AVIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22708, 22 October 1935, Page 13

AVIATION

WINDMILL PLANES IN THE NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER TRIALS, (From Our Own Correspondent.) (By Air Mail) LONDON, September 28. Successful accomplishment of trials in which an autogiro landed on, and flew off, the deck of the aircraft earner Furious is inclining naval tacticians to consider seriously the value of these novel rotating-wing aircraft. There is a likelihood that autogiros may become part of the equipment of the Fleet Air Arm within the next few months. Most noteworthy in the recent experiments was the landing made with the earner steaming down wind, a feat which could be performed only with the difficulty and at some risk by an ordinary Service aeroplane. The autogiro, piloted by Mr R. A. C. Brie, landed and came to a standstill needing to use the arrester gear which is employed to bring the fixed-wing craft to rest. He used the small hangar deck, as well as the main flying deck, in landing and take-offs that were done throughout the carrier’s speed range, from about eight knots to nearly full speed. The idea is that the autogiro, because of its extremely low minimum flying speed and ability to ascend and descend very steeply, may be admirably suited for certain special duties with the fleet. In the near future aircraft carriers may carry a small number of autogiros in addition to their normal equipment of fixed-wing aircraft, while any other kind of warship large enough to carry a relatively small landing platform —located, for example, on a gun turret—may also carry one or more autogiros for reconnaissance duties.

In the past 12 months nearly 100 autogiros have been sold by the Avro Company, which owns a licence for their sale and manufacture. Recently the Armstrong Siddeley Company delivered the seventy-fifth Genet Major 140 h.p. seven-cylinder air-cooled radial motor which is the standard power plant of the present batch of Avro autogiros. Because it flies and climbs at exceptionally slow forward speeds the rotating-wing aircraft imposes severe loads on the engine and provides a searching test of its cooling system; much of the success which the autogiro has already achieved must be credited to the troublefree running of the Genet Major in unusually difficult conditions. Ten machines were sold to the Air Ministry for experimental flying with the array co-operation squadrons of the R.A.F. Others have gone to about 13 European countries, as well as to China, India, Australia, and South Africa. They are open cockpit craft to carry two, and their speed range varies from 15 to 110 m.p.h. Landing speed is nil, and takeoff run about 30 yards in length.