The Aviation World

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21467, 15 April 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Aviation World

AUCKLAND AERO CLUB NEWS BY AILERON The work of the ground staff of the Auckland Aero Club at Mangero Aerodrome during the past week has been mainly directed to carrying out improvements to the four club Moths in operation. The fifth machine, ZK-AAL, is undergoing repairs to the fuselage and a "top overhaul to the engine. Members will notice that each 'plane is equipped with a now set of cushions, and tho mouth-pieces on the speaking tubes hare been attached to a rigid portion of the tube. The tube will now remain in a convenient position, instead of falling about tho cockpit when the harassed pupil is endeavouring to answer tho instructor's conversation as well as fly the 'plane. New windshields have also.been fitted to those machines which were equipped with the old and rather draughty type. The replacement of the longerons in ZK-AAL, which has been out of commission since it was slightly damaged about a month ago by a heavy landing, has been completed, and an opportunity was taken to top overhaul the engine while tho 'plane was idle as the requisite time for the overhaul had been reached. The greater part of the work is finished, and it remains for the wings to bo doped and given a coat of aluminium paint before the assembling of tho planes and engine is undertaken. The red Avro Avian, belonging to Mr. McNicol, of Onga Onga, Dannevirke, which has been housed in the hangar in a dismantled condition since it was damaged as a result of a forced landing at Christmas time, is to bo re-rig-ged shortly after Easter and taken over by the owner. The forced landing was caused by an unusual mishap to the Cirrus II engine, the cylinder head splitting, and in the subsequent landing two spars were broken in the planes, and fittings twisted and bolts pulled out. McNicol, with tho help of his brother,, who is an engineer, is rebuilding the damaged wings himself. Another aeroplane at present in the hangar is due to leave in a short time for Tauranga, where its new owner, Mr. F. Baikie, lives. This machine, a Simmonds-Spartan, ZK-ABL, was originally the property of the Wellington Aero Club, having been presented to the club by the Evening Post. It was later exchanged for an Avro Avian, and not long after . it came into the possession of Mr. A. R, Perry, of Christchurch, who commissioned Mr. R. A. Kirkup to take delivery of the aeroplane and fly it up to Mangere. Certain modifications are necessary beforo the 'plane leaves for its new home. There is a useful chart on the door of the engine room in the hangar which shows at a glance the number of hours run by any of the six engines owned by the aero club. Three separate totals are given, denoting the time an engine has flown since top overhaul, since complete overhaul, and the number of hours it has run since it came from the factory. One of the ground staff, proud of the fact that the chart was his work, went a stage further during his explanation and said that he was going to make a proper graph, only he had not the graphite! Exeunt omnes. Flight-Lieutenant D. M. Allen, leaves for the refresher course at Wigram Aerodrome early next week in ihis orange machine. A certain number of small details have been attended to on the 'plane preparatory to its trip south, such as painting the inside of the cockpits, cleaning the rust off the leading edge of the centre-section struts and wires, new hinges for the rudder and touching-up various parts with the well-known orange colour. During the absence of the chief instructor, FlightLieutenant W. H. Lett, will _ act as temporary instructor. He arrives at Auckland during Easter and will remain until the beginning of May. The Kare Kare shield for the best all-round pilot of the year has been awarded bv the committee to Mr. W. D. C. Badham. This shield was presented by members of the club at Kare Kare at'the end of last year for competition by club-trained pilots. It is to be presented at the pilots' and pupils' meeting next Wednesday at the clubhouse. Fixtures for future displays are: — Tauranga, May 10; Takapuna, May 13; Te Aroha, May 17. The next dance to be held at the clubhouse will take place on May 13. Ihe date of the annual ball has been fixed for July 6. New associate members elected are:— Messrs. N. Edgar, A. Russell. A total of 6006 hours 5 minutes has been flown by the club machines. The number of hours flown for the week ending April 1,7 is made up as follows: Dual, 3 hours 45 minutes; passenger, 6 hours 50 minutes; 5010,'30 minutes; hire, 12 hours 35 minutes; test, 45 minutes; miscellaneous, 1 hour 5 minutes. new training aeroplanes The first of three hundred training aeroplanes which will be delivered to to the Roval Air Force beforo the end of 1935, has been put through final flyin<r trials bv the Avro company's chief test pilot, Mr. H. A. Brown. It is now at the jMartlesham Heath official experimental station for further tests in the hands of the Royal Air Force pilots. Last and most spectacular of the trials, was a " terminal velocity " dive from a height of 13,000 ft. above Woodford aerodrome, Manchester. Mr. Brown climbed to 13,000 ft. in a little more than twenty minutes, reaching a level where the thermometer registered 27j degrees of frost, and then put the aeroplane into a vertical dive. Ihe air speed rose rapidly till at the end of a drop of about 4000 ft., the indicator Bhowed 260 miles per hour, which, aftor the necessary correction, means that the aeroplane was moving earthwards at nearly 300 miles an hour. The pilot maintained this velocity for and then began gently to pull the craft on to an even keel. At a height of 3000 ft. lie was again flying level, after diving 10,000 ft. in less than two minutes. The success of this test provides indisputable evidence of the sound structure and clean design of the " Tutor " aeroplanes, which henceforth will emerge from the factory at the rate of two a week. Recalling in its lines the familiar silhouette of the Avro 504 biplanes, which since 1917 have been tho standard training aircraft of the Royal Air Force, the new trainer is designed, nevertheless, on modern and highly efficient lines. It is a two seater craft, carrying the full instrumental and control equipment needed for the training of military pilots, and is powered with a 215 liorse-power Armstrong Siddeley " Lynx " air-cooled radial engine. Cruising speed is 95 miles per bom\ with an attainable maximum of 110 miles per hour and the service 4 ceiling " is 15,000 ft. Paramount in design was the care that in every way in flying characteristics, control and P er ~ formance —tho " Tutor " shall afford the military pupil an efficient introduction to the types of aeroplane lie will bo called upon to handle in the Service.