THE AIRWAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 794, 15 October 1929, Page 14

THE AIRWAY

(By

THE ROC.)

Schneider Trophy Contests What Is To Be Gained ? THE Schneider Trophy has been won and lost for another year, and there has now waned that high pitch of enthusiasm created during the first week of this month. But still ringing in the ears of many is the enormous cost to Britain and British firms of staging this great international event and, after all, it is not unreasonable for someone to ask what return is made for the huge outlay.

It is said that this year it cost Britain £2,000,000 to win the trophy. But perhaps that money is well spent, for almost inestimable benefits are conferred, firstly, on the winning nation, and, seconds, on the world of aviation in general. The trophy has come to be a symbol for the last word in aeronautical speed and efficiency, and the principal nations of the - world strain every nerve to win it. Consequently, the country which furnishes the successful man and machine gains immensely in prestige. Not only do the firms which have supplied the seaplane and its engine reap the reward of their skill, but it-is no exaggeration to say that the whole flying industry of the nation benefits as a direct result of that single victory, because orders for all types of craft will pour in; whereas, had a competitor won instead, those self-same orders would have gone abroad. Even more important are the gains to aviation as a whole. The magnitude of the occasion causes large sums to be spent on research work which would not otherwise be carried out or, at any rate, would be long delayed. Of course, an even bigger occasion, the Great War, caused even bigger sums to be expended, and aviation in 1920 was ten years farther ahead than would have been the case without this incentive to progress. Today, however, there is probably no phase in the construction of heavier-than-air craft which is not better off for. M. Jacques Schneider’s picturesque trophy. There are certain rules regarding navigability and seaworthiness which were inserted so that the competing machines should be something more than high-speed freaks, and with certain modifications the Schneider winner this year is the fast Service ’plane of nextj and, with still further alterations, will be sold to the public in a few years. The engine of Flight-Lieut. Webster’s winning machine has been hailed as a triumph of engineering skill, but it is now practically a standard production. To the uninitiated, one propeller is very like another. A machine has failed to rise, for no other reason than that the propeller was wrong. No trouble is too great to ensure the efficiency of a machine entered for the Schneider Trophy, and an enormous amount of experimental work has been carried out in this connection, with the result that an almost inexhaust-1 ible supply of data has been collected, j It has been found that a “prop” suitable for 300 m.p.h. is not at all effective at low speeds, and vice versa; j but whereas a few years ago there is no doubt that a great deal of power ; was wasted through lack of knowledge in this direction, the present-day designer can say with tolerable cer- i tainty just what type of propeller he ! requires for each occasion. The principle of stream-lining, now applied to every vehicle designed to . move at all fast, was developed in I the air, and particularly through the ' Schneider Trophy. When Prevost won I the 1913 race for France, the shape of his machine was the last thing that I

worried him. His speed, however, was only 44.7 m.p.h. Fourteen years later Webster won at more than six times that speed, his “5.5” monoplane being the last word in streamline construction. The use of an air-tunnel has shown experimentally that there was absolutely no projection which could “catch” the air; even the three small banks of cylinders comprising the engine were streamlined so as to offer the minimum head-resistance, while the entire structure appeared so flimsy from a front view that it seemed incapable of holding together at nearly 300 m.p.h. The winning American machine in 1923 contained an important innovation in the wing radiator. To assist in streamlining, the radiator was made to fit flat on top of the wing, and when the “5.5” was completed in 1927 the new idea had been brought to perfection; there was never any question as to the efficiency of the cooling system. Floats, a most important item in the construction of a seaplane, have been improved out of all knowledge. The principal virtues a float should possess are the capacity to ‘hold” the water, and freedom from “porpoising” —tilting backward and forward when the machine is about to rise. In both respects modern floats leave little to be desired, and it is worthy of note today that we have the small 100 h.p. machine whose floats are almost identical with those fitted to the 5.5. Even petrol and oil have benefited. Ethyl fuel was first popularised in America by its successful use in the Schneider Trophy race over there. Sparking plugs, too, have been immensely improved. Of course, all these innovations do not owe their origin to this race. In most cases they have been tested outand vastly improved, and have then given such satisfaction during the actual contest that other designers have been encouraged to adopt them. Perhaps it may be thought that the ordinary flyer will benefit very little since the Schneider machine is always some years ahead of its time. In reality, he is already much better off. It cannot be said that he pays heavily for improvements, for flying today is cheaper than ever it was, yet a few figures will show how speeds of “cheap” planes, designed for private use, have risen. Five years ago the “Moth” had an economical cruising speed of 75 m.p.h. Today its cruising speed is what its maximum was then, 90 m.p.h., and it has a maximum of about 105 m.p.h. In addition, the radius of action has been greatly increased. Owing to the abnormal sensitivity of high-speed machines, in 1927, a variable gearing was used for the con trols, having a small gear for small movements, rapidly increasing as the control was moved to a greater extent. This proved entirely successful, and is now being generally applied where necessary. Doubtless the present race has given construction another fillip in the right direction. £4,000 In Prizes The Aero Club’s Art Union provides for • prizes totalling £ 4,000. The actual closing date is next Monday, while the date for drawing has been set down for November 4. The officials in charge of the venture are:—Trustees, Messrs H. R. Mackenzie, J. Fletcher, E. H. Potter, G. Henning, W. A. Boucher, F. B. Cadman, and C. H. Court; secretary, Mr. L. YV. Swan; treasurer, Mr. W. j. Potter. The process of checking the sold tickets is now in progress, a task made doubly difficult by the comprehensive system of cross-checking employed. * * m More Fame Pilot Lester J. Brain, of Qantas, Australia, famous as the discoverer of the ill-fated Keokaburra and later of world flyers Moir and Owen, has come creditably through another remarkable air adventure. In the face of blinding dust-storms he carried a party over unknown country to inspect a new silver-lead field isolated in the heart of the continent, and brought them safely back It was considered as a great feat.