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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0310.PDF
312 FLIGHT, 8 March 1957 AIRLINE IN THE SUN . . . more intensive services in the Eastern Caribbean than in theWest. The first route the airline opened 17 years ago, from Trinidad's Piarco Airport to Crown Point, Tobago—a 54-mileflight—remains the busiest today, with 16 services a week in each direction. It is the only one which has a shipping competitorin the form of an overnight steamer owned by the Government. The airlines' 15 B.W.I, dollars (3 gns) excursion return is thecheapest air fare in the Caribbean on a mileage basis—possibly because of the ship, which charges $B.W.I.12 for a cabin return,without meals. The four Viscounts already employed by B.W.I.A. areimmensely popular with passengers and, as usual when this type of aircraft is introduced, yield high load-factors. At one timethey were flying New York-Nassau direct, but this proved to be beyond the normal range of a Viscount despite such weight-savingdevices as the elimination of luggage racks. The Viscounts now do extremely well on links to Caracas, Kingston, Miami, Barbados,Bermuda and New York from Trinidad. As further Viscounts are delivered their routes will be extended. Most airfields in theCaribbean can be used by them, although Pearls, at Grenada, and the turf-covered coral strip at Crown Point, Tobago, mayneed improving. Federation of the West Indies is just about to be realized, afteryears of political effort. But credit for the creation of a "feder- ated" outlook is given to two instruments—cricket test matchesand British West Indian Airways. John Rahr, general manager of this "Airline in the Sun", and his staff of 750 keen, cosmopolitanemployees, can look with satisfaction on the 142 services per week which they operate over 68,000 miles. Throughout the year,B.W.I.A. aircraft are the only binding factor, the only unifying symbol, in the scattered British Caribbean. AN ITALIAN FOR AMERICA TAEVELOPED specially for the United States market,-L' where it is being offered as the Trecker Aircraft Corporation's Royal Gull Super 200, is the Italian pro-totype Piaggio P.136-L2. The success in America of the Royal Gull (P.136-L1) with two 260-270 h.p. LycomingGO-480-B engines has led to this new version with the supercharged 320-340 h.p. GSO-480-1A6. The standard Royal Gull is now being flown, at fullload, on and off high-altitude lakes, such as the Horse- tooth Reservoir at Fort Collins, Colorado, 5,400ft, andLake Tahoe, 6,000ft. This later operation—by Bob Law of Commodore Air Services, from Sausalito in SanFrancisco Bay—offers a 60-minute flight instead of a lengthy surface journey. The Super 200 provides increased useful load andhigher speed than does the earlier model. It is quite a remarkable progression for an earoplane originally flownnearly eight years ago with two 215 h.p. engines. Apart from increases in tail area to meet the extra power,airframe modifications have been few during this period. The only recognizable difference between the LI and the L2 isthe addition of a dorsal fin. The small rear step and spray plates along the forebody chines were incorporated at an early stage inthe changeover to Lycoming engines. Piaggio have contracted to supply three airframes a month toTrecker. The Royal Gulls have, of course, Lycoming-built engines and Hartzell feathering propellers, while all internalaccommodation is fitted in America. European aircraft have Piaggio licence-built engines, Piaggio propellers and, of course,Italian trim, radio and instruments. Dimensional, load and performance characteristics of theP.136-12 Royal Gull Super 200 are as follows : — The P.136-L2, prototype of the Royal Gull Super 200. Span 44ft 5in; length, 35ft 6in; height (on wheels), 13ft. Grossweight, land 6,600 1b, water 6,400 lb. Useful load, 1,930 lb (cargo con- figuration, empty weight 4,670 lb, useful load 2,030 lb). Fuel capacity,158 Imp. gal. Cabin length, 8ft; width, 4ft 6in; height, 4ft; doors, 36in x 40in. Hold, 10 cu ft, 120 lb; after hold, 41 cu ft, 300 lb. Performance: 70 per cent METO cruise, 2,750 r.p.m. at 13,500ft,190 m.p.h. Max. speed, sea level 188 m.p.h., 12,000ft, 208 m.p.h. Stalling speed, full flap, 72 m.p.h.; flaps and u/c up, 79 m.p.h. Mini-mum control speed, one engine, 91 m.p.h. Climb, sea level, 1,280 ft/ min (9,000ft in 7 min). Climb, sea level, one engine, 275 ft/min.Service ceiling, 25,000ft; one engine, 11,800ft. Max. range, 50 per cent METO, 2,600 r.p.m. at 14,000ft, 900 miles. Take-off to 50ft,no wind, 1,440ft; from water, 14 sec. Landing from 50ft, 1,800ft. JET PROVOSTS AT SCHOOL (continued from page 302) the top of the hydraulic accumulator into the u/c jack. Fuelindication consists of a total-capacity gauge with a port and star- board contents selector switch, a pressure gauge and warninglight and a fuel flowmeter with "gallons gone" veeder counter. Engine starting was performed on internal batteries and—apart from a faint odour of paraffin into the open cockpit— apparently resulted in little more than a swing of the r.p.m. needle;it was genuinely difficult to be sure that the Viper was running. When the parking brake had been released the aircraft waseasily taxied on the toe brakes, dipping its nose as they were applied. Checks done and with no warming-up required, thetake-off was made—in formation—with the characteristic mini- mum delay of jet aircraft. The often-protracted briefing in piston-engined trainers must now sensibly be performed before the sortie begins. In the air, with the Viper turning at a smooth 12,800 r.p.m.,at the indicated cruising air speed below 10,000ft of 210kt (T.A.S. 245kt) the aircraft is quiet, and pleasantly silky on the controls.(Pupils trained on the Jet Provost were "horrified" at the noise and swing of the piston aircraft.) There is naturally not the throttleresponse that can be expected of a propeller-hauled aircraft, but very little more than intelligent anticipation needed for goodformation flying was required, and the occasional overshoot could be quickly corrected by flicking the throttle-grip mounted air-brake button. The air-brakes have a small—perhaps 1 or 2 sec —delay, and cause a gentle buffeting; the extended brakes of theJet Provost 2 are reported to have reduced this effect. The con- trols are both light and powerful—the maximum rate of roll isabout 100 deg/sec (40 per cent more for the Mk 2) and accelera- tions of 5g were pulled without difficulty in a formation break-off. Rate of descent normally used from altitude is 4,000ft/min.The air brakes may be opened at any speed to decelerate the air- craft to the flap and undercarriage lowering speeds of about 130 kton the downwind circuit leg. On finals this speed is progressively reduced to 110 kt—105 kt over the hedge—and touch-down ismade at a modest 70 kt; a still-air landing run of 1,075ft is required. Before completing the sortie by switching-off the h.p.cock, the flaps are raised in the normal way, and the engine "run-down" at 5,500 r.p.m. A.T.P. R TV EXPLAINED ECENT developments in television, particularly with theintroduction of alternative programmes, have created a need among domestic viewers for straightforward up-to-date technicalinformation. This requirement is met by the latest edition of Television Explained, by W. E. Miller, M.A. (Cantab.),M.Brit.I.R.E., revised by E. A. W. Spreadbury, M.Brit.I.R.E., associate editor of Wireless and Electrical Trader. This sixth (and greatly enlarged) edition of a book which hasproved consistently popular since it was first published in 1947 takes into account the changes which have occurred since thefifth edition appeared. Several chapters have been completely re-written, the remainder thoroughly revised and some addi-tional ones introduced, to cover new features such as switched tuning, automatic gain control, the increased use of flywheelsynchronization, and dual aerial systems. Television Explained, which has 107 illustrations including tenpages of art plates, is published by Iliffe and Sons, Ltd., Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, S.E.I, at 12s 6d (postage 9d).
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