AEROPLANE SAFETY DEVICE

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21086, 10 February 1934, Page 13

AEROPLANE SAFETY DEVICE

♦ TRENCH BUY RIGHTS TO SLOTTED WINGS SLP..STANTIAL fc'L'.M I'AlL> iißirtsn orriciiL wi.Rzi.Esi.i (Received February ;!. 7.5 p.m.) RUGBY, February 3. Tho French Air Ministry has concluded an agreement with Handler Page, Ltd., and paid a substantial sum for the full rights of the French Air Force and French manufacturers to fix Handley Page slotted wings to their aircraft in trench territory. This decision was taken alter exhaustive trials which fully substantiated the increased safety which the slotted wing gives. Incidentally they confirmed the wisdom of the decision of the British Air Ministrv in standardising the f-tting of slots on Royal Air i orce craft. Tho right to do this was acquired a few years ago tor £1,000,000. ... The slotted wing has auxiliary winglets which in normal flight lie Oat against the leading edge of each wing When the aeroplane loses flying speed and gels into a potcn-t-allv dangerous attitude the winglets'automatically slide out. and the pfTect of the slot thus created between the winglets and the mam ! wing is to preserve an unbroken air now over the structure. The pilot ' is thus able to keep full control in circumstances which might otherwise send him into a spin, a state o£ affairs responsible for 90 per cent, of fatal flying accidents a lew years ago. [The United States naval air service bought the rights to fit Handley Page slots some vears ago. Slots are fitted to most of the civil aeroplanes in New Zealand, including nearly all club acroplanes.l