AEROPLANE WITH RADIO.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20093, 24 November 1930, Page 12

AEROPLANE WITH RADIO.

SUCCESS OVER LONG DISTANCE. LOCALLY-MADE APPARATUS. Valuable experimental work in radio communication from an aeroplane while engaged oil a long flight was carried out by Flight-Lieutenant M. W. Buckley when flying the Fairey HIP machine back to Auckland last ■week. Communication with tha ground stations at Wigram Aerodrome, at headquarters in Wellington, and at Hobsonville was maintained nntil the machine reached Foston, vrhen the airscrew driving the generator for the transmitting plant fiew off, and transmission had to cease.

Headquarters and Hobaonville were advised that the flight -was to be made, and as soon as the machine was ia the air, -and the aerial had been dropped, the operator, Lesiding-Aircraftsmfl-n R. J. Gibbs, got into touch -with Wellingtori, giving particulars of the weather. From Blenheim, -Wigram wds : worked for a few minutes, and as the distance is about 200 miles and the power of the Wigram station is only 100 watts, communication this distance is considered good. A few miles outside of Wellington the Hobsonvillo station was heard, while the aeroplane's signals were heard there within a few miles from the start from Christchnrch. Contact witb. Wellington was Tna.mta.in6G throughout, even though the machine was flying at 11,000 feet, above the clouds, and reports of the weather that might be expected at various points ahead were received.

At Foxton, just wnen Flight-Lieuten-ant Buckley was about to asli for a further weather report -from ville, the transmitter weut out of" action. The small air-screw attached to the generator, which is driven by the wind-pressure as the aeroplane flies through the ah", had come adrift. As this propeller was, designed for 3 speed of 100 miles per hour, and tie Fairey was at times doing as much as 120, the mishap could not be attributed to any fault of the apparatus, for no generator air-screws designed for such speeds are at present to •bo obtained in the Dominion. Thereafter reception only was possible from the machine, and this part of the work was continued until the completion of the flight. ,

The transmitter and receiver, which was built at the digram Aerodrome, weighed, together with its batteries, less than 1121b. The .input to the transmitter, the circuit of which is known as the "shunt Hartley," was about SO watts. The signals were on a wavelength of 45 metres, and all these Air Force stations reported that they were steady, while the operator had no difficulty in receiving signals from the ground, as a specially designed helmet kept out the noise of the engine, and there was no interference from the ignition system of the aeroplane. Flight-Lieutenant Buckley was very pleased with the success of the tests, and said that such communication with the ground from an aeroplane would be very useful for flights over a moderately long distance. Squadron-Leader J. L. Findlay considered that the results would be thought very good in England. Reports of weather conditions ahead on the route were of great value to pilots, who would bo guided by them as to what course to follow and at what height to - fly, so that safety could be considerably helped. A regular schedule of wireless communication ■is worked from Wigram with the other two stations, and although the transmitter at the "Welling; ton headquarters is nine times as powerful, the small local station has been in communication with the Air Ministry in London.