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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1162.PDF
"Air-Cushion Vehicles" photograph This view shows the rear traction wheel, on the far side of which may be seen the aluminium-painted box housing the engine which drives it. Also visible are the small wheels which bear the Terraplane's weight at rest, and the rearmost lift fans on the left side Below, sketch by "Air-Cushion Vehicles" artist of the BC.6 cockpit Bertin Terraplane projects * I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 !0 II 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Steering wheel Left/right (crabbing) lever Fore/aft lever Wheel brake Traction power Traction ignition Traction clutch Traction gearbox Lift-engines ignition Lift-engines oil pressure Lift-engines power Lift-engines r.p.m. Lift-engines clutches Front wheel raise/lower Rear wheel raise/lower Hydraulic pressure for 14 and Speedometer Lift and propulsion fuel Ammeters Lighting control 15 front group of four skirts to the left, giving a lateral thrust from left to right at the front of the Terraplane, and at the same time it tilts the rear group of four skirts in the opposite direction. This turns the vehicle steadily to the right. Overland steering is made much more positive by using the front wheel which, like the rear wheel, is held steadily against the ground by a jack and is Gross weight (lb) 6,615 10,360 18,960 26,455 34,170 Payload (lb) 2,755 5,510 11,025 16,205 21,165 Installed s.h.p. 197 281 395 517 640 Estimated d.o.c. pence/ton mile. 13.6 9.3 6.55 6.0 5.45 * Figures based on 124 mile range, travelling at 44 to 53 m.p.h. Contributors to BC.6: Lift engines, Porsche; propulsion engine. Pan- hard; flexible shafting to fans, Hispano-Suiza; trac tion-wheel drive gearbox, Peugeot; traction-wheel electric clutch. Jaeger. connected hydraulically to the steering wheel. Movement of the large control lever carried on the steering column (2 in the sketch) tilts all eight skirts to left or right in unison, causing the vehicle to crab sideways without turning. Move ment of the even more prominent lever 3 tilts all eight skirts fore and aft, to provide a forwards or rearwards accele ration. Braking is greatly enhanced by a car-type brake pedal acting on the rear wheel. The small hand levers 14 and 15 are employed not only to raise the front and rear wheels clear of the ground but also to vary the load imposed on them, either both at once or independently. Structure is entirely in standard light- alloy sheet and sections. The lift engines are carried at the extreme front on each side, fed with petrol from a tank just ahead of the cockpit. Fuel for the rear- wheel engine is carried between the two middle lift fans on the port side. Each lift engine drives a hydraulic pump, either of which provides adequate hydraulic power. There are two distinct electric circuits, energized by generators on the lift and propulsion engines respec tively. Bertin appear well pleased with the results so far obtained with BC.6. It needs its full 240 h.p. only over really rough ground, and remains air-suppor ted even when four skirts are severely deformed by obstacles and losing air fast. They intend to pursue this line of development to larger sizes of vehicle, and their desire to reduce costs is resulting in a preponderance of studies involving piston engines. Figures are given for five possible future sizes, the smallest of which is the subject of the model photograph. On January 5 last year the biggest French aircraft manufactuer, Sud- Aviation, concluded an option to make Bertin Terraplanes. Bertin are not a mass-production firm and such a deal would be necessary for sales to either commercial or military customers. Next month Sud are to announce whether or not they intend to take up this option. Manufacturer's sketch of BC.6 lift fan and skirt, showing flexible drive shafting, main body floor and rigid control ring near top of skirt ;^&mji^0mm,j>mw,vm> 91
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