BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 21505, 1 September 1933, Page 2

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

[By Girsr Morn.]

A MYSTERY RACE. A race which should find favour amongst local pilots was recently held in England and provided an exciting finish. Organised by the London ‘ Morning Post,’ the race is unique in aviation, in that every element is excluded except skill in navigation. That the contest does fairly select from the competitors those who are most proficient in this fascinating but difficult art of finding the airway across country is evident from the result. Mr F. R. Walker, the winner last year, again came in first; evidently he possesses navigational ability beyond the ordinary. Althogether fifteen of the eighteen starters completed the course. The race was held over 4C6J miles, divided into three laps, each of which finished and started at Heston airport, near London. Away from tho aerodromes the turning points were located at “secret” places, marked by largo white Roman numerals laid out in the grounds of large county houses. None of the competitors knew whither he or she must fly till tho fall of the starter’s flag. Behind each machine, at a distance of about fifty yards, was placed a small table. On each table was a ruler and a map, the latter rolled up with a slip of paper giving tho number of the first turning point. Every pilot had to plot bis course, allowing for the known cpnditions of wind and weather, as quickly as possible before taking off. _ Some went about the job steadily, making all of the necessary calculations before leaving the ground; others dashed off at once to take the chance of getting things right in the air. In all, only two or three pilots made no mistakes in finding the turning points—sufficient indication of the severe problems presented bv the sealed course.

The result remained uncertain right up to the end of the race. Mr Walker flew his Puss Moth monoplane with mechanical accuracy, his lap speeds varying little, but it was only a mile or so from the finishing line that he overhauled Mr C. E. Gardner, who had started before him in an Avro “Cadet” biplane. The two machines were seen approaching the aerodrome at great pace, both pilots diving their planes at full throttle in an effort to cross the line first. Right at the edge of the aerodrome the result was still in doubt, but then the superior speed of the Puss Moth told, and Mr Walker passed the line less than a hundred yards ahead of his rival. After a brief wait spectators saw an equally thrilling race for third place; Mr A. C. M. Jackaman, a well-known amateur pilot, won the honour in his “ Gipsy Moth ” by fifty yards from Mr A. E. Clouston, in a similar aeroplane. THE LONDON-CAPETOWN SERVICE.

The commencement of the African air mail marked a new stage in the development of the London-Capetown airway. The journey between the two cities, separated by more than 8,000 miles, takes ten days, as compared with the eleven days of the former schedule. Later in the year the journey time in each direction’ will probably be further reduced to nine days. The quickest mail steamships take seventeen days for the voyage. But the week’s saving of time made possible by the aerial time-table is not the greatest benefit conferred by the airway system. Actually the advantage of aeroplane travel is least marked in comparing times taken by air and surface travel between the terminal points. The saving becomes more and more evident the farther into the interior of Africa the destination or point of departure of letter, parcel, or passenger. Around the Great Lakes_ in the centre, or in the vast Congo region, the time saving made possible by the use of the flying machine may amount to as much as four or five weeks. It is to these and similar regions along the route that the British airliner has brought incalculable benefits. Acceleration of the time schedule is affected by cutting out the night halts at Wadi Haifa, an aerodrome between Khartoum and Cairo, and at Athens. In future the south-bound aeroplanes will fly from Cairo to Khartoum, a distance of 1,181 miles, in one day. On the northward trip the night halt after Khartoum will be made at Assuan. On the following day north-bound passengers and mails will be carried to Alexandria instead of to Cairo as hitherto, a change made possible by transhipment at Cairo from landplane to flying boat. The crossing of the Mediterranean is accelerated by making the trip of 960 miles between Brindisi and Alexandria in one day. On each journey the new schedule means arrival at the terminal points a whole day earlier than formerly. VALUE OF SLOTS.

Impressive evidence of the improvement in the flying qualities of an aeroplane gained by fitting automatic lift slots and flaps to the wings was provided by a demonstration at Iladlett aerodrome (England) last month. Weather conditions were as severe as they well could be. There was literally no wind to assist the pilot in making spectacular descents and ascents. The clouds were low, preventing him from making some of the Jong steep descents which had been planned. A final disadvantage was that the wheel brakes went out of action just before the flying began. Nevertheless, Major J. B. L. H. Cordes, test pilot to the Handley Page Company, was able to perforin some remarkable evolutions before a small but extremely critical group of guests. The machine engaged vas a German monoplane, powered with a 120 horsepower Gypsy HI. engine, which was acquired by the Air Ministry for research work. Without slots or flaps it has a speed range in flight from sixty to 146 miles per hour, and lands at fifty-five miles per hour. Its lauding run in .‘ls6ft from the point of first contact with the ground, and the take-off run is 580 ft. Addition of slots and Haps, which in this demonstration machine may be locked and closed at will, effects startling improvements. The minimum flying speed and lauding speed fall to thirty-nine miles an hour, though the maximum speed remains unchanged. Landing run drops to 180 ft, even with out brakes, and the take-off run to JOOft. Further, the pilot can glide the machine at angles varying by more than 14deg, compared with the vana tion of 6deg, which is all he has in hand without slots and flaps. Plainly, all of these points make for greater safety and mobility, the aeroplane be ing easily able to ascend from and descend nr, comparatively small fields. The figures cited for length of take-ofi and landing runs were achieved in calm air; even a light breeze reduces them considerably. Major Cordes performed a series of evolutions, flying first with wing devices locked and next with them free to

work. Impressive were the stalled descents with the lift slots in action, the aeroplane sinking with nose well up at a vertical rate of descent rather less than the 15ft per second of a parachute. Flying slowly, with slots and flaps in action, the machine was easily outpaced by a local train which was travelling at moderate speed in the same direction over the line which flanks one side of the flying field. After showing conventional methods of approach, with “ S ” turns and side-slips, the pilot demonstrated how the slots and Haps might be employed in a new landing technique. He approached the aerodrome iu a straight line, descending steeply and alternately pulling up the nose till the aeroplane was nearly in the stalled attitude, and then pushing the nose down again to maintain easy gliding speed. ■ The machine was flown at its maximum permissible all-up weight of 1,783 pounds. The lift slots double the Tift and increase the “ drag ” threefold when they are open, which sufficiently explains the steep approach possible in straight flight.