ATLANTIC FLYING

Hokitika Guardian, 1 May 1939, Page 7

ATLANTIC FLYING

PLANS FOR SERVICE,

refuelling in the air.

LONDON, March 30.

/ TUe crews of Imperial Airways Hying boats which will take part in the Atlantic mail services to bo operated this summer will begin training before long 'in the process of refuelling in the air, says the aeronautical correspondent of the Times. The flying boats, specially strengthened to carry heavy loads, are at present undergoing their airworthiness tests. The • last touches arc being put to the three Harrow bombers which have been transformed to serve as tankers.

The technique of refuelling in the air has been the development from the base of Flight Refuelling, Limited, here for more than two years, and the system has now been brought to the point at which contact can be made easily and quickly between the tanker and the refuelling aeroplane and 1003 gallons of petrol, can be transferred in about 10 minutes.

The process has been made partly automatic and most of the responsibility rests with the crew of the tanker. The receiving aircraft takes off first, and when it has gained height the operator in the tail pays out a line with a weight attached to it. This lino passes through the centre of the fuel-receiving cup. This line, trailing below the air liner, has to be engaged by the tanker.

Change of Stations in the Air Y The tanker, flying below the liner, allows the contact line to coifie across the leading edge of its wing. The shape of the encourages the line to slide along toward the wing-tip,. Where there is a hook with which it engages. The pull causes ■;/the hook to come away. Attached to ‘ the . hook- .is a second line passing : to a winch in the, tanker. .As soon ah a: hook ; has pulled out, an operator,in the tanker hauls in - the weighted line by means of bis winch.

lii the rmeahwliile, V the tanker has risen abOye the air 1 liner and has stationed itself : to'the rear and'slightly to one side . and about 60ft. above it. The weight having been drawn in through an opening below the. nose °f of the tanker, .the Operator detaches the weight and connects the nozzle of the hose-pipe to‘ : the line by means, of; a bayonet fitting. The hose-pipe . is carried ort a drum and is connected at the opposite end .through : the, centre ■of .the drum: to..the main; fuel .tanks, i • The , drum in turn is controlled by another winch, and as soon as the nozzle, is connected to the line' of the , liner tbe. hose is paid out by means of this wihch and a brake controlling ; it; In the liner at the same time .another winch begins to haul in the line. Control Not Seriously Affected When the nozzle arrives it fits automatically into the socket prepared for it and this junction is so designed that it cannot jam and that it will pull away at a pre-determined load. The tanker when ready to begin passing fuel has its nose immediately above the liner’s tail. In that position the hose is carried backwards in a loop by the pressure of the air, blit it enters the rear of the liner in a horizontal position. The only influence it call exert oii .the liner in that position therefore, is tliat of drag. It cannot seriously affect the control of the liner, and it is said that, from the feel of liis controls,the liner pilot is often not aware that the hose has been linked up. The effect on the control of the tanker likewise cannot be serious because the drum is set roughly at the tanker's centre of gravity.' In order to allow a distance of 70ft or 80ft. between the two aircraft, some 180 ft of hose is paid out. The'drag of the hose tends naturally to reduce the speed of the tanker, but in all the experiments made there has been an ample margin over the stalling speed of the liners which have refuelled.

In the present case the speed at which refuelling will take place is between 120 and 130 miles an hour.