WORK DESCRIBED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 224, 22 September 1938, Page 15

WORK DESCRIBED.

AIRCRAFT RESEARCH. ENGLISH EXPERIMENTS. N.Z. EXPERT'S EXPERIENCES. > <By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. A highly, informative talk on "Research on Aircraft in England," was given by Dr. E. R. Cooper, D.Sc, at the weekly luncheon of the Christchurch Business Men's Club. Dr. Cooper, now of Manchester University, graduated at Canterbury College after a brilliant career. For the past three years he has been engaged in aircraft research for the British Government. Work carried out by the Roy.il Aircraft Establishment at Hampshire was reviewed by Dr. Cooper. It carried a staff of 25(»», one-tonth of whom were technicians drawn from universities all over the British Empire, he si id. Firstclass honours in a particular degree seemed to be the least requirement of the Air Ministry in making appointments.

There were nine departments at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, added Dr. Cooper. They included aerodynamics, instruments, chemistry, electricity, airworthiness, engines, defence, and armaments. Each department had a head, who received some thousands a year, and eight weeks' holiday. The poorest paid technician received £4 10/ a week and three weeks' holiday.

A technical description of aerodynamics was then given by Dr. Cooper, who described in detail wind tunnels for testing, and air-flow experiments. One of the first duties of a test pilot was to take an aeroplane up and find ont its stalling speed.

"If a pilot is not careful the aeroplane will go into a spin when it stalls," continued Dr. Cooper. "So that experiments can he carried out on stalling speeds, vertical wind tunnels have been constituted so that tests •with model aeroplanes can be made."

Each branch of the establishment's. work was detailed by Dr. Cooper.