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THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 23, 1938.
Aeroplane That Finds Its Own Way
Pilot Is Needed Only For Adjustments:
A 350 miles an hour car shaped like a dart which has been built in secret was, on view on April 5 for the first time. It is the new Railton car built for Mr. John Cobb and designed to attack the world's land speed record. Photo shows-Mr. John Cobb in the cockpit of the new car showing the cowling being placed over him at Brooklands. (Copyright).
Automatic "Homing " Device
I saw at Croydon an aeroplane which has a brain of its own a plane which can fly without human guidance and which can find its way without assistance, writes a correspondent.
It heralds the day when the automatic flying of big air liners and military machines will be commonplace, with pilots only making occasional and minor ad- justinents.
The device by which it is achiev- ed will be especially valuable to aircraft entering or leaving busy aerodromes where there are sharp- ly defined lanes of traffic. It will also be valuable for aerial photo- graphy, when it is desirable not only to fly on a level keel, but also to keep the machine strictly on a straight line. It will free the pilot's attention for other matters. -FULL EQUIPMENT SHOWN
The machine I saw was a DH "Dragon" twin-engined passenger dock," for it has been shown in carrier, which is to be used on tests that it can dive into the water, special photographic survey by Air pick up a 45-ton load, bring it Travel and Survey Proprietary of ashore, and fun it about at a speed Sydney. It was shown with auto- matic equipment, which consists of of three miles an hour.
automatic The new Boeings will accom-the PB. Deviator, an
a Marconi wireless Test flights of the new Boeing designed to transport the big flying modate 50 passengers, but for At-pilot, and
and direction-finder to be tried boats either on land or water, and lantic and Pacific services will not transmitter flyingboats, which are for an Atlantic service, will begin is so contrived that the fiying-boat carry so many. Their maximum receiver and “homing" device. at the end of April. This flying-will ficat into it, the whole dock speed is about 200 m.p.h. boat when fully loaded, will weigh with its burden then being raised) 38 tons.
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It is called the galloping dry- FIRST DISPLAY BY HURRICANE FIGHTERS
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This "homing”-device consists of a wireless instrument which gives the pilot the direction of a mitting station, with which he can check his course.
The station may be at any aero- drome with its special call sign, or it may even be an ordinary broad- casting station, provided the pilot knows how to identify it.
The addition of the Marconi equipment constitutes the advance At Northolt aerodrome, Middle-realised since a day, about two and sex, I was privileged to watch a de a half years ago, when, during a monstration by the new Hawker flight, I watched the PB. Decistor Hurricane Fighter aeroplanes of as it checked every tendency of the the Royal Air Force, writes a cor-machine to turn, to pitch, to dip, or respondent.
to cant over to left or right..
Once the course had been decid- was the first display, apart from official and Service tests, by led, the machine kept to it, but the these machines, one of which flew Deviator could not then correct a recently from Edinburgh to Nort-wrong course to a right one with- holt in 48 minutes at an average out the pilot's interference. speed of 408.75 miles an hour. The Deviator, with the help of The demonstration was given by the wireless "homing" device, can No. 111 Fighter Squadron, whose do so now, the pilot only having commanding officer, Squadron- to watch progress and to make Leader J. W. Gillan, was the pilot small adjustments when necessary. of the Edinburgh fight.
An actual flying demonstration
The Hurricanes are low-wing of the full equipment was not monoplanes, of all-metal construc-given, but I was informed that it tion except for the wings, equipped is possible merely by rotating the with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines of loop aerial, which is part of the
cause homing device, to 1050 hp
They are painted with irregular machine to turn. markings of khaki and dull green,
and the features which at once
strike the layman are the sleek the undercarriages drawn up smoothness of their lines, their came apparent.
squat undercarriages, and the curious slightly Boman curve of their noses.
Three Flights
they they seemed
the
The manoeuvres inc uded a fiy past in squadron formation of nine machines at low altitude, another of six planes in line abreast, and cross the flying another of five in V-formation.
scent, in Other machines of older birds of prey were in the air at the same time, on the ground. And the simile was and it was noticeable that more exact when they had taken off, ricanes' landing speeds in flights of three, and the perfect greatly in excess of those grace of their lines in the air with slower 'planes.