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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1010.PDF
122 'LIGHT Type HID (Napier Lion) landplane. HID Mk II "Transatlantic Load Carrier." Type IIIF prototype. Type IIIF Mk I. IIIF with experimental tail unit. Type IIIF Mk IVM with Lion engine. IIIF Mk IVM with Kestrel engine. IIIF Mk IVM with Jaguar engine. FAMILY OF FAIREYS . . . solid, and were packed where necessary to take fittings. Ribswere of spruce, with lattice bracing in the form of spruce strips. The wooden floats had a small step, placed relatively far aft, andthe tail float carried a water rudder, connected up to, and working with, the air rudder. Span was 46ft IJin, wing area 500 sq ft,gross weight 5,050 lb, petrol capacity 105 gallons, top speed 106 m.pJi., climb to 5,000ft 6 min 40 sec, ceiling 17,000ft. (Per-formance figures for the Eagle-engined machine.) Variations were numerous. In addition to the three-seat F.A.A.seaplane there was a two-seat dual-control trainer version, a two- seat target tower, a three-seat F.A.A. machine with metal wingsand boat-built floats, a three-seat ambulance for British Guiana, and passenger-carrying versions seating as many as five. Somemachines had catapult gear and during 1925 an Eagle XV was installed.The Lion-engined machine was supplied to the R.A.F. as a landplane with an oleo undercarriage, and IIIDs of various sortswere exported for service in Australia, Holland, Trinidad, British Columbia, and Portugal. With the R.A.F., IIIDs flew in land-plane form across Africa, thence from Cairo to Cape Town, back to Cairo and on to England, as seaplanes. In 14,000 miles offlying there were no major repairs or replacements of any sort. To the credit of the Australian IIIDs was a flight around thecontinent. The first of the Australian machines was delivered in 1921. It was similar to the Fleet Air Arm pattern, wasfitted with wireless, carried petrol for 550 miles at 100 m.p.h., and had hand-starting gear. Using the variable-camber gear itwas possible to take off in 15 seconds. To suit Australian con- ditions the airframe was covered with a new combination of Cellondope and aluminium varnish. The floats were enamelled white to minimize the internal temperature.HID Mk II Known by the foregoing designation, or as the "Transatlantic Load Carrier," was a special development of theEagle-engined HID, built in 1921 to the order of the Portuguese Navy for the purpose of flying across the South Atlantic oceanfrom Lisbon to the coast of Brazil. The extra wing bay increased the span to 62ft. Of the gross loaded weight of 7,250 lb disposableload was 3,100 lb. Top speed was 95 m.p.h. and landing speed 48 m.p.h. Initially extra fuel was carried in under-wing tanks,but was later transferred to the main floats. On March 30th, 1922, the machine flew to Las Palmas in 8 hr. The pilots were twoPortuguese officers, Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho. Weather caused a delay at Las Palmas, but on April 5th the HID coveredthe 845 miles between Las Palmas and Sao Vincente (Cape Verde) in 9 hr. There were more delays due to weather, but on April 17ththe machine reached Porto Praia. Thence it was intended to fly Type IIIF Mk III tor air survey. IIIF IVM with Jupiter engine.
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