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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0318.PDF
LIGHT, 30 January 1959 151 This photograph shows an early experimental Brantly 3-2. It can be distinguished from the production machines—over a dozen of which are now flying— chiefly by the oil-cooler surrounding the tail boom BRITISH-BUILT BRANTLYS? FOR some years the Brantly B-2, a small two-seathelicopter designed and developed by the Brantly Helicopter Corporation of Philadelphia, has remaineda rather obscure project, accorded brief treatment in our successive special helicopter issues, and regardedas of no particular significance to this country. Now, ' however, Mr. N. O. Brantly—to whom the helicopterwas originally only a hobby, financed from his other substantial interests—is able to promote the B-2 as a design of singularattractions. It is planned to market it, and later to manufacture it, in this country (and in Australia—Flight, November 21, 1958).As the photograph shows, the B-2 has side-by-side seats for two. Power is provided by a Lycoming VO-360 A1A rated at180 h.p. on 91-octane fuel. The engine is mounted with the crankshaft vertical and has exhaust-induced cooling. A noveldesign of three-blade rotor has been evolved, with a diameter of only 23ft 8.9in. The blades are of all-metal construction, with asolid extruded aluminium-alloy leading edge and combined flap- ping and drag hinges near mid-span. Empty weight with radiois only 960 lb and the structural gross weight is 1,600. With over three hours' supply of fuel, cruising at 100 m.p.h., the residual payload is 460 lb, so that, even with two adults and 50 lb ofbaggage, lifting power remains for external loads or special gear. An overload of an additional 200 lb can be handled underemergency conditions. Particularly commendable features of the B-2 are the extremelyclose attention paid to the attainment of a guaranteed fatigue life of 2,000 hr for the most fatigue-prone components (and an indefin-ite life elsewhere), the emphasis placed upon minimizing operating costs and the fact that the selling price from the factory atFrederick, Oklahoma, is only $19,950, or a little over £7,000. Brantly Helicopters Ltd. (managing director R. F. Daniel) wasformed last auiumn, with a registered office at 131 Ystrad Road, Fforestfach, Swansea, Glam. Two demonstration aircraft areexpected here early in the spring of this year. COL. HARRY DELACOMBE regret to record that Lt-Col. Harry Delacombe, O.B.E.,A.R.Ae.S., who was one of the earliest air correspondents and had until recently been on the Board of Jablo PropellersLtd., died on January 10 at the age of 86. (Our recent announce- ment of his retirement, owing to ill-health, from the Board ofJablo Plastics Industries had gone to press before news of his death was received.) Col. Delacombe was aeronautical correspondent of TheTimes from 1907 to 1910 and author of The Boys' Book of Airships and Other Aerial Craft (1910), and in 1908 becameone of the founder-members of the Royal Aero Club. In 1911 he was adviser to the Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd., subsequently(1912-14) holding a similar position with Armstrong Whitworth. At the outbreak of the First World War he joined the R.N.A.S.,becoming Commandant of the Kite Balloon Headquarters (1915-18); then when the R.A.F. was formed he became AssistantDirector of Air Organization at Air Ministry, being appointed O.B.E. for his services. He was made a director of JabloPropellers in 1937 and became chairman in 1945. From 1939 to 1945 he was chairman of the Air League of the British Empire. FIAT G.91R AND N pLIGHT testing of reconnaissance and navigation versions of1 the Fiat G.91 light fighter are now under way. The recon- naissance G.91R version is a standard machjne with full arma-ment, but carries a battery of three cameras in a modified nose. The G.91N is a modified pre-production aircraft intended forthe evaluation of various navigation systems for the low-level tactical role. It carries both point-source aids and Decca Navi-gator and has recently spent some weeks in Britain for Decca tests. It is significant that Decca should be tested as a navigationalaid for a high-speed low-level aircraft. The visit of another G.91 to the Bristol factory at Filton is depicted below. POLISH AMBULANCE SERVICE STATISTICS published recently in Poland show how rapidlythe "flying doctor service" there has developed since its inaugu- ration three years ago. Already 11,000 patients have been carried on23,000 flights, and the thirty-seven aircraft employed—all of them single-engine fixed-wing types except for one SM-1 helicopter—have flown 27,000 hr and covered 4m km. This year new aircraft are being introduced, including eight helicopters, which are to beused in the mountainous southern part of Poland and along the Baltic coast for mercy flights to ships at sea. The service, which is officially known as the Air AmbulanceService, is organized on a permanent basis with State-employed air and ground crews. Each province (equivalent to an Englishcounty) has its own air ambulance station with crews permanently at standby. The pilots are highly experienced and prepared toland in any sort of terrain; a large percentage of landings take place at night in farm fields illuminated by bonfires. Because Polish hospitals are few and far between, the ability ofthe Air Ambulance Service to get urgent medical cases to them quickly is greatly appreciated. , • A Fiat G.91 came from Turin to Filton for a series of engine-handling trials last week and is seen here soon after arrival. It was flown via Bretigny by Bristol test pilot Mike Webber. The visit of the Fiat G.91N fa_ another airfield in Britain is recorded on this page
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