In the Gir

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 402, 10 July 1928, Page 7

In the Gir

« a ' ■■ 1 -■ • SLOTTED WINGS FOR R.A A.F. With the landing of four moth planes equipped with the sliding-slot safety device at Melbourne, a new system of training cadet pilots has been inaugurated at Point Cook by the Royal Australian Air Force. It has been found that the old Avro training planes have become obsolete, and experts at Point Cook are looking forward with interest to actual demonstratins of the sliding-slot principle. The majority of fatal accidents which occurred among cadet pilots during the last two years have been due to stalling of engines, and if the new device does all that is claimed of it, it will prove of great value for training purposes. MAIL CONTRACTS IN U.S.A. In awarding air mail contracts to private concerns the Post Office Department divided the transcontinental air line into two divisions, New York to Chicago and Chicago to San Francisco. The eastern contract was awarded to the National Air Transport Company, and the western contract to the “Boeing Air Transport, Inc.,” which will handle this contract for four years. The Boeing Airplane Company has built and developed pursuit planes for the Government. Edward Hubbard is vice-president and operating manager. Hubbard has chosen Wasp motors and contracted for Pennzoil to lubricate them from San Francisco to Chicago. The Wasp is a nine-cylinder radial motor with 425 rated liorse-power. Each motor costs £2,450. Each, plane carries 100 gallons of benzine, and has a cruising radius of approximately 550 miles. speed is 105 miles an hour and the ships can carry a pay load of 1,600 pounds. * * * HINKLER’S MACHINE The following are details of Captain Hinkler’s Avro-Avian light airplane:— DIMENSIONS Span of wings 28ft. Oin. Width folded yft. 6in. Height overall (tail on ground) Sft. 6in. Length overall 24ft. Oin. Wheel track 6ft. Sin. Tare weight 8751 b. PERFORMANCE Maximum speed at ground level 105 m.p.h. Maxmuni speed at 5,000 ft. 100 m.p.h. Cruising speed at I,oooft. 85 m.p.h. Stalling speed 40 m.p.h. Length of run to take off 75 yards Length of run after landing 90-100 yards Height reached at 500 yards from standstill .. .. 150 feet Rate of climb at ground level 650 feet min. Time to climb 5,000 ft. .. 10 mins. Absolute ceiling 17,000 feet Range shrs or 430 miles Fuel consumption, 20 miles a gallon. Oil consumption, 500 miles a gallon. The engine—a 30-SO-h.p. “Cirrus” fourcylinder air-cooled engine, made by A. JD. C. Aircraft, Ltd., at Croydon, now the standard unit in almost all machines used in British flying clubs. * * * KINGSFORD SMITH’S TYRES Queerest tyres seen in Sydney for a long time were those on the landingwheels of the Southern Cross. Squat, smooth, and with rubbqr sheets to streamline the disc centre, they had an air pressure of 751 b. They contained Oakland air that had not been added to since the big Fokker attempted to set new endurance figures in California some months ago. * * * FLYING IN NEW GUINEA The secretary of Guinea Airways, Ltd., advises receipt of radios from the manager in New Guinea, Captain E. A. Mustard, stating that for the last two weeks the new Junker plane flew a total of 25 trips, and carried 44,9331 b of cargo and six passengers, an average of approximately 1,8371 b a trip. This represents a gross return for the fortnight of £2.285. MARKET FOR MOTHS So far as countries are concerned, Australia has been the best buyer of Moths far the year ended in April. One hundred and eighty-five planes were delivered, of which 34 went to Australia. * * * AERIAL “FORDS” IN GERMANY Aerial flivvers are to be given a tryout soon between Berlin and Copenhagen, according to plans announced by the Daimler works at Stuttgart. The Lilliputian airplanes will have a two-horsepower motor, will carry one passenger, and will make 75 miles an hour, it is announced. The price per air car is to be about £ 300. The Daimler works plan to run the planes in connection with a system of cheap taxis on land. The taxis are to bring the passenger to the flying field at Berlin and to call for him as he lands in Copenhagen. The whole journey including taxis on both ends will take less than five hours. The fastest express trains take 11 hours. The cost of the ticket is estimated at £2 to £2 10s. * * * ENDURANCE RECORDS The Shell Company has received news of two more endurance flying records. On June 2 the Italians, Fe.rrarin and Delprete, established a world’s endurance record by remaining in the air 58 hours 41 minutes without refuelling. Two days later the Belgians, Crooy and Groenen, remained aloft for 60 hours 7 minutes, the plane being replenished with Shell spirit in mid-air by a secret process. According to news received yesterday, however, a still higher record has been established by the two Germans. Risticz and Zimmermann, who were up for 65 hours 26 minutes, covering nearly 5,000 miles. Kingsford Smith and his companion attempted to break the record in San Fancisco some months ago, when it stood at about 52 hours.