BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 20853, 24 July 1931, Page 2

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

[By Sam Brown i-:.] TOLD AT THE ’DROMK. Following successful experiments, arrangements are being made for aeroplanes operated by the Japan Air Transport Company to serve intermediate cities on it's routes with express mail. Letters for these towns will be enclosed in special packages attached to parachutes, which will be dropped as the plane flies over. Tho boisterous nature of the, weather during the last week lias prevented much (lying from being done, and as a result both pupils and pi lots are anxious to he in the air again. Some idea of the state of the weather may be gained from the fact that Flyingofficer Olson was called to Christchurch, and after- battling with the elements for about two hours was forced to return to the air port when only over Palmerston.

Tho new A pilots who have not yet applied for their licenses are advised to do so as soon as possible, as they arc not qualified io lly until they have obtained their “ ticket.” Forms may bn obtained from the secretary of the club, and two unmounted photographs ;}in by 2in must be supplied with the application. The (lying members will - meet on Monday evening, when they will be addressed by Flying-officer Olson. HEAVY-OIL ENGINES, Leading British aero engine builders are spending much time and money at present on a study of the problems involved in building compression-ignition engines burning heavy oil instead of petrol. The engines fitted to the airship J * 101 belonged to lids type of unit, but their excessive weight prevented their use in aeroplanes. The advantages of using compression-ig-nition motors are increased range on account of lower weight of fuel, economy, simplification because an electrical ignition system is not required, and freedom from (ire risks. These are sufficiently attractive to make experiments worth while. The greatest difficulty is to reduce the weight of the engine, but recent development lias succeeded in reducing it to a reasonable figure, and a British aeroplane fitted witii a liei(vy-oil motor is expected to take Hie air during the summer.

In accordance with normal Air Ministry procedure, research work on this subject is secret, hut it is possible to state that the British experiments have produced a motor at least the equal in efficiency of any constructed abroad. Air exports will watch Its future with keen interest.

FliKNCll RACING PLANKS. It is reported that the French machines which are being designed to compete in- the 1941 Schneider Trophy contest will be, unlike the possible Italian competitors, conventional low-wing, wire-braced monoplanes, with tractor airscrews and twin floats. The Bernard, Nieuport, and Dewoitine-companies are designing machines lor a theoretical maximum speed of 390 and 400 m.p.li. An increase in power, accompanied by a reduction in proportionate weight, will result in the dimensions of the machines being almost the same as those designed for the 1929 contest. The now Lorraine engine which has been designed lor the contest is claimed to offer a cross-sectional area no larger than that of a normal pilot to ho accommodated behind it. It is an inverted 12-eylindor Vec water-cooled ’ engine amf lias a designed horse-power of 2,200, developed at something over -1.000 r.p.m.. with a supercharger driven at 28,000 r.p.m. The engine is saill to weigh only 0.621 b per h.p.. as roinjiarod with the designed 0.681 b per h.p. of the Bolis-Boyee “ R M engine of 1929. The new Renault engine is a normal upright ]2-c.vlinder Vee type, with a maximum output of 2,000 h.p. and weighing about 0.,671b per h.p. A USTB-A LI A N CUITICISM. “ Generally speaking; flying conditions in New Zealand are bad, and Wellington, the capital city of the dominion. provides a striking example of Hying training under the worst jnwsiblo conditions (writes an Australian journalL “The aero club movement has received a tremendous amount'of assistance from art unions, and even tlie smallest dubs appear to lie in a very strong financial position. To quote an example, the JLnvora Club, located at a I own with a population of only 4,009, is in the happy position of having an aerodrome on a long, lease, a very fine hangar, and a credit balance of round about £6.000.’’ These are extracts from a report by Bean Shiol. aviation officer for Vacuum Oil in New Zealand, on flying in that country. It makes most interesting reading. “ Blenheim aerodrome,'’ says Shiel, “rivals Paralield (Adelaide), but Wellington’s (.Rongotai) appears to have been designed by a miniature golf exjieil. For long periods it is only possible to carry on (lying instruction for two and three days a week, ami frequently the instructor takes pupils to aerodromes situated thirty miles away from Wellington for landing practice. However, it is often said that pupils trained at Wellington make excellent pilots, and the fact that they have been trained on this aerodrome proride.s them with an open ‘passport’ to fly off any other aerodrome without chock dual. “ The committee of the Wellington Club are making efforts to obtain an area of land which is situated seven miles from the city, to build a country Hying club on the lines that have been adopted at Auckland and Dunedin. The committee arc. in the very happy position of having £0,600 to commence this project with as soon as the lease of the proposed site has been acquired. On the whole, New Zealanders are not as air minded as Ok; general public in Australia, and there is a shortage of pujols. Many of ibo snip II aero clubs .which could not jioiisihly manage, to keep an instructor anil machines iu operation full time hare banded together and formed feiku'atious. F.aeli club maintains its individual identity, and nominates three members to represent its interests on the federation’s committee. The federation then purchases machines, engages an instructor, and ground engineers, and arranges the itinerary of tlie instructor according to the pupils offering in the individual clubs. A nofable feature of the aero club training is the interest taken in the pupils by|the Air Fore,,- personnel. An officer of 'the New Zealand Air Force is proseijt at the examination id' all initio pil[>tv for tlie purpose of selecting the jii(jsl_ .promising for further training asjAir Force pilots. Most young “A ” class pilots are given the ’ ojiporlnnit.v of jailvanee training with the Territorial Ai( Force. .From a defence point of

view, this system justifies tho Government subsidising tho training of pilots. “ With the exception of Christchurch, no aero club has the use of a Government aerodrome, and it is remarkable tho amount of voluntary work that has been put in by cntliusiastie aero club committees in the preparation of elnh aerodromes. In one small town, local business men turned out. every night for a week and ploughed and graded an aerodrome silo by the light of motor car headlamps.'' HELIUM GAS. Prompted by the fact that the conflagration that consumed the British dirigible RlOl after its crash at Beauvais would probably not havo occurred had non-inflammable helium gas been used instead of hydrogen, Hie chairman of the Nava! Affairs Committee of the Honsq of Rjcpresonta lives (United States) has announced his intention of sponsoring legislation to permit the export of helium gas for the use in foreign airships abroad. In the event of such concession being granted, the factor of security from fire in dirigibles should lie materially increased. Hitherto the limited supplies "available of helium gas and the virtually complete restriction of these supplies within the United States lias forbidden its use in British airshjps. Helium is found in many minerals, including mouazite sands, in the gases of mineral springs, and in natural gases found in the United States, particularly in Texas and Kansas. In Canada, portions of Italy, and other parts of tho world smaller quantities are also located. According to the latest report on helium production in tho United States, the total estimated volume in that continent is 7.000 million cubic feet, and the annual requirements arc ten million cubic feet. At present the available supply exceeds the demand. The characteristics of helium gas arc that it is colourless, odourless, noninflammable, and heavier than hydrogen. If -helium were extensively employed, it would again bring the airship into prominence as an agent of aggression, for it would lack the vulnerability of tho hydrogen-filled dirigible. But helium, while possessing this enormous advantage over hydrogen, costs more than hydrogen to produce, while its lifting powers are also inferior. In fact, it affords about 7 per coni, less lift than hydrogen, and in an airship of tho capacity of RlOl tlur loss of lift by the use of helium would mean a sacrifice of about thirteen tons of the lift available for freight, which is certainly a serious consideration, and in commercial airship? might disqualify the use of helium.

This inferior lifting power is offset in various ways. Some of the present elaborate safeguards against fire would then no longer bo required, and helium would also enable designers to provide for the carrying of the motors inside the hull, with only, the propellers protrndiug. In this way a great deal of air resistance would ho avoided, and economy in power and fuel effected. On the other hand, the opinion is that helium-will always bo costly. In this event airship operation would have to bo governed by considerations for conserving the gas more strictly than is done on a hydrogen basis. But chemists may in the course of timo discover some process whereby hydrogen gas can he made non-inflammable, although efforts in this direction have so far met with no success.