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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0477.PDF
11 April 1958 493 The Boeing Monomail of 1930. This, the mail version of the two built, was later converted to carry eight passengers. low visibilities—a requirement of increasing importance as theaeroplane was gradually given the ability to fly safely en route in almost all types of weather. Protracted flight on instruments became acceptable with theappearance of the artificial horizon and directional gyro in 1928. These instruments were developed by the Guggenheim Full FlightLaboratory at Mitchell Field, its work culminating in the first complete flight on instruments made by James H. Doolittle in aConsolidated NY-2 biplane elementary trainer on September 24, 1929. The two instruments, plus the vertical-speed indicator andthe barometric scale-setting sensitive altimeter, began to be fitted in transport aircraft in the early 1930s. In conjunction with thegreatly improved performance and handling characteristics of the new monoplanes they led to tremendous advances in all-weather flying capability. Another important factor was the better engine-out performance and handling of the new aircraft, whichgreatly reduced the hazards of engine failure when flying out of sight of the ground. An increased amount of flying in clouds, however, brought agreater incidence of engine and airframe icing, and a spate of air- line accidents to the new monoplanes from 1934 onwards drewattention to this danger. No fewer than 26 transport aircraft were, in fact, forced down by carburettor icing during 1934 in theUnited States alone. Rubber overshoe de-icing equipment accord- ingly appeared on the Boeing 247D and on subsequent types tocombat airframe icing, and methods of heating the carburettor air intake were introduced. The use of variable-pitch propellers on the Boeing 247 was aninnovation of perhaps even greater significance than the advances in all-weather capability. This development, more than any other,made possible the great improvement in performance and, in par- ticular, the wider speed range and greater operating heights of the new monoplanes—the latter also being made possible by super-charged engines. The biplanes of previous generations had take- off, climbing and cruising speeds sufficiently close together fora fixed-pitch propeller to be reasonably efficient in all three regimes. This was no longer the case with the new designs. Nowa fixed-pitch propeller designed to give satisfactory take-off was inefficient while cruising at height, and the aircraft thereforeuneconomic; alternatively, if designed for good cruising perform- ance, it gave unacceptably poor take-off. Variable pitch was theonly way of achieving a wider range of operating speeds and heights and at the same time it increased the achieved efficiencyof propellers in cruising flight by an average of something like five per cent. The first workable variable-pitch propellers had been producedat the end of the 1914-18 war. At that time they were extremely heavy as well as being mechanically unsatisfactory. In the later1920s, practical experimental variable-pitch propellers appeared and, in 1928, the British Hele-Shaw Beacham design was flownand proved to be satisfactory. This design was particularly not- able because it had the important constant-speed feature whichwas to be adopted for Hamilton Standard and all other types in the late 1930s. The Hele-Shaw Beacham was, however, slightlybefore its time—only the advent of the faster monoplanes was to justify the weight and complexity of this development. A few months after Boeings finalized their discussions with United about the original 247 project, the Douglas Company 1000 miles away in Los Angeles was reaching agreement with T.W.A. about the development of the DC-1. At this time, the fortunes of the Douglas Company were at a low ebb but their negotiations with T.W.A. were to set them on a path that was soon to establish them as the world's premier transport aircraft manufacturers. (To be continued) CANADIAN EQUIPMENT FOR HERCULES ALL fifteen of the Lockheed RC-130 Hercules being suppliedto the 1370th Air Photographic Group, U.S.A.F., are to be fitted with the Airborne Profile Recorder Mk 5 produced byCanadian Applied Research, Ltd., of Toronto. The order was placed after competitive evaluation at Wright Field.The A.P.R. Mk 5 is a radar device weighing 176 lb which produces an accurate estimate of terrain height above sea-level atany altitude between 1,000ft and 35,OOOft. It continuously records the barometric altitude of the aircraft while the radar measuresthe distance between aircraft and ground and traces a record of terrain height above sea-level. The system has proved accurateand saves a great deal of time and effort in establishing control points on the ground when mapping. SPRAYING CHRISTMAS ISLAND A STANDARD A.O.P. Mk 9 Auster, with its Army equipment•**- removed and a 48-gallon tank installed in the rear cabin, has been used to spray D.D.T. on Christmas Island to counteract themultitudinous flies there. With a wind-driven pump and spray booms fitted, it was tested at Rearsby then flown out in dismantledform by a Hastings of R.A.F. Transport Command. The pilot and a fitter followed and operations began early this year. The D.D.T., in powdered form, was mixed with jet fuel so thatit could be sprayed; and it was found that because of the height of the palm trees, which caused the aircraft to fly at least 30ftabove ground level, and the evaporation caused by heat, the spraying could only be done with the largest available nozzles.In 27 weeks subsequently, 30,000 gallons of D.D.T. were dispersed in 347 hours' flying. The work is to continue andadditional aircraft have been ordered. It is thought that the flies on Christmas Island have been breeding faster through feedingon the remains of land crabs killed by the vehicles in use there. RAPIDE AROUND AFRICA AT the Royal Aero Club recently a cocktail party was givenby Major and Mrs. "Freddy" Fox to celebrate their return from a year's tour in Africa. Maj. Fox is not a professional pilot—in fact, he was 52 when he learned to fly at Fair Oaks Aero Club. He conceived the idea of a long tour in a Rapide some years ago,and the idea reached fulfilment in 1957, when he and his wife set out with two small motor-cycles in the cabin of the Rapide, to seeas much of Africa as they could in a year. The motor cycles were later sold, as the dirt roads rendered them impracticable, but Maj.and Mrs. Fox covered Africa from north to south; a few weeks ago a member of Flight's staff met them at Wadi Haifa on their wayhome. The return from Egypt was not accomplished entirely withoutincident, as a sling worn by Maj. Fox at the party testified; the thick oil necessary for operation in Africa had resulted in a back-fire when he was hand-swinging the Rapide propellers at Naples. The African journey was finished by B.E.A.; G-ADYL—with200 hours accumulated in Africa in its log-book—will be following on behind.
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