BRITAIN’S AERIAL DEVICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1939, Page 7

BRITAIN’S AERIAL DEVICE

VARYING WING SURFACE THREE YEARS’ RESEARCH [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, January 19. Considerable interest, is aroused throughout the world by the announcement of a. notable' British invention. which is the. result of three years’ intensive- research, and is now embodied in the form of retractable auxiliary wings, in the new 270 miles an hour air liner, produced by the Fairey Company. High cruising speeds, and reasonably low take-off and landing speeds, arc combined in the performance of this aircraft, which is scheduled for scries production next year. The device. provides an effective means of varying the wing surface, aud therefore of changing the load carried by each unit, of the wing area. For the take-off, auxiliary wings are let down from recesses in the after portion of the main monoplane wings, converting Ihe machine temporarily into a biplane. In this position, they add sufficiently to the lifting area to reduce the load carried by each square foot of wing, from 321b — appropriate for fast cruising—to 251 b a. figure suited to relatively low takeoff speeds and a quick rate of climb. For landing, the auxiliary wings arc- further extended to a wing flap, which serves as an air brake, and again increases the lift. The landingspeed is thereby reduced by about ten miles per hour. The device enabled the designers to make the main wings 30 per cent smalle'r, which means less head resistance, as well as high wing-loading, and performance is again enhanced. The new air-liner is designed to carry 30 passengers.

EMPIRE TIES

RUGBY. January 19. The second alliance between a unit of the Royal Air Force, and a. unit of a, Dominion Air Force, is announced by the Air Ministry. The King has approved of No. 22 Sydney Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, being allied to No. 602 City of Glasgow army co-opera-tion squadron, auxiliary air force.