AVIATION NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 22508, 16 February 1935, Page 15

AVIATION NOTES

SOUTHLAND AERO CLUB.

(By

“Contact.”)

Fixtures:— Sunday, February 24: Monthly competition and pilots’ meeting. Saturday, March'2: North Island Aero Pageant at Masterton. Sunday, March 17: Monthly competitions and pilots’ meeting. Saturday, March 23: South Island Aero Pageant at Nelson. Club News. The announcement of a flying scholarship for the fair sex, should arouse considerable interest and numerous entries. The ladies responsible for sponsoring this scheme are deserving of the thanks of the club for their interest and financial assistance. Candidates should produce the receipt for their entrance fee of £l, when presenting themselves at the aerodrome for their flying tests, which will be conducted by Flight Lieutenant Smith.

Pilot A. N. Patterson flew three members of the English ladies’ cricket team over the lakes district on Tuesday last, in the Fox Moth cabin plane.

Trainees L. Wilson and N. Faulkner, together with Pilots F. Wallis and A. Williamson of Gore, were present at the local drome last Sunday. The latter two, each made solo flights to Riverton.

Trainee J. Langford (Ohai) was at the controls for the first time for several weeks and it is hoped this pupil will persevere at least to the “A” license stage, as his first solo cannot be very far away. Pilot K. A. Fleming of the New South Wales Aero Club was a visitor to the aerodrome during the week and took the opportunity of viewing Invercargill from'one of the club’s machines, in which he took a short flight.

The new Gipsy I engine, ordered from the de Havilland fatcory in England, has been received and will duly be placed in service in the machine next undergoing a major overhaul. ZK-AAG has just completed the usual 25-hour top overhaul, at the hands of the ground engineer staff. Pilot A. N. Patterson was busy with ZK-ACF on Monday evening, taking a number of joy-rides.

Advice has been received that Sir Bruce Stewart, Vice-President of the Canterbury Aero Club desires to dispose of his privately owned Puss Moth ZK-ACX. This machine, which is fitted with blind flying instruments, dual control, two parachutes and is wired for lights has flown only 260 hours, piloted entirely by the owner. The price asked is only £B5O, which must be considered a very reasonable figure by any pilot requiring such a machine.

Buying Foreign Aircraft An extract from “Flight” states that some surprise appears to have been caused in certain quartets by the recent announcement that the British Air Ministry has purchased an American day bomber—a Northrop—and the impression seems to have been gained that the purchase is in some way a reflection on our British aircraft _ designers and constructors. This is, of course, far from being the case. For a good many years it has been the custom of all aircraft manufacturing nations occasionally to purchase types of aircraft from one another. It is natural that in the normal course of progress one nation may at any one moment have concentrated on the development of a particular type of machine fox which there has not previously been any need or' demand in another nation. The type may incorporate certain features which make it attractive, possibly even for a purpose different frorn that for which it was originally designed.

In the circumstances it is obviously the quickest and the cheapest way to purchase a specimen and to try it out thoroughly. Great Britain has in the past bought French, Dutch and American machines, and no particular significance need be attached to the recent acquisition of the Northrop. The United States have froha time to time purchased aircraft from us. So have other great aircraft manufacturing nations, such as France.

“Comet” for Atlantic Flight Senor Carlos Bieck and Lt. Costa Macedo have purchased the D.H. “Comet” on which the Mollisons flew non-stop to Baghdad. It is stated that new engines will be fitted, and, when the machine is ready, an attempt will be made to fly from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro in forty-eight hours. Empire Service Duplicated. It has been decided that the Empire services from London to Calcutta and to Johannesburg shall be duplicated. This will give a twice-weekly service for both mail and passengers in both directions between Britain and Palestine, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, India, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika, North and South Rhodesia, and the Union of South Africa, and four return services a week between Britain and Egypt. The daily stages will be identical to those on the present services, and were commenced during the first week in January.

A Diesel-engined Flying Boat A welcome announcement gives hope of the fairly imminent _ appearance of British-built Diesel engines in a British flying boat. Three of the Napier “Culverin” compression-ignition engines are about to be put into one o the Blackbum “Iris” flying boats, and the results will be watched with unusual interest. The flying boat is particularly suitable for trying out the Diesel type of engine in that it is designed for long-range work, and the full advantage of the low specific fuel consumption of the Diesel does not arise until durations of seven hours or more are wanted. Figures are not yet available, but a flying boat fitted with Diesel engines should be able to make nonstop flights from England to Gibraltar. The Strategic advantages of this are obvious.

French Flying Boat For some years a number of French aircraft contructors have been working to solve the problem of th A e , 1 C0I ? mer “ a l crossing of the South Atlantic and have built and perfected flying-boats specially for this purpose. The Bleriot 5190 has been designed to meet the peculiar requirements ox the South Atlantic crossing. The construction of the prototype known as the Santos Dumont, was started some years ago, but was delayed in its completion owing to lengthy discussions about the financial clauses of the contract with the State. Towards the end of 1933 preliminary trials were able to be undertaken, but, before these were finished, the flying-boat was damaged bv fire. Repairs have been completed and the Bleriot 5190 has now appeared. The flying-boat is of the single-null type, having a strut-braced monoplane wing and stabilizing floats braced, to the hull and wing by means of wires and struts. , „ „ The hull is equipped for the transport of passengers and freight and contains the fuel tanks. Above this is constructed a type of conning tower containing the pilot’s cockpit, 'which is fitted with dual control and side-by-side seating. . The wing is constructed in five sections, a centre section of 10 metres span on which the engines are mounted, two other sections of 15 metres span each, and two tip sections of 1.5 metres each. Two separate ailerons with independent pushrods are fitted to each wing. The tail unit consists of one large central fin and balanced rudder with two small stabilizing fins and trimming rudders on either side. The elevator is mounted just above the two small outer fins. The flying-boat is constructed mainly of duralumin; the tubular struts and highly stressed fittings being of steel, and the wings and tail unit fabric covered. The power plant consists of four 650h.p. Hispano Suiza engines, three being mounted in the leading edge of the wing, with the centre one of these over the centre line of the hull, while lhe fourth is in tandem with it and drives a pusher airscrew. All engines are accessible during flight, and are so placed that should any one or two stop, deviation from the line of flight is very slight.

Specification and Performance. Wing span 141 ft. lin. Height 22ft. Bin. Length 85ft. 3Jin. Width of hull lift. Ilin. Wing area 2388 sq. ft. "Weight empty 24,696 lb. Payioad 3,307 lb. Gross weight 48,510 lb. Maximum speed 147 m.p.h. Cruising speed 118 m.p.h.

Parachute-Flying Suit Combination.

A parachute and harness complete within the structure of _ a flying suit, and with only one fastening, is the lattest invention of the G.Q. Parachute Company. The wearer steps into the suit in the usual way; his parachute goes automatically into place and he is ready to take his place immediately in the aircraft. He can sit in any of the usual kinds of aeroplane seat. The parachute is disposed about the suit in various compartments so that it is as little bulky as possible. It is marketed in summer and winter suits.

A special silk harness which is claimed to be much more comfortable, and softer, than the flax type of harness is another recent invention of the G.Q. concern. Incidentally, the strength factor is higher than the strength factor of webbing. A new “quick release” harness has control apparatus considerably less bulky than earlier forms of the device; the “quick release” parachute is especially suited for private owner’s aircraft and naval machines in which the parachute is stowed in the cockpit and is attached only when required. The harness is so devised that no load is placed on the leg straps. Professional jumpers and students made more than 200 descents with G.Q. parachutes in Great Britain last summer without so much as a sprained ankle.