1936-12-22 — Page 2

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HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1936.

AVIATION

NEW HIGH.

PERFORMANCE

MONOPLANES

Speed Range, And Load Capacity..

41

Mying in co-operation

load, it is faster than any single seat fighter yet in service with any of the world's Air Forces, but can fty under full control a speeds slow enough for leisurely recon- naissance over the battle-front, and land and take-off in a small

field. Mr. H. J. Penrose, Westland test plot, showed conclusively in a recent demonstration before ex- perts at the company's aerodrome that the new monoplane possesses į extraordinary flying qualities, of which the more immediately Im- pressive are an exceptionally wide speed range. ability to climb like

rocket. und amazing ease and power of control. These attributes must be credited in large part to of the the ingenious planning Handley Page automatle wing-slots

ly by pilot and observer. The fuselage, a excellent streamline form, is unusually roomy and 'the standard of comfort.provided is as high as that found in many mod- ern commercial' aircraft-an im- portant factor in maintenance of military emciency and morale in fights that may last for several hours at a time.

REDUCING HEAD RESISTANCE

Examination reveals the great sklil and ingenuity that went to "the design of every component part. The wings are highly taper- ed, and carry a very heavy load, and plan 30 well chosen that, with the help of the wing-slots and slotted flaps. the craft can take off and fand in

yet form

their

are

profile

1.

AEROPLANE

PROPELLER BLADES OF SYNTHETIC

RESIN

be used in circumstances where great tensile strain is involved this weakness must be corrected; and this has been done by a reinforcé- ment of cellulose, a compound for which certain of these resins. have The adaptability of synthetic a peculiar amnity. The resins are resins (plastics) is nowhere more moulded upon the fabric at high strikingly exemplified than in pressure, till it has hardened, while their application "to aeroplane the fabric itself is in a state of screws or propeller blades. The ap-tension and, when the pressure is plication of synthetic resins to removed, there is a strain be these and other aircraft parts is tween the fabric and the resin of being investigated and developed rather less than one ton to the by Aero Research Limited at Whit-

square inch. tlesford, near Duxford., The Direc- tor has been engaged on this work for some time past with the sup Port of the Aeronautical Research Committee and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, The application of forces "to

The present investigators have established the fact that, by giving the reinforcing fabric a large initial tension during manufacture. the stage can be substantially raised at which the material tends

and automatically operated wing-small areas and fly at those slow materials necessarily involves dis- to yield to tensile strain,

taps which increase head re- sistance and "t" to a point where the machine takes off after a very short run and comes in to land at an abnormally steep angle.

with around forces in an essential part nt the activities of a modern Air Force. Range-finding fof artillery. location of enemy troops and lines communication, aerial photo- raphy, the study of activities he- hind the enemy lines, and attack With bombs or machine-gun fire. Fon trenches and strong points are among the many duties that de- yolve upon air squadrons attached to an army.

Experience of the War, in which aeroplanes made their first appearance, proved con- clusively that in many conditions of warfare success of ground move- ments depends entirely on the emelency of alr co-operation. Without his aeroplanes an army

PILOT'S OUTLOOK eommander' is blind.

A radial air-cooled Bristol Developments in strategical and Mercury supercharged engine" pro¬ tactical methods since the Warvides power, driving a controllable- have emphasized the need for air. craft designed from the start to meet the peculiar requirements of Gone 'army co-operation flying. are the days in which, at a pinch, two-seat aeroplane any type of might be detached for llason fly- Ing. Efficient co-operation is at- fainable only through the employ- ment of a specialized form of aero- planes and the new Westland monoplane was designed from start to finish for the most effec- tive performance of army Co- cperation duties.

The new aeroplane, à high-wing monoplane bullt of aluminiura Elloy and steel, was planned, built, and flown to the satisfaction of official test pilots in the brief space of 12 months-a noteworthy engineering achievement.- The new army co-operation aeroplane fulls admirably all of the de- mands imposed upon it by army

"

pitch three-bladed metal alrscrew in the nose of the fuselage. Later machines of the type may be fitted with the new Perseus sleeve-valved engine, when the already astonishing top speed should be further increased and the cruising endurance augmented.

tortion. volves slon

at

onė

speeds rendered desirable alike in

and distortion in-So effective is this method of re- the interests of efficient liaison

simultaneous compres-inforcement of the restris that flying and of security. The under- carriage is fixed, but its novel

point. In the aeroplane propeller blades of this material have withstood severe cantilever form and faired casings material and tension in another.

It happens that, while synthetic tests, including 16 hours of test mean notably low head' resistance. Landing lights are installed with resins are efficient enough under flying, with continual changes in they show little pitch and 50 backfires, involving the wheel cases. The external compression,

withstand tensile big fluctuating stresses and strains anish is highly polished, thereby capacity to lessening "skin" friction" which is strains. If, therefore, they are to throughout the mass of the screws. an important factor in head re- sistance. A streamlined "spinner"

covers the hub of the controllable ROAD SCHEMES

pitch aircrew. Adlustable flaps at the rear of the engine cowling provide efficient cooling in all con- ditions of flight,

Requirements of army co-opera-.

The Westland monoplane estab- tion Aying occupled the company's Eshes United Kingdom technica} designers at every stage of their supremacy in yet' another category work. The essential need of the of military aircraft. Its perform- best possible outlook for the pilot unce far exceeds the limits that led to the decision to build a high- were

attainable by considered wing monoplane, in which there single-engined, multi-seat military is no wing structure to interfere: aircraft even a year or two ago. with down-ward view. For the yet its load capacity and landing same reason, the pilot's seat was qualities are much superior to located in front of the leading those recorded of any comparable edge of the wings, and level with craft. them. Enclosing the pilot's com-. partment, and extending back to cover the compartment occupied by the observer-gunner, are large transparent sliding roof. The en-

The recent feat of 26-year-old Jean Batten in fying "solo"...a

monoplane Percival Gull

from England to New Zealand, during which she broke the "solo" record

Maison work, and in addition, is tire cabin is heated by a supply of for the England to Australia fight fresh air, warmed by passage by more than 24 hours provides around the engine oli coolers, further testimony to the supremacy which is controllable independent- of United Kingdom machines.

capable of extremely high flying performance. In spite of its roomy 'fuselage and great capacity for

MOTOR JOTTINGS

IN PERIL?TM

Clear Statement Needed

Is the Government's rearmament scheme to Imperil the roads? That is a question on which an authorl- tative pronouncement is required. The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in the House of Commons, some months ago, that the disap- pearance of the Road Fund in its old form would not mean that the highways would be starved. So far, so good; but is the decision of the House of Commons, when it is

asked to vote money for the roads, to be seriously influenced by the expense-Inevitably very high-ot

the rearmament programme?.

1937 TREND IN U.S.A.

More Space

For Passengers

And Luggage

The cars "exhibited at the New York Show demonstrated in a most Interesting manner the radical difference between the ideas of the American and the European des. signer. It is obvious that the Am- erican manufacturer is interesting himself mure and more in "the coachwork of the cars he controls,

has reached a point of develop- ment where, unless and until the rear engine position, is adopted:

deeming, no doubt, that the chassis

The matter is worthy of further the radical change la necessary.

The American car is now carry- elucidation in view of Mr. Horeing a larger body with wider seats. Bellsha's recent reply to a question These seats have been placed even as to the Government's attitude

more within the wheelbase than towards, among other projects, the hitherto by pushing the engine proposal to receive the Severn farther forward, and it is most Bridge scheme. He said that "pri noticeable that special effort has mary regard must be had to the

been made to arrange accommo- overriding importance of the na-

dation for all the luggage one

tional defence programme and the

THE LUXURY OF faster than this limousine (welsh-seemed to be about a quarter of a I

ing something like two and 趄 mile, and at that moment the demands which that programme SPEED

"Silent Flight"

THE 12-CYLINDER ROLLS-ROYCE

BY JOHN PRIOLEAU "Silent flight" is, admittedly, not a good description of the way "of a car on the road, but just now

I cannot think of a better by which

quarter tons, was the old super- engine seemed only to be begin- It is well charged 4-litre Bentley, which ning to extend itself could show over a hundred and

brakes that the four-wheel

are twenty miles an hour. In that rapid and certain in their action. splendid thing you went extremely for without them this car would fast, but you were well aware of it. be excessively dangerous. You At sixty, seventy miles an hour, miscalculate her speed by at least and beyond, your ear and sense of forty per cent. touch told you pretty well how

SPECIAL POINTS fast you' were going. At eighty, in

For the rest, it is a very nice. the new Rolls-Royce, complete motor-car: The twelve cylinders, with vast seven-seated body. it which have a bore and stroke of 62.5 by 114.3. are arranged in two feels like forty.

"A NICE EIGHTY."

banks, V-set, of six. There are. Coid fuct. Not, of course, if you several points of interest in the de- were driving and therefore look-sign, chief among them being the ing closely at the road. Looked at following:----

sideways: the edge of the road (1) The valves are hydraulically

*

to convey even the roughest im- pression of the behaviour of the hew 50-h.p. twelve-cylinder Rolls-went past you like telegraph poles self-adjusting and work off Royce I took over "The Observer" fick past a railway-carriage win single camshaft. The only possible trial route.

Cow in, say. the "Cheltenham cause of inequality of adjustment Flier," and through the windscreen is wear in the steel balls in the

All kinds of stupid phrases oc- curred to me at the time, mostly clichés of the worst class (not, be

relieved, including the poetry of motion), and not one of them was the slightest help: but of the several impressions left upon me by that run, the most urgent- were noiselessness and immense speed. This car is well-sprung and it holds the road well. It is a fine plece of machinery, the engine an everlasting joy to the eye and mind. As much can fairly be said of one or two others, and these were not the great things about the new Roll-Royce. They were the speed and the quite superla- tive absence of mechanical noise,

You may very Justly object that such speeds as are so easily reach- ed by this car are useless, if not worse, at this stage of public trans- port. I agree, but only from the practical point of view. It may not serve any serious purpose to be able to eat up the miles at the rate of one and a half every

minute, mor, perhaps, to be able to do so with the minimum or delay; but it is certainly luxurious. And this car. at 122,600 or so, is meant to be Juxurious.

The facts are, of course, that it was the way in which it was done that mattered and not the thing tself. The only car. other than a acer. I have ever driven that was

it was a grey blur upon which rockers. One of these twelve has

Qistant dots became, in what seem-lost girth, as I have explained. and allowed a faint click to be ed a split second, overtaken cars.

A new one will restore heard. If you had no need to look at the road but were occupied with talk silence.

must

out- mean an

or print you might have thought (2) The use of one carburettor to yourself "we are doing a nice only. This forty." You heard no noises at standing achievement in the way

unless you count the rush of of distribution. the wind.

In wo respects that is an ex- aggeration. The engine, having covered over 15,000 miles (It was the first of the series), was suffer-

the

(3) The warning light that shows when the level in the 33-gallon petrol tank is low; and.

would progressively make upon the national resources."

Just what

did the Minister of Transport mean by that? If the "resources" are represented by materials, such as steel, motorists will not quarrel

with him: but if the Government are proposing to say that the roads are to be starved of money car owners will have a great deal to say. We hope that Mr. Hore- Belisha will and an early opport- unity to clear up the uncertainty.

THE SCOTTISH

SHOW

A Definite Turn Of The Tide Noticeable

returning

might need, even op a long tour. Apart from that, or course, the

radiator as a visible entity has practically disappeared, and the cars externally have entirely "changed their appearance, having nowing lines rather than being streamlined

The instruments are becoming easier to read, warm air is being supplied to the screen, the range of view from the seats has been increased, and it is interesting to wee that V-type screens are appar- ently popular.

As to mechanical details, the V engine is more. the hydraulic brake much more, popular" inde- pendent suspension is more tidy, and steet Ands a still greater part in the construction of the bodies, which mostly have one-piece tops

without a sliding roof. There is at or narrower bonnets being used to

present little evidence of sloping

improve visibility.

1,766 CIVIL AIRCRAFT IN GREAT BRITAIN

the

There are now 1,766 civil air- craft in Great Britain and North- ern Ireland, according to Résumé of Commercial Information Issued recently by the Air Ministry. Of these, 152 are registered under regular air transport companies.

and the *France, Germany,

While industry generally in Scot- land has been slower in reacting to the influence of prosperity than it has in England nevertheless, so far as the auto mobile branch of it is concerned, it may be said that the thirty

fth annual Scottish Motor Exhi- Sition is likely to mark the definite turn of the tide. The Exhibition. was opened in the Kelvin Hall. Glasgow, and it is a truly repre- sentative one, offering to Scottish and Northern motorists cars of all United States of America; are -The suspension, Independent in

types, sizes" and prices. While the ahead of Britain in the numbers front, is good, and the rood-hold- ing, controlled at will by the lever greatest interest is naturally being of civil aircraft. France has 2.258, worlding the shock-absorber dam-shown in the smaller and medium- Germany 1,812. and the United. sized cars, there is a considerable states 9,342, Italy Has $52, civil" number of motorists who devote aircraft, and of these. 94 are regis their attention to the larger and tered under régular air transport

(4). The shock-absorber dampers, to which an "over-riding control"

ing-wheel.

more expensive vehicles,

In opening the Exhibition the Earl of Rosebery, D.8.OMG., Bild. that. It would not be out of place

companies:

ing front one worn tappet-ball is fitted, operated from, the steer- This was only audible when you opened the bonnet and set engine-speed at its lowest. That regular faint click did no more and no less than violently emphasise the general silence. In motion pera, excellent. You can corner as there was nothing to hear from the hoggishly as you please and, in gear-box on second, third and top, few yards, be driving with the and it was only at twenty miles an suspension set for the street or for hour or so that I could distinguish the roughest surface. The foot- the faint hum of the over-run in brake is first-class, as I said, but the back-axle. And even that was the hand-brake is only good for to congratulate the Minister of tribute to the Minister but also to only when I was driving parking. I thought the steering Transport on his appointment to the great transport indtistry He

All of which may help you to quite the best yet made by Rolls- understand why I have had to fall Royce. There was only a slight the Cabinet, as it was not only a also referred to the nationalisation back upon that empty phrase, kick on the wheel over the Box Ellent flight. The pull of this Hill rough. engine is as elastic, as, I imagine, Box Hill was taken as fast as second from a standstill in 28 se is the fight of a bird, and seems was safe on third (the first hair-conds. And all these things were to betray no more effort. With un-pin bend showed off the admirable done in such a way that you hard believable case we reached 88 lock), and Pebblecombe, maximum ly heard anything The price of miles an hour from 30 in what gradient 1 in 54, was climbed on the limousine is £2.350,

of certain roads,; expressing the hope that this was only a begin=" ning, and that regard would be had to the beautifying of new roads by the planting of trees and shrubs, and to the elimination of unsuitable and dangerous road surfaces

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