unrepresentative of the old days! Given a still, cool day with the proverbial cigarette smoke going (nearly) straight up, given ad airfield cleared of power- The 1910 Shuttleworth Deperdussin was demonstrated at last year's Royal Air Force Display at Farnborough by Wj
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