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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2213.PDF
184 FLIGH: 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. Opportunity Missed V7"OUR feature on the Russian civil airline system [July 23rd] •*• was all the more fascinating because it confirmed what many people believed. However, it also gives point to the arrival of 30 Russian students in this country in a Viking. These students changed aircraft at Prague with 30 U.K. studen|»; who flew on to Russia in a Russian aircraft. Why a Viking? Wasn't this a fine opportunity for me West to show the students something of high^western standards in air transport? At least a Hermes, whjin is pressurized and four- engined, might have been supplied/fSy the charter company res ponsible for the operation. Onejjrtnild not expect a national effort to be made widi a B.E.A. Vi|d5unt, but at least something more up-to-date than a Viking, winch is on a par with their own types. Seriously, why cannofsome modern types be used whenever transport contact witb/Russia or Russians is made, just as another piece of the geneon reminder that our standards are higher? I note with pain^jri die newsreel of the recent Geneva Conference, that M. Mendes-France arrived in the same type as Mr. Moiotov —a Dakota. London, S.W.3. STANLEY BROGDEN. "Afterburning" and "Re-heat" I S it too late to plead, through your columns, for standardiza tion of the term used to describe thrust-augmentation by burning fuel in the jet pipe? At the present time, two terms are used synonymously; an example is afforded by your excellent leader for July 23rd, in which the subject is introduced by the term "afterburning" and is subsequently referred to, not only in the same paragraph but actually in the same sentence, as "reheat." The term "reheat" may have historical priority, at least in British usage, but it is also the, generally accepted term for anotiier process, namely, the re-heating of the gases during their passage from one turbine to another in a multi-turbine installa tion. Even if inter-turbine reheat is at present used only in complex non-aero gas-turbine installations, its future use in com pound turboprop engines is a possibility; in fact, proposals for such use may be found in several Power Jets patent specifica tions. In future,-therefore, the use of "reheat" for jet-pipe burning may lead to definite misunderstanding; even now, foreign readers of English aeronautical literature may be mysti fied by the duplication in terminology. Apart from the danger of misinterpretation, there is the question of a convenient noun for the equipment itself. Does not "afterburner" sound, for some reason, better than "reheater"? London, W.l. T. G. HICKS, Man. Dir., Power Jets (Research and Development), Ltd. The Avro 504 MAY I congratulate Mr. J. M. Bruce on his excellent article on the Avro 504? I have been eagerly awaiting this for many weeks, and I have not been disappointed. May I also thank the Editor of Flight for publishing this series of articles? I only hope there will be many more. Part 2 of "Avro 504" set me browsing through my own files (and adding to diem!) and I think that readers may be interested in one or two additional facts. Mr. Bruce mentions the Anzani- engined 504K, G-EBWO. My information differs from his; per haps some reader can confirm either version. According to my files, -WO was fitted with the ,100 h.p. Anzani by die Brooklands Aviation Co. for Dr. M. C. Wall. Eventually the machine passed to the Henderson School of Flying. Later still, it was converted by F. G. Miles to take die 110 h.p. Le Rhone engine. It crashed in April 1929. One of die "tfiree-pjSt Avros," a 504K was still flying at Lympne in 1936. Known affectionately as "Screaming Annie," it was registered G-ABVC and owned, I think, by Harold Chater. Other 504K engine variants not mentioned by Mr. Bruce were the 80 h.p. Rolls-Royce Hawk and the 70 h.p. Renault. Two 504Ms were built, and only one reached the civil register, as K.134, later G-EACX. With the constructor's number ATN.10, it was firgr registered on May 29th, 1919, and was still flying at Hounsloy? shortly before die war. The Avro 548 was originally produced to meet a demand for a statibnary-engined type instead of the rotaries of the 504K. Variants not mentioned by Mr. Bruce were the prototype G-EAFH, and G-EAJB. G-EAFH was owned by Giro Aviation Co. and spent most of its life with an A.B.C. Wasp. G-EAJB belonged to die Henderson School of Flying, and had a Bristol Lucifer engine. I hope all these ramblings may prove of interest to your readers. Somewhere in his article, Mr. Bruce says that to record all the ramifications of this wonderful aeroplane would require a book. How I wish somebody would write that book! Leeds. DERRICK G. BEETON. THE following information on the use of the Avro 504 in Denmark may be of interest to some of your readers, or at least to Mr. J. M. Bruce. D.D.L., which now is a partner in S.A.S., bought three 504Ks in 1919. One was sold to Iceland direct from England and never arrived to this country. Only one of the remainder was given a' Danish registration, T-DOLM. It was previously H2549. This aircraft was not used on scheduled services, but,only for joy-rides. Togedier with its unregistered companion it was sold in November 1921 to the Army Flying School. The Navy bought six 504Ks in December 1920. The Danish designation was L.B. I (Land Biplane I). They were used for training at the flying school, first at Avedore, near Copenhagen, * and later at Ringsted. In 1925 a 504M was bought from England. Orlogsvaerftet (the Naval dockyard) acquired the licence, and three (Nos. 108, 109 and 110) were built in 1926-27. A 504K was also converted to "N" standard. These aircraft were replaced i. in die middle thirties with Ayrb Tutors. One (No. 112) was sold/to Nordisk Lufttrafik in 1936 and ' registered OY-DEL. It w^s used for towing advertising banners. It disappeared during the occupation; I suppose it was impressed into the Luftwaffe, as were almost all civil aircraft in Denmark. No. 110 survived the jstfar, however, and, after a rebuild at the Air Force workshops at Vaerlose, it was put on display at the Army museum in Copenhagen in February this year. It is shown togedier witii other old military aircraft, such as a Hawker Dankok and a Donnet-Leveque flying-boat of 1913. Copenhagen. H. A. KOFOED. [The Hawker Dankok, mentioned by our correspondent, was a Jaguar-engined development of the Woodcock, built under licence at the Copenhagen Naval Dockyard—Ed.] Glider Training for Airline Pilots? / I N a recent memorandum seven organizations connected with air transport recommend that recruits for the profession of civil air pilot be sought at die age of 16 to 18 years. They should: (i) be up to tile educational standard of the General Certificate with a bias towards science and mathematics; (ii) pass a stria medical examination; (iii) pass a selection board, including repre sentatives of the Board (sic) of Education; and (iv) pass a flying- aptitude test. "Acceptance would depend on the instructor's report after up to 8 hours' flying." After acceptance the recruit would obtain a Private Pilot's Licence at a civil J3ying club, while pursuing a parallel course of technical studies. •' The aptitude test is presumably to be done in powered aircraft so that a pupil might be accepted after only a few days' acquain tance with flying. It is noticeable that several Continental countries, who already operate training schools for airline pilots prefer a longer period of assessment and use the gliding clubs for this purpose. The Dutch Government training school, for example, seeks recruits from the schools as young as 15 years and advises diem to join a gliding club. After a year or more as a member of such a club a report is compiled on the pupil's progress and it is/thought that a much more reliable estimate of aptitude is obtained than by a few hours in a powered aeroplane. There are several important differences in atmosphere between civil flying clubs and gliding clubs which explain this. At a flying club the pupil tends to have everything, except the flying, dcie for him. He often arrives, steps into the aeroplane and lea''S almost immediately after the flight. Unless he is so minded !ie plays no part in the organization of the club and is not as,1 d to become one of a team in any way. At a gliding club, on the contrary, for every minute in the air t e pupil may spend !half an hour in helping outers to fly. The clue members seldom have as many professional staff as a flying c; 0 so that the moving of the gliders, their inspection, launching £ i retrieving are all part of the club member's work. A youth tak ^ part in the life of a gliding club soon reveals whether he is a gf; S*/*!
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