THE FLYING YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 18, 22 January 1938, Page 10

THE FLYING YEAR

BRITAIN'S BIG PART

NEW ZEALANDERS' FEATS

AIR FORCE PROGRESS

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, January 1.

The "spectacular long-flying laurels of 1937" are awarded to two New Zea-landers—Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston and Miss Jean Batten—by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors in its review of British flying in the past year. Mr. Clouston's flight is quoted as proof of the efficiency of the combination of. low-powered engine and controllable-pitch airscrew," a development pioneered by Britain.

"Great expansion of the Royal Air Force has dominated Britain's flying year," the review states. "Measures initiated half-way through 1935, when the Government decided that world affairs demanded a large increase in the striking power of the Air Arm, gathered momentum in 1936, and in 1937 have gone far to implement the determination that the Royal Air Force shall be second to hone. First-line strength of the service at home—nowadays styled the Metropolitan Air Force —has trebled since April 1, 1935, from 580 aeroplanes to nearly, 1550. The personnel of the service has doubled in:numbers. \ "Much has still to be, done. First-line Metropolitan strength is to be increased to 1750 aircraft, the Fleet Air Arm is to be doubled, and full war reserves of aircraft, aero engines, armament', and other essential equipment are to be built up.'* ';.':■.

A notable achievement of the year, in face of the tremendous demands of the service, had been the establishment of new record figures for. export business. For the eleven months ended November 30 exports aggregated £3,407,559, as compared with £2,678,----268 in the corresponding period of 1936.

WORLD'S HEIGHT RECORD.

Although development had left little time for record-Breaking, a British: monoplane had achieved success in a field calling for the highest technical skill. On June 30, Flighi>Lieutenant M. J. Adam, clothed in a special "pressure suit," climbed an aeroplane, powered with an air-cooled doubly supercharged engine, to approximately 54,000 feet above sea-level, 2600 feet better than the previous record. A second aeroplane, similar to the recordbreaker, but powered with a liquidcooled engine, was also in the possession of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, and in 1938 would share the highflying experiments. The five double-crossings: of the Atlantic by Empire flying-boats were notable achievements, arid each was brilliantly successful.

"Other methods- of economic operation of Atlantic air services have gone through important preliminary stages," the review states. "Landplanes capable of cruising at more than 200 iri.p.h. have been thoroughly tested, and will take part in trial flights during 1938. The curious Mayo composite aircraft, in which a small heavily-loaded seaplane is launched in midair from the back of a lightly-loaded 'porter' machine, is ready for the crucial launching trials. Fuelling in the air after take-off has been the subject of exhaustive' study and 'tests with one of the Empire boats are scheduled. Catapult launching, widely used in naval aviation, may come into the picture' later. The possibility of operating economic services with seaplanes dependent on th.eir own power for takeoff need not be dismissed."

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT.

Dealing with technical development the review says that aircraft now leaving the factories for the squadrons in large numbers every week include the world's fastest bombers and machines capable of ranges and carrying powers far superior to any formerly in service." The fastest bomber had an official maximum speed, with full military load, of 280 m.p.h. Similar craft sold to Yugoslavia were reported to have reached 294 m.p.h. in timed Governmental tests.

The most powerful liquid-cooled engine yet in quantity production, a 12----cylinder' unit developing up to 1050 h.p. at a height of 17,500 feet, was emerging from < the factory in great numbers for installation in singleengined bombers and fighters capable of 300 miles an hour "plus." ■

Two lines of engines, the development'of which was especially the province ;of the 'British engineer, reached .the production stage during the year. One of them was .the sleeve-valve engine, which promised more advantage from the modern high-efficiency fuels than the poppet-valve engine could draw, and gains in simpler construction and easier maintenance. Great Britain also evolved the H-shaped engine, an arrangement of small cylinders which provided exceptionally small frontal area relative to power developed, and delivered high output per unit of swept cylindrical capacity.

Big new enterprises for the manufacture of controllable-pitch airscrews, aircraft armament, and carburettors were launched during 1937. Britain was now independent of external airscrew supplies.

Nearing the production stage towards the-end of the year were airscrews capable of absorbing more than 1700 horse-power, in readiness for immensely powerful aero engines now going through severe development trials.

The move towards world-wide adoption of the wing slot continued. Contracts concluded during the year brought up to fourteen the number of countries that had acquired by purchase the right to use this outstanding British invention.

Gyroplanes cbnsiderably more promising than any earlier rotating-wing craft were developed in Great Britain. "That the gyroplane may become 'everyman's aeroplane, 11 able to repeat in the air the performance and utility of the automobile, is a possibility brought appreciably nearer by the progress of the past twelve months," the report adds.