ALTITUDE RECORD

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 264, 4 August 1937, Page 9

ALTITUDE RECORD

British Pilot’s Flight Into Stratosphere i “Dominion” Special Service.—By- Air Mail. London, July 10. The recent flight into the stratosphere by a British pilot, Flight Lieutenant Adam, in an all-British machine has set up a new altitude record of nearly ten and a quarter miles for heavier-than-air machines. This represents an advance of about 4000 feet on the previous by the same aeroplane, and the biggest step forward since height records began to be kept in 1909. The actual figure was recorded on sealed instruments which were carried in the wings of the plane, and when the flight was over these instruments were examined by the National Physical Laboratory and the results officially communicated. to the Air Ministry. It is anticipated' that in future all long-distance flying will take place in the stratosphere, where far greater speeds are attainable than at lower levels, where the air is of greater density, but much scientific research is still required before anything of the kind can be attempted. One of the main problems is to design an engine that will work efficiently in the rarefied atmosphere of .these altitudes. In this connection it is worth noting that the Bristol Pegasus engine which was instrumental in establishing this new record, was an improved model of the one which made possible the famous flight over Mount Everest by Lord Clydesdale and Flight Lieutenant McIntyre in 1933. This engine, produced by Mr. Roy Sedden, the designer for the Bristol firm, has won a great reputation for its performance in high altitudes. Its pre-eminence was first established by Captain Unwins in a wonderful flight in 1932.