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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1014.PDF
104 FLIGHT HANDLING THE SUPER AERO A Czechoslovak Light Twin for Import THOUGH precious few foreign aircraft of the executivetype can be imported into Britain, the Anglo-Czecho-slovak trade agreement will allow a limited number of Super Aeros to be sold here. The price is quoted as £7,960 ex-works inPrague without radio, though customer's radio would be fitted free. Import duty of 17.5 per cent and ferrying charges must beadded. Inspection and handling trials by the A.R.B. were to be completed last week for the granting of a British C. of A. Threemachines may be imported this year and the manufacturers are quoting six to eight weeks' delivery time from receipt of order.The agents here are the Aircraft and General Finance Corpora- tion, Ltd., 26/27 Poultry Chambers, 11 Poultry, London, E.C.2,and spares to the scale recommended by the manufacturers are to be stocked by Rollason Aircraft and Engines, Ltd., at CroydonAirport. I cast a covetous eye on the Super Aero right from the start.Having flown it briefly at Venice last year Flight, August 3, 1956) and been considerably impressed, I jumped at the chance ofa longer flight—at Croydon last week—with Mr. Blaha, the Czech test pilot. Arrangements were made for colleague AlastairPugh to fly photographer McLaren, who took the accompanying pictures. The cloud-base was rather low and rain was threaten-ing, so I was not able to go through the full routine with the machine. Nevertheless, I sampled enough to confirm my earliergood impressions. Comparison between British and foreign light executive air-craft tend to be unfortunate—for Britain—but I would make the following remarks, because Flight operates a Gipsy-Major-engined Gemini with Palmer hydraulic disc brakes, and gets a great deal of very useful service from it. Considering that some400 of the Aero 45 series have been built, including about 100 of the Super Aero discussed here, the Gemini comes off well fromcomparison, even though it has had a more erratic develop- ment life. On two 145 h.p. engines the Gemini cruises at140 m.p.h. very comfortably for something over 450 miles. With full fuel load of 66 Imp. gal it can carry (though barely) threepassengers and a V.H.F. radio. Its slow-speed and short-field characteristics are particularly good; and with starters workingoff internal batteries, and with good brakes, it is entirely inde- pendent of external aid when operating from strange fields. Thisis a most valuable asset. Flap operation is mechanical and the electric undercarriage actuation has given virtually no trouble.A single-engined overshoot is quite straightforward and safe. The cabin is wide and high and very comfortable for long flights,though smoking is unwise, because the priming pump pushes a certain amount of raw fuel into the cabin. All in all, the Geminiis comfortable, useful and extremely simple. The Super Aero has two 105 h.p. engines with electrically-yariable-pitch metal propellers which can be feathered. Carry- ing four people and full fuel load of 71 gal it will cruise at148 m.p.h. for 870 miles. At 62 m.p.h., its stalling speed is a good deal higher than that of the Gemini, but it has a maximum flapdeflection of 55 deg, which produces a really steep glide. Because of their high drag, flaps must be raised immediately to gainheight when overshooting. Both flaps and undercarriage are electrically operated. In fact, engine and blind-flying instru-ments, propeller controls and a number of other services are electric and have to be switched on individually, together withbattery and the two generators. All this makes for a good deal of wiring, but the lower portion of the nose-cone can be hingeddown to give direct access to the back of the instrument panel, the battery and electrical equipment. Four ashtrays are fitted. By C. M. LAMBERT With a maximum load factor of 3.8 or 4 the Super Aero is notreally aerobatic, but demonstrations of two- and single-engined aerobatics with two and three occupants have been given verysuccessfully. Blaha showed me an upward roll, from the deck up into a hole in cloud, which convinced me that, load factoror no load factor, the Super Aero can be gracefully and satisfyingly aerobatted. The two major factors giving the Super Aero its very goodperformance are the v.p. propellers and its very clean design. In the latter respect cabin comfort has been slightly sacrificed,and it is rather too easy to bang one's head against the sloping canopy when sitting in the front seats. But there is plenty ofsoundproofing and the noise level is no higher than that of the Gemini. Exhaust muffs on both engines provide cabin heatingand windscreen demisting. There is plenty of ventilation, par- ticularly from a finely adjustable air scoop over each pilot's head.The long, sharply raked plastic windscreen structure gives excel- lent visibility on the ground and in the air, but is inclined tobecome obscured by rain, particularly when taxying. There is no clear-vision window. Access is by raising the whole port-side transparent cover,and the baggage compartment is reached after dropping the back of the bench seat in the rear. The pilots' seats are individualand adjustable. Rudder pedals are not adjustable and the port set carries brake pedals for the hydraulic drum brakes on themain wheels. The tailwheel is steerable from the rudder bar and affords excellent control on the ground. General engineinstrumentation and controls are approximately of Harvard standard, that is, they include manual fuel pumps and pressuregauges for use when starting; priming pumps; electric starters; mixture and power levers; three-position pitch levers with inch-ing facilities for small pitch variations; adjustable engine-cooling flaps; carburetter heat controls; and fuel selectors with electriccross-feed for emergencies. Main fuel feed is by engine-driven pumps. The two fire-extinguishers cover the cylinder heads,carburetters and fuel pumps in each powerplant. Navigation, landing and cockpit lighting (including a separate light for therear of the cabin) is standard. The two inner fuel tanks, holding 19 gal each, have fuel gauges,while a red light shows when each of the 16 gal outer tanks is empty. All instruments and gauges are clearly marked withpermissible operating ranges and danger levels, though some of the labels in this particular machine had rather quaint transla-tions from the Czech. The A.S.I, carried a white line over the wheel and flap extension speed range, a red mark at the stallingspeed, a green line over die normal cruising-speed range and a red mark at the Vne point. This kind of thing is of incalculablehelp when operating an aircraft as an incidental adjunct to business, rather than as a specialized vehicle.Apart from the tendency to bang my head on the side of the canopy and a slight obstruction of vision by the horizontal canopystrut, I found the Super Aero cabin very comfortable, and I particularly appreciated the "personalized" ventilation arrange-ments. Engine-handling and steering on the ground were out- standingly pleasant; and the throttle friction nut was the mostprecise I have ever encountered—a great help. The push-pull control wheel at first appeared a little niggardly, but turned out tobe perfectly comfortable and effective, and to leave leg-room unobstructed. Noise levels were at all times reasonable andvibration was negligible. Take-off was completely straightforward, with no appreciableswing and smooth transition from tailwheel steering to aero- The Super Aero and (right) its cockpit, the instrument panel of which has plenty of unused cut-outs for extra items selected by the customer, flying instruments and flap indicator are to port and engine and fuel indicators to starboard. On the horizontal strip below, magneto and undercarriage controls are on the left, propeller pitch controls next and the power and mixture quadrant in the centre. Below this and on the right are the many electrical system cut-oft switches, amp/volt meter, starter buttons, pitot-heating switch and artificial horizon fast-erection push-button. On the floor between the pilots are fuel, extinguisher, priming, carburetter- and engine-heating and cabin heating controls, together with trim controls. "Flight" photographs
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