IMPERIAL AIRCRAFT

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20388, 31 December 1937, Page 7

IMPERIAL AIRCRAFT

FACTS OF THE CENTAURUS EIGHTEEN TONS WEIGHT WING SPREAD OF 114 'FEET When the Imperial Airways flyingboat Centaurus passes over Hamilton ori the afternoon of Wednesday, January 5, the people of the Waikato will see the largest aircraft which has ever visited the district. From about 200 yards the size of the craft is deceptive and it seems smaller than it really is; but when there is a standard of comparison, such as a man standing on the wing or busy with the moorings, the true size of the Empire flyingboats can be appreciated. Some of the main facts and dimensions of these Imperial Airways machines are:— There are 28 Empire boats in the Imperial Airways fleet of flying-boats, and 14 Ensign airliners are being constructed; the Ensign is a landplane comparable in size and performance to the Empire boat.

The Empire boats cost approximately £54,000 each. The wing spread is 114 feet and the hull length 88 feet.

There are four “moderately supercharged” Pegasus Xc engines, built by the Bristol Company, each of 740 rated horse-power, but giving a normal maximum power ot' 790 h.p. al 2600 r.p.m. at 5500 feet and 910 h.p for take-off.

The maximum speed at 5500 feet is something over 200 m.p.h., but cruising speed does not normally exceed 165 m.p.h. Minimum flying speed is 73 m.p.h.

Variable pitch propellers are fitted and with coarse pitch the rate of climb is almost one thousand feet a minute. The “ceiling” with full load is about 20,000 feet —that is, the four engines and the fine wing and full design lift 18 tons almost four miles in the air, but such heights are not flown in present commercial practice. Survey Flight Range The empty weight of the standard Empire boat is 24,0001 b, the balance to loaded weight being made up of pay-load and crew 82001 b or 3.66 tons, fuel, and oil. Normally, Ihe lanks will hold 650 gallons, or nearly 21 tons, of petrol, and tins tankage goes an operating range, with 24 seals occupied and mail and freight spaee filled, of 760 miles; but the Centaurus, with the seat.ng accommodation reduced to 15, has seven fuel tanks, with a total capacity of 2040 gallons and a correspondingly greatly increased range as a survey ship. Actually the tanks have not been filled to capacity since leaving England, and for the Tasman (light they were only about threefifths full, with 1400 gallons, and when the machine landed at Auckland there was still a margin of 450 gallons, enough to have enabled ttic Wellington trip have been made without refuelling.

High wind loading is essentially a development of modern aircraft, making for speed, economy, and better passenger comfort. The wing loading of the Empire boats is 271 b per square foot.