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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1183.PDF
734 FLIGHT 45. ChrottUiElevator trim Rudder trimAirscrew pitch Feathering buttonsBrakii Lift-spoiler central P.11 magnetic compassFlips UndercarriageSlow-running cut-outs Carburettor cocksFuel balance cock Fuel-tank cocksEngine air shutters Carburettor air shuttersCabin heating Tailwheel positionClock Flap position Undercarriage positionBrakes/bottle pressure Starter buttonsIgnition switches Generator switches Fuel gauge, battery, instrumentmaster switch and power-failure warning lightPress to transmit Fuel (tugesOutside air temperature Vacuum gaugeFire-suppression buttons HeightA.S.I. Rata-of-climbTurn-and-slip Artificial horizonDirectional gyro Engine instruments Relative-bearing indicator Vacuum change-over cockMF/DF installation Switch and dimmer panelsPriming isolation switch Fuel selector and primerLift-spoiler emergency retract The Sealand's cockpit offers good vision and a neat and practical layout with every control conveniently near the pilot's hands. which is contemplated with any marked enthusiasm by the pilot. Similarly, the amphibian's configuration does not normally lend itself to the provision of ideal handling characteristics for take-offs from, or landings on, terra firma. Recently I was able to try out the Sealand with the object of comparing it with previous amphibians I had flown. I did so, I must confess, with an unjust suspicion in my mind that it would prove to have some failing or characteristic which the impressive sales brochures omitted to mention, and which, as I have implied above, would just prevent the type from gaining the proud distinction of being referred to as "a pilot's aircraft." After two flights from Rochester (Short's demonstration base in this country) I must say that the Sealand more than deserves such a compliment. It is literally viceless, possessed of adequate stability in all planes and, if properly handled, fully as gentle as the proverbial Anson. Before these impressions are analysed in detail, however, it may be worthwhile to include a brief description of the aircraft, in order to understand more readily the actual techniques involved in flying it. The Sealand is a 5/8-seat high-wing cantilever monoplane with a conventional two-step hull. The two power units are super- charged D.H. Gipsy Queen 70-3S, each delivering 345 b.h.p. at take-off. An exceptional refinement in an aircraft of its size is the use of D.H. Hydromatic three-blade reversible-pitch air- screws, which allow an amazing degree of manoeuvrability on the water. They have a pitch range of from +18 degrees fine to + 56 degrees coarse, and —11 degrees for the braking position. At first, Rochester, the airfield from which I flew the Sealand, looked to be a little small for a machine of this type, especially as amphibians usually require a somewhat protracted take-off run. I was assured, however, that there was adequate room, and after a brief consultation with the demonstration pilot, G/C. V. H. A. McBratney, concerning stalling and approach speeds, we stepped From an unusual angle: the aircraft about to ali, on the Medway. "Flight" photograph aboard G-AKLO. Inside, the two cabins (separated by the undercarriage "boxes") gave a feeling of adequate room, and the large windows should also please passengers. Up to eight seats can be fitted (this, the demonstrator, had five) but if the rear starboard seat is sacrificed a toilet can also be installed. A full cabin air-conditioning system is incorporated, with adjustable outlets at each seat position. Entering the cockpit for the first time is a pleasant experience, for the arrangement of instruments and controls is so obviously practical that it has the effect of instilling immediate confidence in a new pilot. An excellent field of view is given by *Ue Jarge coupe' windows, which have sliding panels on each side. For the pilot, also, there is a safety-glass clear-vision panel on the port side. The standard blind-flying panel is immediately before him, while the throttle and airscrew control levers, together with the rudder and elevator trim-tabs, are mounted on a central quadrant to his right. Engine instruments are located in a central panel in front of the quadrant. The control column itself is fitted with a horn-type hand-wheel, and also embodies a conventional "pull-on" wheel-brake lever. The brakes are pneumatic, and are operated differentially by the fully-adjustable rudder pedals. As in most marine aircraft, control cables are run through a central duct in the roof of the hull. The controls can be locked by a single-action lever located behind the pilot, and this arrange- ment incorporates a safety device by which the throttles cannot be opened when controls are in the locked position. Flaps—a cross between the split and plain type—are pneumatically operated, and the selector is found on the left-hand side of the forward centre roof panel. Here also are the fuel cut-outs and the selector for the pneumatically actuated landing-gear. (The pneumatic system is driven by a compressor on the starboard engine, and normally operates through a pressure-reducing valve at 450 lb/sq in. The emergency system is stored at 1,800 lb/sq in in two bottles beneath the cockpit floor.) The roof panels carry (to port) the flap-position indicator, undercarriage lights, triple brake-pressure indicator, 4 (to starboard) the ignition switches and starter buttons, and fu#l gauge, battery and instrument master-switches. In the d centre roof panels are the carburettor and main cocks, Taxying out to take off from the grass airfiel<
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