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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0497.PDF
SKIN ^PLYWOOD UPPER AND LOWER 5URFACES- 493 FLIGHT 17 April 1953 'to A cross-section through the wing in way of the flaps and (inset, on the same scale) the ailerons. The ailerons are flat-surfaced with an elliptical nose and a hinge-line inset 20 per cent. Like the flaps, they are under direct manual control. \ A possible cockpit layout:— (1) fuel gauge press-to-read button, (1) fuel contents gauge, (3) A.S.I., (4) undercarriage position indicators, (5) compass, (6) directional gyro, (7) slip indicator, (8) r.p.m., (9) alti meter, (10) starter, (11) ignition starter switches, (12) jet-pipe temperature gauge. (Left) This tailplane/elevator section shows the inset elevator hinge with balance weights along the leading edge. Elevator tab-angles are plus or minus 15 deg. THE WINNING RACER . . . accordingly. Instruments specified are as follow: air-speed indicator, Kelvin and Hughes KB 215/04, reading from 50 to 490 kt (the pitot head being in the tip of the nose of the aircraft); alti meter, Type KB 01/01, reading from o to 40 oooft (like the A.S.I., this is a simple instrument, a sensitive indicator not being considered worth the additional expenditure entailed); compass, KB 411/01 (a small dashboard-mounted instrument); engine speed indicator, Type KB 113/01; oil-pressure gauge, Smiths VI 62; jet-pipe- temperature gauge Type Western S.64 small; and fuel contents gauge, Smiths Desynn type. Lateral Stability.—The designers are well aware of the short comings of a wheel track no greater than ift. Their calculations showed that, with the arrangement chosen, the aircraft would be laterally stable during normal take-off and landing runs. On the other hand, ground manoeuvring in cross-winds, particularly over rough ground, would be likely to roll the aircraft on to a wing-tip. To meet this case, a novel lateral balancing system has been evolved, consisting of a compressed-air bleed tapped from the engine to a two-way variable-flow rotary valve interconnected— when the aircraft is on the ground—through a safety linkage to the ailerons. From the valve, short pipes lead to horizontal nozzles mounted as high as possible on either side of the fuselage. Bleeding ten per cent of the total engine airflow is calculated to provide a lateral thrust of about 27 lb, giving a righting moment more than sufficient to counteract a 20-kt cross-wind. When these lateral balancing bleeds are in action, a throttle-stop will be neces sary in order to prevent excessive jet-pipe temperature. Costing.—As previously related, wood was adopted to keep costs within reasonable bounds, and much of the performance expected was achieved by the choice of a very small, clean airframe. On a "one-off" basis, the cost is calculated as £4,600, of which £3,800 is for the engine. CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. The Old Service Tie T HERE seem to be more club and colour ties, in addition to the genuine old-school and regiment varieties, than ever before, and yet I have been wondering if one important one is not still missing. The old boys of the R.F.C. proudly sport their colours, and the serving R.A.F. have their version of the red, white and blue, but what of the enormous band of ex-wartime R.A.F. ? Some are still in the V.R., but they are being retired, and the V.R. itself is apparently folding up. Others still wear the R.A.F. tie to which they are not strictly entitled. Squadron and even command ties are too obscure and are not usually recognisable as such except to members. Much the same is true of the Reserve Club ties and the red Pathfinder tie, which look after a few more of our band. But there still remain the thousands of old pilots —they are to be found all over the world—who will have nothing in the tie line to show to their grandchildren in 1970-80. It seems to me that we want an ex-R.A.F. tie for all—to take the honoured place of the R.F.C. tie in a later generation. And perhaps it could be in the colours of the "Spam ribbon" or con-* tinue the attractive R.F.C. tie itself, with some small addition or alteration woven in. London, S.W.19. SLIPKNOT. " Weapons of Air Defence " I MAY be the victim of a leg-pull in attempting the reply to "Viking's" letter (March 27th), However, the temptation is irresistible. Without digressing on the tactical honors of "Viking's" scheme, may I ask how he proposes to solve the technical problems of developing such a helicopter as he envisages? Assuming that such a machine can be radio controlled, which is most doubtful, how does he intend to launch missiles from it above the horizontal plane? Where does he propose to install the radar, which would need search ranges considerably in excess of the range of the mis sile carried ? Such a machine could hardly fail to weigh 100,000 lb or more, and would take at least 20 years to develop. Research would be required into at least three major problems, and let us not forget that even the quickest missile itself is still only in its infancy. As for the "self-firing" rockets in defence, I wonder how the average pilot would feel at night over the English Channel, dodging helicopters and their "self-firing" rockets because his own "elec tronic device" is u/s and has failed to do its stuff. Perhaps it would be wise to remind "Viking" that the rockets in the Starfire are far from being self-launching. They are even tually fired after a long and complicated procedure involving stupendous ground organization, the most modern airborne equip ment and the supervision of a highly-trained crew. Similarly, the launching of a missile from ground or air can only be the last stage in the same essential process. Is all this to be done by one unmanned helicopter? Perhaps "Viking" is pulling our legs, after all ? Plymouth. ANCIENT BRITON. T.V. Film Identifications THE flying-boat which your correspondent "M.G." (March 20th) saw in the film Victory at Sea was a Martin PBM-5 Mariner. The Mariner and Marlin are easily distinguished, the former having a "butterfly" tailplane with twin fins and rudders and also a radar mounting on the fuselage between the engines. The Marlin has only a single fin and rudder, and radar in the nose. Alloway, Ayr. MICHAEL C. BACON. Not so Simple T READ with gnat interest your experiences with the Visetnmt A "In the Air" (March 20th). Modern airliners seem to be bags of tricks to the nth degree, but, all the same it wasn't quite so easy in the old A.T.A. days as you suggest (". . . an A.T.A. pilot could carry a notebook—with scarcely a bulge in his tunic pocket —that contained all he was required to know in order to ferry any service aircraft that might come his way"). Quite a big White Book had to be taken and studied for any new aircraft, and it was only the Blue Book of condensed refresher knowledge which made that bulge. Also, on heavy twin and four-engined types a flight engineer was carried, a man supposed to be competent—but, indeed, those were the good old days ! Cambridge. S.KJ.
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