AVIATION NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21300, 2 April 1931, Page 3

AVIATION NOTES

DIVING AT 270 MILES PER HOUR SCHNEIDER TROPHY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 12. The next contest for the Schneider International Seaplane Trophy now seems certain to take place, probably over the Solent at the end of August or the beginning of September, when the swiftest racing aeroplanes of two nations, Franco and Italy, will endeavour to wrest from Great Britain the trophy won and held in the two previous contests. All that now remains is to reach a financial settlement, including a survey of money available which will delimit the extent to which Lady Houston’s help will be called upon. Again this year, as in 1929 the racing seaplanes will fly over British waters. Last time Flight-lieutenant H. R. D. Waghorn won the contest at the astonishing average speed of 328.63 miles an hour. Second to finish was Marescialle dal Molin, the Italian pilot of an old Macchi 52 monoplane, who averaged 284 miles an hour. One British entrant, Flying-officer Atcherley, was disqualified for failing to round one of the pylons at €he turning points, but succeeded in establishing new world speed records over distances of 50 and 100 kilometres. Lieutenants Monti and Cadringher, in New Macchi 67 seaplanes, failed to complete the course—-they were blinded by exhaust fumes and oil—and Flight-lieu-tenant D’Arcy Greig was third on the old Supermarine S 5 monoplane which won at Venice in 1927. Fortunately, as long ago as February last year the firms concerned in the building of the S 6 monoplanes their engines—the Supermarine Aviation Works and Rolls-Royce —began technical investigation of the problems involved in preparing for the next contest. This essential work has continued ever since. The two firms have "maintained constant communications on the subject with each other and with the Air Ministry. It is because these steps were taken that it is now possible for Great Britain to consider participation at all. PRAISE FROM BELGIUM. The Comte de Broqueville, Belgian Minister of Defence, paid a great tribute to British aeroplanes in replying to criticisms levelled at the Belgian Government by a parliamentary deputy who complained because the recent big order for fighting aeroplanes was placed in Great Britain and not in Belgium. The Belgian Government ordered from the Faircy Aviation Company 45 “ Firefly ” single-seater fighters and a number of “ Fox ” two-seater fighters to a total value of more than £300,000. He said, according to the Brussels correspondent of the London Times, that he was as anxious as anyone to promote the interests of the national industry, but thought that Belgian aircraft construction firms had not yet the necessary experience. A technical commission, he added, had recognised the superiority in strength, flexibility, power, and speed of the British machines. “The British Air Minister,” he went on, “ was courteous enough to inform ns that he had every confidence in the qualities of the aeroplanes ordered by the Belgian Ministry. That was an opinion that deserved to be heeded, for no one is unaware of the competence of the British air services.” The experiments with British machines had been conclusive. The correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph stated that the Comte de Broqueville further declared that the “ Firefly ” aeroplanes had shown extraordinary powers of resistance and had reached a remarkably high speed. The British pianos attained altitude very rapidly and possessed all the qualities of good fighting machines. The Rolls-Royce engine was remarkable. LIGHT AEROPLANES IN SWITZERLAND. Not infrequently British aircraft constructors receive from foreign countries statistics which show indisputably the high degree of trustworthiness the user may expect, from the modern aeroplane and aero engine. The do Haviland Aircraft Company announce notable figures of flying done by two Moth light biplanes in Switzerland. Each machine is empowered with the

Gipsy I air-cooled engine of 100 h.p. The first machine was supplied to the Basle Aero Club in 1928. It has completed 467 hours flying, very largely in the strenuous work of flying tuition, and during that time has made no fewer than 4071 landings. Although this “ school ” work has, therefore, involved a large number of ascents with the engine running near full throttle, the power plant has never yet been completely overhauled, and so far has given no trouble at all. The second machine belongs to Herr Schctty, and has flown 111 hours, making 703 landings. No overhaul work has been done and not a single part has needed replacement. NINE NATIONS FLY “ BULLDOGS.” Fighting air services of nine different countries now use “ Bulldog ” singleseater fighters, first developed and adopted for service in the Royal Air Force. They include, in addition to Great Britain, the air services of Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Siam, Latvia, and Estonia. The “ Bulldog ” is a high-performance biplane built entirely of high tensile steel except for the fabric covering to wings, fuselage and tail unit. Exceptionally high speed, up to nearly 180 miles an hour, is attained by this machine at heights of more than 10,000 feet, and the rate of climb is remarkable. Carrying full load of two guns, ammunition, parachute, oxygen breathing apparatus, wireless receiver and other military equipment the machine is able to rise to nearly 30,000 feet —higher than Mount Everest, DIVING AT 270 m.p.h. The case and power of control of the “ Bulldog ” is typical of British aircraft construction. Test pilots who have flown the machine on trial declare that it has no vices, while a normal cruising speed of no less than 130 miles an hour can be obtained with effortless ease. In a dive at 270 miles an hour the machine is stated by pilots to be as steady as when it is cruising in level flight. Proof of the strength of this aeroplane is that pilots have repeatedly caused it to complete inverted loops—one of the most severe acrobatic stunts in the repertory of the test pilot—after being dived at speeds well in excess of 200 miles an hour. Little imagination is needed to realise the tremendous forces imposed on a flying machine in such a manoeuvre. A NEW AUTOGIRO. The de Haviland ' Aircraft Company are to collaborate with the Cierva Autogiro Company in the design of a new model of the Autogiro, commonly known as the “windmill plane,” in which the surfaces from which lift is obtained are in the form of vanes, or rotors, arranged radially above the fuselage, which are free to rotate as the aircraft moves through the air. The de Haviland Aircraft Company has had considerable experience in designing and marketing light aircraft, and has, moreover, devoted much attention of late to the study of comfort for pilot and passengers. The experience gained in the design and operation of the Puss Moth all-enclosed high speed tourer is bound to be turned to account in the design of this new antogiro, which, in common with tiie Puss Moth, will bo fitted with a ,120 h.p. inverted type Gipsy 111 engine. If, as is hoped, the results of this combined work are satisfactory, the public will have yet another type of light aircraft from which to choose. FLYING 11 OATS FOR IRAQ. A few days ago three of the latest type flying boats built for the Royal Air Force began a journey of 3500 miles in formation from Felixstowe to Basra, Iraq. There they are scheduled to take the place of earlier type service flying boats belonging to No. 203 Squadron, which have been employed for some years past in coastal patrol work in the Persian Gulf and the estuary of the Euphrates River. Fi'om Bordeaux to the Mediterranean the route selected traverses 250 miles of southern France, taking the machines as far as possible along river valleys, but inevitably involving many miles of flying over regions where a descent could only be made on the land. British flying boats have many times accomplished snccesfully such traverses of land regions; so sure is She faith of the British pilot in the trustworthiness of his aircraft and engirics that lie does not consider that risk is involved in such flights. From the Etang de Berre, near Marseilles, the boats will fly on to Malta, and continue the voyage to the east by way of Mirabella in Crete, Alexandretta, and Baghdad, where the boats will alight on the surface of the river Tigris.

Each of these new marine aircraft, which are styled the Short “ Rangoon,” is equipped with three Bristol “ Jupiter ” air-cooled motors totalling approximately 1500 h.p. With normal military load on board the range in still air is understood to bo about 1000 miles; one of the stages of the England-Basra journey, indeed, is 700 miles, to be flown without alighting to refuel. No effort is spared in the design to <mako the boats comfortable for the crews in the torrid heat of the Persian Gulf, and this consideration reigned supreme over every detail of the internal construction and equipment. The result is a roomy, comfortable hull which should assure comparative comfort even in the hottest weather, a point of vital importance because British flying boat crews are expected frequently to eat and sleep on board. Commercial boats very similar in design, called the Short “ Calcutta,” have flown for some time past over the Mediterranean sections of the air mail route operated by Imperial Airways, carrying passengers, mails and freight.