A NEW AEROPLANE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3828, 26 July 1927, Page 24

A NEW AEROPLANE.

SIR HENRY WIGRAMS GIFT. Sir Henry Wigram, of Park terrac«, Christchurch, recently presented to the New Zealand Government a fighting aeroplane. The machine has now been purchased, and some interesting particulars concerning it are available (says the Lyttelton Times). The aeroplane is described as the “Gloster Grebe,” a single-seater fighter, which now forms par* - of the standard equipment of the Royal Air Force. It is fitted with a 355 h.p. “Jaguar” air-cooled radial engine. The wings consist of a high-lift section upper wing and a medium-lift section bottom wing of somewhat reduced span and chord. The upper wings are in two pieces, attached to a cabane above the fusilage, there being no centre section. Gravity fuel tanks are built into the upper wings, one on each side of the machine. Either tank is capable of supplying the engine when the other is turned off. The armament consists of two Vickers machine guns firing through the propeller, and. if desired, Tour 201 b bombs. The machine is designed for work at high altitudes, and has remarkably good manoeuvrability. It is very stable, and can be flown with hands off the controls. The specifications are as follows: — Span, top, 29ft 4in; span, bottom. 25ft; chord, top, sft Bin ; chord, bottom, sft; weight, loaded. 26001 b; engine, “Jaguar,” 385 h.p.; petrol capacity, 52 gallons; useful load. 4451 b; speed. sea-level. 125 m.p.b.; speed at 10.000 ft, 145 m.p.b.; climb to 20,000 ft, 23min. With the supercharged "Jaguar” engine, the above performance figures have been considerably increased Some machines are also fitted with the 460 h.p. Bristol “Jupiter” engine.