1937-03-25 — Page 11

WINGS OVER THE

THE SEAS

S this is written, the Clippers ments, developed by many ingenious the Westfalen, in the South At One

are in regular Pan American minds, representing a kind of sixth lantic midway between the Cape-

י.

sense.

Thing and Another

Verde Islands and Rio de Janeiro service

to assist weekly planes now flying For example, they have an in-

to and from Berlin. The Westfalen FAIR'S FAIR Such big flying boats, already

ex-strument called an artificial hori is equipped with the most power- It is forecast that while Colonel suggestive of palatial yachts cept that they are many times fas- zon, which shows the actual posi- ful catapult ever built, to launch Beck, the Polish Foreign Minister, that tion of the ship with reference to the large but slow Dornier-Wahl is in London he will discuss with ter, have thus demonstrated they are superior to small planes in the horizon, even when the pilots flying boats used. But finding and cur Foreign Office "a more gener- Of landing at such an anchorage ob-lous quota of Polish Jews for Pa- numberless ways and are commer- cannot see the real horizon. cially practicable for trans-Atlantic course they have the sextant, to de- viously involves hazards. and trans-Pacific flight on regular termine their position with refer- ence to latitude and longitude, with schedules. They are practicable

心

ex-

Perhaps, therefore, I may plain, as simply as I can, the main engineering factors involved.

nation.

*

+

*

lestine."

We shall have no objection to Further, I judge that, to most this at all, if he will take the Ca- and inevitable for basic engineer- the added advantage over the mari- people, there is interest in any new binet in exchange.

can step of Man's age-old struggle to ing reasons which, if explained ner that when needful they simply, appear to be of interest to fly above the clouds to take their overcome distance at the greatest FALSE ALARM

each ad- bearings on the sun or stars, and possible speed, because

"Prince Obolensky (the Rugger nearly everyone.

So can determine where they are vance in the long view means 30 star), who is Sir Malcolm Camp- within ten or fifteen square miles. much to us individually and as a bell's one real rival as a speedster

"From a gossip column. They also have a magnetic and a

I am authorised to deny, how- gyroscopic compass and the auto- To-day, fast trans-continental matic pilot, an instrument with hori- planes race the sun westward, over ever, that the Prince is sailing on The question of fuel consump- zontal,

lateral and longitudinal the routes conquered with so much the Queen Mary for the Utah Salt Flats to try to capture the record in suffering, tion, to begin with, is easily under- gyroscopes to keep the ship in all human labour and

for, the flying mile. standable and as easily disposed of. ways on an even keel, which the covered wagons, only a few genera-

horse pilot can over-control, use to guide tions ago. And before long, The fuel consumption per power of a plane is substantially the ship automatically, cut out or doubt, such planes will travel at the same in large planes and small use for guidance in holding to his nearly the speed of sound. At present it is in the neighbour- appointed course. I addition, there hood of one-half a pound of gaso- is an electrical synchronizing device line for each horsepower hour

More to the point is the aerody- namic efficiency of the big plane as compared with the small one—i. e, their respective ability to maintain as high cruising speed as possible with as little power and fuel relation to weight.

-

in

Soon too, I know, we shall

By IGOR I. SIKORSKY

до

TRAGEDY

*

*

They lay there, cold, still figures, huddled together in an inanimate

be group on the ground The weary, bleary-eyed passers-by trudged on with no more than a glance. Such sights were common in that country. But, presently, there came along one more hopeful than the forlorn ones who had earlier trod that way.

He stopped and, looked again. "Could they all be dead men?” he

which automatically holds the dif- crossing the oceans, with all this wondered. He started. Surely there It is known that in flight a very ferent motors to an even speed; the means to us, in palatial air liners was hope of life in that one still dependable, form lying apart from the others, large percentage of the power re- drift indicator, to measure the sur- much larger, just as

He went over, grasped the chilly quired about three-fourths is re- face speed over water, and provi- quite as fast. The prediction isn't

in- new; even Tennyson foresaw such neck tenderly, and slowly lifted quired to overcome air friction, or sion in the cockpit by which resistance, around the various parts stantly, by the turn of two fingers, "wonders that would be," and Kipl-lit. .. of the plane, including its body, or a pilot can drench any motor or ing suggested them also, in fuselage, or, in the flying boat, its many another part of the ship, all- The Night Mail. hull. This air resistance, as every metal though it is, with fire-extin-

his Alas, the bottle was empty

MY NUT

first And then there was the am

school boy knows, increases in the guisher. And, of course, there are To-day, however, for the square of the speed. That is why invaluable radio aids, including an time in all history, the fancies of walking down the Strand saying to the Brazilian Clipper, for example, improved radio direction finder. This, even such poets are definite engine himself, over and over, “No. No. No. on the shoulder. "Here, my man attains a top speed of only 191 miles as used with shortwave code radio, ering and commercial practicalities. No. No! A policeman tapped him an hour with her motors function- by which Pan American pilots are

"It's all right, officer. Em on boli-

ing at full capacity while maintain at all times in continuous communi- And, if Man's struggle to over-what's all this about?" ing a cruising speed with her mo cation with at least two ground come distance and time teaches us tors functioning at only about half stations, is absolutely dependable, anything, they are therefore

to

of their full capacity of 150 miles no matter the weather. an hour. However, and this is Such equipment is essential quite important, the Clippers have safe, long-range operation. But here sufficiently demonstrated that this the point is that this desirable air resistance increases substantially equipment is of substantially the less than was supposed when the same weight in large planes and size of a scientifically streamlined small and in the big ship, of course, ship is progressively increased In represents a much smaller percent other words, when the total weight age of the total load. of the ship is increased eight times,

say, the power necessary to drive

Again, the sturdy hull of an all-

it at a given speed increases only metal flying boat, bulkheaded and from three to four times. There stronger by far than the hull of fore, the bigger the ship, if well many designed, the more efficient!

a boat that has safely sailed round the world, is a factor

Another basic advantage favour of the big ship over small is due to the fact that the progress of long-range pas- the use of flying boats for the long. senger flying it is more than ever range oceanic travel necessary, whether the plane be

of much moral importance, to pas in

sengers and crew. In fact, the com- the

mon sense of this safety factor with alone to my mind would in

big or small, to carry a large- Looking ahead, I can see no tech- amount of radio and other equip- nical limitations to further increases ment, including instruments and in the size, speed and all-round eff- the like, with the certainty, I feel ciency of such big craft and con- sure, of equipment for blind land- fidently expect to see them to 200 ing as well as blind flying in the tons or more im regular use. near future. Nowhere in any me- About floating islands, or ships, chanical unit yet devised, not ex- anchored at intermediate points on cepting the control rooms of a mo- long sea hops, to refuel and ser- dern ocean liner or battleship, is vice passenger planes: there included in so small, a space

as the cockpit of one of these big it would seem that the fast, long-

range Lane makes these numeces-

fying boats so many helpful-

to the human senses. It use

be said that an airpl

resented not only the

tem but the five senses plane

-day

of these bis ocean have an imo

evitabilities.

in- day. Tm a Yes-Man from Holly

wood."

Haig

(SCOTCH WHISKY

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MARKINCH, SCOTLAND.

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