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SAFETY 'PLANE.

AMERICA'S NEW TYPE. "SAFEST THING ON WINGS.", STRATHOSPHERE FLYING. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SAN FRANCISCO, July 4. Tlie Hammond Y-I, "safest thing on 1 wings," will be made in San Francisco by the Stearman-Hanimond Aircraft; Corporation, first major aircraft fac- ! tory to be established in the Northern ' California Bay region. This announcement came from the San j Francisco Chamber of Commerce after j months of negotiations with the manu-; facturers, and Captain B. M. Doolin,' manager of the San Francisco airport,! said he considered the importance of the ! development could hardiy be over- ! emphasised. j '1 lie factory for the buildfng of "the : world's safest aeroplane" will occupy 1.5 acres of land immediately fidjoininw the San Francisco airport. Heading the corporation are Lloyd Stearman veteran • pilot and aeroplane designer and manu-1 facturer; Dean B. Hammond, designer ! of the new "fool-proof" 'plane, "and Samuel Metzger, a graduate of the old Christofferson School of Aviation of Siui Francisco and a distinguished flyer since 1914. I The company will manufacture a' model called the Hammond Y-l. This i model was completed in Ypsilanti, Michigan, passed all engineering static! tests and flying tests of the °United 1 States Department of Commerce, and 1 the first 'plane to be produced is now i benig operated by the Department. I The model will be put into production i within the next few weeks and it is j claimed that the ship has been operated i by inexperienced pilots, in one instance being taken off by a man who had never before been off the ground. > Innovations include a tricycle type Ifii'lmg n »Rr <Mifl three-wheel hydraulic brakes. In addition to safety features,. manufacturers of the 'plane claim for it I

easy accessibility to the cabin, which is forward of the wing; excellent visibility; braking power without danger of nosing over; easy, safe manoeuvring, which permits landing and stopping in three lengths of the ship; sound-proof, heated and ventilated cabin; sufficient stability to prevent ground-looping, and protection against propeller accidents or damage. Device Aids High Flying. From Dayton, Ohio, conies a statement that "flying heels" for aeroplanes in the stratosphere were announced at the material division of the United States Army Air Corps at Wright Field. The | "heels" use the kick in the engine exhaust through a suupercharger to drive 'planes in the stratosphere. They ■ enable United States Army 'planes to i aut-perform any others in the world at i high altitudes. This' supercharger a : small Ferris wheel, driven on the turbine I principle by jets of exhai'st gas. It | attains the almost incredible speed of : 40.000 revolutions a minute under the . impact of exhaust gases striking tiny | vanes. j At that velocity the wheel is a eentri- ' fugal air pump, which compresses air ! for the engine carburettor. The com- | pressed air contains more oxygen than I the rarefied atmosphere of the stratoI sphere, which is insufficient for srood engine combustion. In the stratosphere this supercharger compresses the air to sea level density. It is light in weight and runs on power otherwise wasted, j The old type supercharger is an air I compressor geared to the engine. Clears do not run fast enough for the speeds needed for gathering enough oxvgen at exceedingly high altitudes. The new "heels" are used mainly above the | 20,000-foot level. i

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19360806.2.106

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 185, 6 August 1936, Page 9

Word Count
552

SAFETY 'PLANE. Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 185, 6 August 1936, Page 9

SAFETY 'PLANE. Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 185, 6 August 1936, Page 9