Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030418

NOTHING at the Paris Aero Show contradicted the impression that had been gaining ground for some time that aeroplane design is almost at stagnation point. Practically no new aeroplanes were to be seen, even those that appeared to be so being really developments of experimental machines that had already been seen months ago. Not only in England, but it appears in other countries as well, everyone has settled down for the time being to produce as many as possible of types of machines that have been in existence for some time. The Royal Air Force types shown by the Air Ministry are all at least three or four years old in design, and prototypes of them were flying two or three years ago. We doubt if any air force in the world has at present in production any machines that are newer a belief that receives confirmation from the fact that they are not yet outclassed by any of their rivals.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030419

ALTHOUGH this year's show was not as brilliant or as representative as it might have been, there was still a great deal of interest and much worth noting.

von Baumhauer, A.G.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030420

WHEN designing an airscrew one has to choose from a family, tested in the wind tunnel, the right diameter and blade angle.

Shanley, F.R.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030421

MOST of the structural analysis problems that have resulted from the use of thinwalled construction seem to fall into two general classes Stress distribution and buckling. Even these classes cannot be entirely separated, as the stress distribution can be greatly affected by buckling phenomena. A thorough understanding of the general principles of buckling or structural instability is therefore essential for efficient and safe design of modern aircraft structures.

Spaight, J.M.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030422

THE decision to con ne Imperial Airways and British Airways in a kind of public utility corporation is a curious instance of the adoption by a Government of a proposal made by the Opposition some time before and then rejected. When the Air Navigation Bill was under discussion in the House of Commons, Mr. T. Johnston Labour proposed, on May 19th, 1936, that civil air transport should be nationalised, or at any rate that the State should acquire ownership or control to the extent of the subsidy given. This proposal was repeated with more precision by Mr. F. Montague on the third reading of the Bill on July 1st, 1936. Imperial Airways, he urged, should be turned into a public utility concern, more directly responsible to this House. It should belong to the whole community and should be developed for public purposes by the public. A monopoly fostered by subsidies should not be allowed to create vested interests. The fact that at that time the 1 shares of Imperial Airways were quoted in the market at over 50s. was a pointed reminder that there was some substance in this fear.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030423

Under this heading are published regularly abstracts of all Reports and Memoranda of the Aeronautical Research Committee, Reports and Technical Notes of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and publications of other similar research bodies as issued

Cyma, Zygmunt

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030424

PROBLEMS which confront Aviation today have changed so radically and to such a degree in the last few months that, in comparison with methods employed until recently, aeroplane production in practically all branches is undergoing fundamental changes.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030426

An automatic sizing internal grinder is too well known to production engineers to need any introduction.

Waterworth, J.G.; Mowbray, A.R.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030427

THE materials commonly employed in the fabrication of aircraft structures are confined for the main part to steels of low carbon content i.e., mild steel, manganese steels of a medium carbon and chromemolybdenum steels. The content of carbon steels that are weldable cannot be exactly laid down, since the amount which can be contended with by the oxyacetylene process may rise to as much as 0.8 per cent, although this does not occur in the examples given here where only steels within the region of 0.3 per cent carbon exists.

1939 Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

doi: 10.1108/eb030428

IT has long been conceded that production and research should go hand in hand in the Aircraft Industry, but the precept has often differed lamentably from practice. However, most large firms have in recent years been gradually extending their ordinary works testing equipment, both mechanical and physical, to include research into the properties of the materials of aircraft construction. Further, the expansion of the Royal Air Force from its decimated early postwar condition has also revived an industry which scant orders had rendered practically moribund, so that most firms have been able to extend their facilities for aerodynamic research. The housing during the past year of the whole of the Fairey Aviation Company's research work under one roof is a most pleasing indication that, at least in the minds of private firms, the golden ideal of production is not going to flourish at the expense of the neglect of research.