AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1932, Page 2

AVIATION

FLEET' Alll ARM. FEATURES OF TORPEDO BOMBERS. LONDON, October 24. Further progress will be made shortly in the re-equipment of the aircraft carriers. H.M.S. Hermes will soon be receiving the Hawker Nimrod and Sprey machines in place of the existing Fairey Flycatcher and tire Fairey III.F. reconnaissance aircraft. The Fairey Flycatchers have proved among the'most successful fleet fighters, their extraordinarily high powers of • manoeuvre making them particularly well suited to deck landings. No fewer than eleven fleet spotter reconnaissance flights are equipped with . Fairey lILF. aircraft, and this is the type tliat has done the Service flights down Africa. It has the Napier Lion engine and accommodation for a crew of three. Much of the long distance oversea navigational flying done by members of the Fleet Air Arm has been in their machines. In this work the aircraft carrier is often out ,of sight for hours on end while the crew of the reconnaissance aeroplane set their course by dead reckoning, often making more than one change of course during the flight and always allowing for the movement of the aircraft carrier so that, on the recall, they can find it at once. Probably, the work of the Fleet Air Am represents the highest pitch of perfection to which aerial navigation has been brought, Drift estimation and allowances for altering wind Speeds are made with remarkable accuracy.

TORPEDO BOMBERS. One of the most highly specialised types in use in the Fleet Air Ann is the torpedo bomber. Blackburn Dart and Blackburn ltipon aircraft are used for this work, and during recent exercises in the Solent they obtained extremel/ nigh accuracy in the launching o?: torpedoes. Torpedo dropping places upon the aircraft very great strains, for the torpedo is often dropped after a steep dive and sometimes sudden changes of direction have to be made by the pilot at high speeds. In fact, the torpedo carrying aircraft’ must be able to withstand loads which are considerably beyond those put upon the other classes of military machine.. Another essential feature of the torpedo bomber is powerful control at all speeds. The pilot must be able to maintain control and the aircraft must show good' stabilty during the phenomenon known as the “high speed stall.” This may occur when the aircraft, heavily loaded, is pulled out of a steep dive very quickly. The centrifugal loading catised by the sudden change of direction goes up quickly. In other words, the effective wing loading is increased beyond) what- the wings will carry and a .stall takes place while the machine is actually travelling very fast. In order to avoid loss of stability or control in. these circumstances wing slots are. fitted to torpedo-carry-ing aircraft. ). The action of wing slots is well known, and they are a. valuable safety fitting to all types of .aircraft. But for the torpedo bomber they are essential on account of the special conditions under which it has ,to work. Slots are standardised on all multiseater aircraft in the Royal Air Force.

SEAPLANE TRAINING. Seaiplane training is included in the curriculum of . Air Service Training Ltd., the dying school at Hamble, where Service methods are applied, and where high standards in instructional work are being achieved. Seaplane flying has its special technique, and although the aeroplane pilot can quickly master it, he benefits by a thorough course, especially when conditions of wind and tide arise which demand a knowledge of seamanship more than airmanship. '

Night flying, “blind” flying, and wireless work are other branches of flying training in which instruction is given at Hamble, and the popularity of these ccourses may he estimated by the fact that last month between 600 and 700 hours were flown at the school, most of it dual instruction. Among the pupils taking special courses are Mrs Mollison, Lieut.-Colonel Lanciani, and Lieut, de Wittemberski, of the Italian Air Force, who are doing “blind” flying; Mr Shnaika, who has been sent to England by the Egyptian Government in order to take his “B” Pilot’s license; Major Vetch, Chief Instructor of the Bombay Flying Club; and Mr Bhagat B. Lai, instructor of the Delhi Flying Club. Twenty-four pupils and twelve R.A.F. Resorvists were in residence at' the end of last month.