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| New Denver Museum |
R_.C_.,
General Delivery,
Nakusp, B.C.
Canada
Dear Father:
I address this note, although I hope that it will be delivered by hand, as per plans, "Miss V.C." will be receiving this package by courier in Spokane before making her way up the new highway to see you.
This is part of her whirlwind tour of our leases along the riverfront. If anyone asks, she is checking whether one of our tenants might have built, oh, say, a skyscraper, without telling us. Actually, she's looking into safehouses. Moving displaced persons through the near-wildnerness works far better in a thrilling novel than in reality!
On the other hand, she's barely 20, so who knows whether her plans might not go astray? Deliberately or not. She is very eager to do this for us, and I had some trouble dissuading her from continuing north along the old route, at least as far as motor roads currently go. Her grandfather and father will be meeting in San Francisco in June, and Lieutenant A will be there. This will be to discuss a New Zealand interest which might be willing to assume "the Cs" canned mutton contracts in the Middle East. As you know, the "Cs" cannot close their Madison packing and rendering plants until the contracts are moved. And, until they are closed, the "As" cannot develop their adjacent farm for a housing development. Etc, etc. A very important matter for both families!
So, and this has been a long wander towards my point, I very much hope that she does not find herself holed up somewhere as sublime as it is isolated with a bad tire, or such, when she should be in San Francisco, and, even more, I hope that no-one encourages youthful irresponsibility. (I am glaring fiercely at you, Father of my Darling.) Yes, yes, I know. You will go to the grave convinced that she keeps a secret flame lit in a shrine to your youngest in the innermost strongholds of her mind, and I cannot disabuse you of this.
More importantly, she has repeatedly told me that she thinks that the Kiwi connection is a bit doubtful. I am worried that she is getting cold feet, and not without reason! You will hear below about an FBI raid on a Liberty Ship docking in Seattle, and an ostensibly unrelated arrest of a member of the San Francisco Naval Cheka, in town to buy naval plans. The raid was publicised as being over charges that the crew diverted some of the cargo to a black market at Batavia, while the Chekist was arrested in retaliation for the Russians arresting an American diplomat in San Francisco. In fact it looks like someone on the Bureau going a little wild. The chances of actually convicting the crew of the Liberty ship is small, and any competent legal counsel would turn the thing into a circus sideshow by calling anyone up to and including the new British ambassador as a witness. The last thing the Director wants is a black eye with assorted Batavian peculators, or for Russian eyes to be drawn to the San Francisco conuslate.
So what's going on? Well, another thing that happened in Batavia was that our agents, at the Kiwis' suggestion, very briefly met with the captain of this ship to discuss moving some of our clients. The arrangements were entirely unsuitable, but it seems as though someone talked. We are in a in a pickle here. We still have almost 500 people to move to meet our commitments. If there is a possibility of reviving the northern route, we need to know, before the raiders hit a ship that is carrying our clients. So, yes. There is cause to worry. But we must do this thing --one way or another.
Please do what you can to settle "Miss V.C.'s"nerves. It is okay if she spends some time motoring about the valley enjoying her summer --as long as she makes her meeting! At the very least, we need a clearer idea of what the Kiwis have to offer.
Flight, 16 May 1946
Leaders
“Atmosphere
Control” Many people believe that England is behind in commercial aircraft, and
this is because this is true. The important point, though, is that it shouldn’t
be, because by various other ways of looking at things, England is doing very
well. For example, Avro produced a prototype, “atmosphere controlled” Avro Tudor in a very short length of time, and there’s nothing passengers enjoy more
than flying in an aircraft that was developed in a very short length of time.
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| By RuthAS - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6024675 |
“Fool-proof
Flying” “Kibitzer” suggests that all of the American manufacturers that have
launched into making unconventional small planes for the private market are
making a mistake, because “simplified controls” are a mistake for various
reasons.
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| Completely unrelated American utopian scheme. The difference being that Americans actually want houses. Also, there's a book! |
“Aircraft and
Marine Radio” These will be one of the subjects of the International Conference
on Radio Aids to Marine Navigation. “One of?” you may well ask; the important
subject is “international standardisation of radio navigation systems with
special reference to the problems of the allocation of wavelengths.” Britain
has already built an experimental “Consol” RDF station at Bushmills, Northern
Ireland, based on the German “Sonne” system, so hopefully, instead of talking
for three weeks, the greasy foreigners will just do as we say. Or as the
Germans say. Either way.
“Charter Flying” Alan
Cobham and Brigadier General Critchley have started a charter flying firm,
Skyways. I wonder if these means that Cobham has given up on flight refuelling?
“Pressurised
Flight: Demonstration of the Avro Tudor I: Exhaustive Test Programme for
Pressure and Strength: Considerations of Design to Meet Requirements” The paper
was given a trial flight in a Tudor I prototype, which is pressurised to fly in
comfortable cabin conditions at 25,000ft.
It was amazing, and all of the test data will be priceless when the
Tudor I actually provides pressurised commercial service, which it will, soon.
Also, it was much better than American pressurised
cabins. The paper goes on to explain at length all the tests being done to make sure that the fuselage can withstand the strain of all of that pressurisation,
noting particular difficulties with the windscreen, which has required a new
type of seating which stands up to an internal overpressure of 11lb/sq in.
Extensive use of strain gauge installations has taught Avro much about the
strains in areas around fuselage openings. Which reminds us of our difficulties
with welds failing around the hatch covers. In other Tudor-related news, Roy
Dobson denied that no Tudors were in service yet, noting that the second and
third were off the assembly lines, and in
service in the sense that they were in BOAC hands, with the bugs, mainly
having to do with low speed controllability, being worked out. And in other
short news, the Folkeston Aero Trophy is on again.
“Cabin Atmosphere
Research” The paper discusses Normalair’s decompression chamber, which is being
used to test fuselage sections.
“One of the
Victims” Mr. Gandar Dower releases various diaries and such which prove that
his Allied Airways always lost money (except when it didn’t), and that when it
is nationalised, as it will be, it will be at a rate that reflects its value,
and not Mr. Dower’s investment, so that he will be one of the victims of
nationalisation. (When it happens.)
Not cheetah racing at Romford Greyhound Stadium, but cuter.
“Proving Flight”
It turns out that the Bristol Wayfarer can fly.
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| By RuthAS - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22550817 |
Here and There
“Oriental
Interest” The Koumintang has signed a license to produce Rolls-Royce gas
turbines.
“Last of the
Yanks” The last Americans are leaving Britain again. They are laster than the
last last, but not as last as the next last.
“A.T.C. Officers’
Courses” No word on hats.
“The German
Scietnists” One of our papers has suggested that the German rocket and jet
scientists were brought over to make up for the resignations at Power Jets. The paper assures us that it is not so. They are here to help with specific
problems which the Gemans got a head start on thanks to their special
equipment, mainly compressibility problems near the speed of sound. The paper
is also upset that the RAF amateur theatre troupe in Germany will have to make
do with only 500 clothing coupons.
“Jet Mail
Project” Miles Aircraft has proposed a jet mail plane based on its Libellulacanard, or tandem-wing design. It is expected to have a 500mph cruising speed,
a range of 2000 miles, and a gas consumption of 195 gal/hr.
“Indicator,” “In
the Air –XV: Hudson and Ventura: Complicated Simplification in a Militarised
Transport: The ‘Superwheeler is Invented: Applied Science” The title refers to
the fact that the Hudson/Ventura’s centre of gravity was so far back, and the
landing speed so high (by comparison with other aircraft of its day), that the
favoured landing technique was an immediate three-pointer, and this was
difficult enough to accomplish as take much training and comment and such. In
the air, “Indicator” liked its “complicated American simplicity,” the variety
of cockpit gadgets that he could play with when he got bored (like the manual
mixture controls, to be adjusted using exhaust-gas analysers) and the fact that
the Sperry autopilot was easy to engage and operate.
“A New
Single-Plate Brake” Goodyear has a new single-plate disc brake out. It is
lighter and easier to maintain than earlier brakes.
“Britain’s Test
Pilots, No. 0: Capt. Joseph Summers, O.B.E., Chief Test Pilot of the Aircraft
Section of Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd.” “Mutt” summers began flying on a
short-service commission just after the war, flying Snipes and, later, Gloster
Grebes. He was a good enough pilot that he was soon posted to the single-seater
flight at Martlesham Heath, where he served under the later Air-Marshal Sorley.
He tested various aircraft that everyone has forgotten (Hawkfinch, Avenger,
Hornbill), and made the acquaintance of Vickers’ test pilot just before he was
killed in the Vanguard, leding to Summers replacing him. The first plane he
tested for Vickers was the Vireo, and soon after various Supermarine aircraft,
including the Spitfire, but also more forgotten planes, such as the Scapa and
Wellesley.
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| Pretty shiny for 1928. |
Civil Aviation
“The Civil
Aviation Bill” The Civil Aviation Bill has had second reading.
In shorter news,
the Australians are now in the survey flying business, with Australian National
Airway’s DC-4 Wairana off on a South
Seas vacation. Egypt is to have an airline. Air Vice-Marshal Bennett’s recent
survey of South America set a new record for British air surveys of Latin
America in Lancastrians. All the Latins loved Air Vice-Marshal Bennnett, Air
Vice-Marshal Bennett says. PICAO is to maintain thirteen weather ships in
the Atlantic. No wonder air fares are so high! Canada might allow the Canadian
Pacific to continue to run its own airline. Would-be air passengers cannot fly
from Australia to New Zealand because of the volume of air mail.
American Newsletter
“Kibbitzer”
thinks that the American light aircraft manufacturing industry is
over-producing, with over 30,000 aircraft projected from the biggest five
producers. True, it is pointed out that there might be 300,000 people in
America who are interested in a light plane, but, he points out, one in 115 private aircraft owned in the
United States was involved in a fatal accident each year between 1938 and 1943.
The sensible members of the 300,000 will think long and hard before buying a
plane, and the less sensible ones will be amongst the 1 in 115 soon enough. Of
course, he goes on to suggest that planes “must” be made spin and stall proof,
that controls must be reduced in number and simplified, and that “landing and
slow flying speeds must be brought down to a 20-miles-per-hour basis,” which is
ridiculous, and that noise must be reduced, fire hazard eliminated, night and hard weather
flying aids added, “icing dangers must be removed; and even aircraft-saving
parachutes must be introduced.” Which all seems a little mad, to me, but what do I
know? If you want to be safe, don't fly a private airplane. There: the opinion of one of the 300,000. He goes on to add that helicopters are hard
to fly, and that builders talk rubbish. Finally, while there is no news about
the American record attempt, there is news about a radio-controlled version of
the P-80 for high speed trials.
From All Quarters
“Marine Radio
Conference” The Marines continue to charge straight at entrenched radios. More
detals of Consol were released, and the Parliamentary Secretary of the
Admiralty informed the Conference that the Admiralty Signals Establishment had
published the specifications for a marine radar suitable for civilian use. (The
sooner the better, I’d think, as every ship built with a forecastle designed
for the radar is a saving!)
Correspondence
H. Foster doubts
that the Naval Air Arm actually needs its own museum. S. d. Heron writes that
liquid ignition is actually an old idea. R. H. Henderson has yet another
suggestion as to why lighter aircraft might fly faster “at identical boost and
revs,” etc. They are probably higher, and so have less ram loading in the
superchargers. An Ex-Aircraft Apprentice’s Wife writes that if there is
prejudice in the RAF against Halton men, it should stop. “Critic” wants to
reopen the question of Heathrow’s runways, while P. J. Yangos has opinions
about making sure cargo aircraft are loaded properly.
Amongst new books
are several from wartime radar men, who fill a gap in the literature created by
censorship when there were experts, and a lack of experts (at least, who can be
bothered to talk about old equipment) now that there is no censorship.
Time, 20 May, 1946
Letters
Ed Grebe, of
Dubuque, Iowa, thinks that farmers should be made to grow wheat, because
there’s a war on, only not actually a war, but like a war, while Robert
Shipley, of Wilmette, Ill, thinks that America has been shockingly lax in
letting this whole global food shortage thing develop. C. E. Groom, of Edgware,
Middlesex, England, says “I know you are but what am I” in regards to British
colonials versus American Coloureds. Guy Raner, of Los Angeles, is upset that
the House Committee on Un-American activities is looking into ant-Fascists,
since he was an anti-fascist for the Navy for three and a half years. Robert V.
Willis, of the occupation force in Korea, thinks that we are BUNGLING restoring
world democracy. John P. Everett, of Washington, is upset at baseballer Roger
Hornsby for making nasty remarks about Mexicans. On the bright side,
correspondents like farmer Guy Koester, the Cretan Underground, Frank Sinatra
and The Virginian. P. V. Hobbes, of
Montreal, thinks that Americans are much too belligerent right now.
National Affairs
The coal strike
is off again this week, and the paper devotes the first three pages to that,
and to profiling this week’s cover model, John L. Lewis.
President Truman
once again spent the week doing things. (I’m just happy to see The Presidency feature bumped down the
page. It seems more like something you would read in Peking than in America.)
“How to Float a
Loan” The Senate had a good time outwaiting Bill Langer’s filibuster of the
British loan. In other Congress-pretending-to-be-dilatory news (I don’t know
why this is a thing they do, but it is), the President’s power to seize the
coal mines was extended through the summer recess.
“Terrible Toll”
The paper’s photographer was called out to an automobile accident on Third
Avenue, probably inspiring a brief “story” about the horrifying toll of road
accidents, which have killed 652,000 Americans in the last 20 years, and two
that rainy night on Third.
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| The "two-door sedan" swerved at high speed across the rain-slick street and struck an El stantion. Four blocks from the Time-Life Building at Rockefeller Center? |
International
“Tale of Two Empires”
The paper notes the “withdrawal” from Egypt and the Simla Conference, and says
that the “voluntary liquidatin of the British Empire” is on. “It is by no
coincidence that, as Britain withdrew, the USSR advanced further and further
along its own imperial path.” Specifically, it is Manchuria, Tangier, Iran,
Greece and Turkey this week. Also, Russia is “flirting” with the Arab League.
Then the Powers Conference broke up for parties. The Russian one was best,
although King Sihanouk of Cambodia also knows how to throw a ball. Then the
Russians gave up on Tripolitania and all other issues were put forward to June.
“Potsdam Product”
Germany is in a downwards spiral, and it is all the Russians’ fault.
“The Dollar
Follows the Flag” No-one has any money right now except Washington, which means
that friends are a buyers’ market. Except the British, with their sterling
zone.
“Applied
Euthenics” The ladies at the UN want to talk about marriage. Also in the news, UN delegates enjoy baby carriages.
“Trade Paper” A
Hungarian journalist in Washington, Ladislas Faragos, is launching a trade
paper for diplomats called Corps
Diplomatique. Also, Lord Halifax is retiring more.
“War Crimes: Road
Show” The International Military Tribunal convened in Tokyo this week. It’s not
nearly as nice as the one in Nuremberg.
Foreign News
“A Little More
Read?” Both Aristide Briand and Winston Churchill proposed versions of a
“United States of Europe” this week. I hope it has a Senate that’s as much fun
as our Senate.
“Rebuff for
Comrades” According to the paper, the referendum that rejected the latest
version of the French constition was also a rejection of communism.
“Piker’s Nephew”
Philibert Hippolyte Marcelin Besson’s nephew, Leo, has been arrested for
counterfeiting gold coins. Which, if you know who the man with all the names
is, is hilariously ironic. If you don’t, the paper ruins the joke for you.
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| He invented his own "international money" and ran around trying to pay people with it. Par Defranoux — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25510604 |
“At the Stiff
Oak” The Labour Government’s plan to build Green Belt New Towns, beginning at
Stevenage (which means ‘Stiff Oak’ in old English) meets local protestors. This
is good, because the Labour government is horrid, and Lewis Silkin is
extra-horrid.
“Spring-Cleaning”
The paper’s London correspondent doesn’t really have anything more to say, so
he passes on more hilarious tidbits, including the resetting of all the clocks
at London train stations to the proper time, and a tiff between T. C.Skeffington-Lodge and “Conservative novelist” Beverly Baxter over the state of
the nation’s morals.
“Woodland Scene”
The Poles continue to identify bodies of persons executed by the Nazis and
buried in unmarked graves in the forest. This week, the death of Miecyslaw Niedzialkowski is confirmed.
Italians continue
to be excitable.
“Impasse Under
the Roses” The paper enjoyed seeing Nehru arrive at the lodge for talks on a
Yarkand pony, Patel and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad in a rickshaw, and Jinnah in
an ancient Humber salon. (Yes, I did write all that out just for an excuse to
mention the “Yarkand pony.”) The talks did not go so well. The British now
believe that they may have to impose a government.
“Kiss Me Again”
Ichimatsu Ishida, the Japanese comic singer, is now in the Diet, and is also in
trouble for the song, because it is about a GI kissing a Japanese girl.
“For Freedom”
Russians, Americans and Koreans have been talking about talking in Seoul for
weeks. Now the Russians have been sent home, for being more inclined to talk
about talking about talking.
“Remembrance of
Mings Past” The paper believes that Chiang might soon release ChangHsueh-liang, because it has been announced in the press that he is reading Tales of the Sad End of the Ming Dynasty.
Sad it may have been, but without it, our ancestor would not have met the Lady
on the jasmine-scented island of Formosa in the Eastern Sea, and where would we
be? Also, this is not a book that I would advertise reading if I were angling
for rehabilitation by the Koumintang. I recommend instead the Glorious History of the Emperor Ai.
Latin America
“The Bracero Returns” The paper profiles Canuto Linerio, a “solemn Indian of 46,” who farms
2 ½ acres 41 miles from Mexico City, and works in the city as a bricklayer. He
was a bracero, working as a tracklayer for the Santa Fe, near Cherokee, Oklahoma,
and would like to go back to America, preferably California, and send his
children to American schools; but although the Mexican government has agreed to
send 54,000 braceros north to take in
the American harvest, it is suggested that Mexico cannot afford the labour, or
the inflation that would come from the returning braceros spending their American income.
Canada
“Operation
Musk-Ox” came to a sad end in a dust cloud due to the gravel of the Alaska
Highway clogging their snowmobile engines, in what looks, from the pictures, to
be something of an early thaw.
Business
The World Bank is
now open for business. U. S. Steel has declared a $1/share quarterly dividend,
notwithstanding the coal strike. Charles Pfizer’s stock is up six points on the
week’s trading (a lot) thanks to very robust profits, thanks to penicillin.
Everyone wants a share of the miracle drug. The CAB is making trouble about
transatlantic air fares, believing that the IATA is fixing them too high.
Prentice Hall has another bodice-ripping, pot-boiling steamer by Rosamund Marshall, out following on
the success of Kitty. (Duchess Hotspur.) The paper needs to
remind us that Prentice-Hall’s founders were university professors when they
started the company to publish textbooks back in 1913, and should be . . . ashamed
of themselves, I guess?
The silver bloc is still fighting to keep silver prices
artificially high. I am sure that when the Koumintang collapse and the
Communists march into Hong Kong, the Rocky Mountain senators will manfully
square their shoulders and take their share of the blame. The paper profiles a
Georgia tomato farmer named Paul Fulwood at great length (for it). I think it’s
because he grows most of the tomatoes the paper eats.
Science, Medicine, Education
“Pusbutton War”
The press was invited out this week so that the Army could steal the Navy’s
show. They may be blowing up an A-bomb, but the army is launching the rockets
to put them on. (For future pushbutton wars.) The press enjoyed the show, which
will continue at one a week for the next two years or so, by which time there
should be American-made ones.
“With Hazel Rod
and Twig” American farmers are still superstitious, even though the US
Geological Survey and Department of Agriculture keeps educating them.
“War on Cancer”
The American Cancer Society wants us to know that there is not one single cause
for cancer, but ultraviolent light has been shown to induce cancer in rats,
suggesting that sunlight can cause skin cancer. There is talk of a five-year
“Manhattan Project for Cancer,” to find a cure, once and for all.
“Mind Over
Matter’ Dr. Hermann Vollmer, in the current PsychosomaticMedicine, reports that he has used suggestion to cure warts.
“Younger Mothers”
The Bulletin of the Population
Reference Bureau reports that the average age of American mothers is falling,
and hopes that this will allow American women to have healthier pregnancies and
take a larger part in the business of the nation.
“Radar Ahoy” The
Port of Liverpool just did a test of a seven-set harbour radar system which will
from now on track ships coming into port. London and Southampton will follow,
and the US Coast Guard is experimenting in Delaware Bay.
Amherst College
has published the diaries of a member of the class of 1846 named WilliamGardner Hammond, who went on to blather at great length. Ohio’s Antioch College
has hired a Coloured professor. (It already has a Hindu one. National news!)
And since I have
it in front of me, I will mention that the 27 May number features the Army’s
ongoing research into cosmic rays. The Army researchers believe that cosmic
rays are protons and charged helium atoms striking the Earth’s atmosphere at
colossal velocities. Writing this week in Natural
History, one L. Sprague de Camp “outraged” “a number of people,” by arguing
that the lost continents of Mu, Atlantis and Lemuria never existed. (I don't know why. Half the claims made about airplane performance are more unlikely than the lost continent of Mu.) Guinea pig
studies show that radar does not cause loss of hair, loss of white blood cells,
impotence or sterility. The National Forest Service is using specially trained
dogs to seek outbreaks of blister rust in the forests. Several of the Manhattan
Project works are still operating. Dr. Leonard Katzin believes that there will
be an atomic pile operating at a temperature high enough to produce useful
steam within two years.
People
Walter Winchell,
Bernard Cerf, and Leonard Lyons may or may not tell original jokes.
Gandhi’s
youngest son, Devdas, is in New York; Paul McNutt is back from the
Philippines; Annette Kellerman has returned to San Francisco from Australia.
Jinx Falkenberg is expecting a baby, while Gypsy Rose Lee took her little Eric
on an outing. The paper really doesn’t like Grace Coolidge. Jay Gould III is
getting divorced, Grace Moore is getting converted, Artie Shaw is having to pay
alimony, and Lila Lee is taking it easy in a tuberculosis sanitarium upstate. Edgar
Bergen had a daughter this week, Candice. K. T. Stevens has married Hugh
Marlowe; Captain Harry Butcher, Margaret Ford; and Senator Charles Brooks,
Mary Thomas Peavey. Madeleine Carroll has been divorced, Gina Mussolini has
died, as has William Cabell Bruce.
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| Bathing Beauties of the Age of Edward VII |
Press, Art, Radio
Hodding Carter
received the Pulitzer for 1945. Harry Reutlinger, of the Chicago Herald-American, likes to
publish sensational stories. The paper went to an exhibit on masks at the
American Museum of Natural History this week, and saw some masks. It has also seen Japanese-style prints by Paul Jacoulet, and ex-Sergeant Jack Levine’s angry
paintings of generals and businessmen. The paper also reports on the second
season of radio’s Coffee with Congress, which
brings politicians on at 8 AM on Saturday morning to blow their own horn. Also,
there is a radio station in Alaska, so it is almost like a real
place.
The New Pictures
The Marx Brothers
are out with Night in Casablanca.
It’s not good Marx brothers, but it is the Marx brothers. Cluny Brown, an adaptation of the popular novel by Margarey Sharp
that the paper hated, is saved by Jennifer Jones.
Books
Looking forward
to having my brow lifted high, I’m pleased to see that the paper starts on a
strong note with a quote from Latin about time flying somewhere. (Rio?) It’s in aid of
a review of a book of essays by the English journalist who wrote Animal Farm, who, it turns out, is a leftist with strong opinions about things other than
Marshal Stalin’s awfulness. For example, he didn'td like the Burma police, so I
guess I'm sure that Great-Uncle would forgive him. Somewhat more relevant is dreamy French intellectual Paul Camus’ The Stranger, which we will all have to
pretend to have read to be in society next year. (I will read it, at
the risk of being caught out pretending to be pretending to having read it.) A
novelist I’ve never heard of, named James Farrell, has written a book. Bruce D.
Campbell has written Where the High Wind Blows, which sounds like an awful book. The paper titles its short review
“Wonderful White World.” That reminds me. I’m almost out of foundation!
Flight, 23 May 1946
Leaders
“Rocket Power for
Aircraft” The Me 163 was the most thorough trial of the concept of a plane
propelled only by rockets, and Wily Messerschmitt thought it was a terrible
idea and a waste of resources diverted from the 262. That was probably fair,
but the paper is impressed by the proposed DFS 228, a “pick-a-back launched
reconnaissance machine to operate between 60,000 and 80,000ft and capable of
protracting its endurance by glides and zooms;” and another (DFS 346) designed
solely for supersonic test flying. These seem like good ideas to pursue, the
paper thinks.
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| Sievel DFS 346,later "Aircraft 346-P." Test flown "with indifferent success" by the Soviets after the war. "Indifferent success" is apparently some kind of ironic understatement. |
“Why
Helicopters?” The paper supposes that since helicopters are so elaborate and
have such highly stressed and dubious components, that perhaps autogiros and
gyroplanes are worth a second look, as who cares about vertical ascent and
descent, anyway? Embarrassing.
“Volunteers for
the RAF” The RAF needs 3000 recruits a week from now until the end of the war,
most of whom must be skilled tradesmen, “preferably with some war experience.”
The paper thinks that it is “very doubtful that “sufficient incentive has yet
been given.”[*]
“No Reserves” The
paper thinks that returning to an RAF reserve might help, but still has no idea
how people could be persuaded to join the air crew reserve.
“’Indicator’
Discusses Topics of the Day: Actuarial Digression: The Insurance Angle on Big
Aircraft: Bad-weather Traffic Dielmma: Range versus Endurance” “Indicator” has
been thinking a lot about bad weather flying recently. For example, operators
do not want occasional flights by large aircraft when they can have more
frequent services by medium-sized ones. However, when all those flights are
stacked up waiting their turn to land at the airport under QBI conditions, the
logic of the large plane becomes more pressing. However, what about insurance
for large planes? Also, people talking about 500mph jets crossing the Atlantic
forget about the wait to land. There must be a tradeoff between Atlantic range
at high speed, and circling the airport for a long time at low speeds.
“Recruiting for
the RAF” The paper explains the RAF’s recruiting needs at greater length.
“Jameson Aero Engine: New British Flat-four With Remarkable Performance: Heterodox Induction
Combined with Ingenious Design Features” Mr. Jameson’s engine is magic, and he
is waiting for your orders!
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| That is, a Jameson-built "tape-controlled, co-ordinate positioning drilling machine." The link, if you have time for it, also has footage of the Merlin-powered rebuilt of the old, Rolls-Royce Meteor-poweredoriginal drag racer, John Dodd's Jameson Special "Beast," |
Here and There
“Sandwich
Construction” Sandwich construction is a method of molding balsa-plywood layers.
Many people know this, but many do not know how it is done. This month’s Aircraft Production, on sale May 17th,
explains. (The sheets are wrapped around a mold core, heated so that the glue
will set properly, and compressed with
metal bands.)
“Architects Over
London” The British Council is flying architects over London to give them a
better idea of how to completely reconstruct the city.
Of course.
In shorter news,
the country exported 95 aircraft over the last year, with a total value of
£490,000. The “sky pilot” story about Australian missionaries with planes is
old enough that people have forgotten about it, so here it is again! A
cold-starting fuel that eliminates the need for preheating engines has been
invented in the United States.
Bell Aircraft hs opened a production line to produce 500 Bell 47 helicopters.
Aerofilms, Ltd, is opening a library of aerial photographs at its London
offices. The Russians are in trouble for spraying “poisonous fluids” on
locust-breeding grounds in Iran.
“Water Injection
for Aircraft Engines: Results of Experiments by the Wright Aeronautical
Corporation: Water and Water-Alcohol Additions: Precis of a paper by M. R. Rowe
and G. T. Ladd” Cooling aero-engines by injecting water or water-methanol into
the cylinders is an idea that has been around for twenty years. Here is a paper
describing experiments that show that it works. Hopefully they have not been
too far overtaken by all the actual
service aircraft with these installations that operated in the Pacific and ETO
in the last year of the war! (though in defence of the paper, this might
still be, technically, secret.)
H. F. King, “Rocket
Fighters: Possibilities and Limitations: Pure-Rocket and Turbine-cum-Rocket
Interceptors: Examples from German Practice” Rockets have high thrust. Rockets
have low efficiency at low speeds. Rockets are not fuel efficient. The Germans
tried to make rocket fighters. They were stupid. ATO rockets work just fine.
In-air rocket boost has not been demonstrated, and, anyway, compressibility
limits are a great deal more important right now. Ground-to-air or air-to-air
rockets might be useful against bombers, and the German “Natter” was already
that in all but details. The DFS 346 is
said to be able to achieve 1000mph at 60,000 to 100,000ft, as soon as it is designed, built and flown. And there you go --enough words between advertisements to be respectable.
 |
| By Anagoria - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18160115. |
“Convair 240
Power Plant” 100 of the 40-seater Convair 240 are said to have been ordered,
and the engine plant implements an ingenious new concept in which the jet
effect of the exhaust is used to push the aircraft, which is even more ingenious and novel than when Rolls-Royce did it ten years ago because it involves the coolant air flow.
The waste heat is also redirected for cabin heating, and the aircraft will have
a cruising speed of 307mph at 82% power, with the exhaust jet adding another
10mph.
Also, it will be
crewed by Martians, and carry a death ray in the cargo hold.
 |
| By RuthAS - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7498402 |
Civil Aviation
Some very
distinguished people are to be Britain’s latest delegation to PICAO. Skyways,
Ltd, shows off its first York, which was used to fly petroleum-related people
to Basra and back. KLM has ordered another two
DC-4s. BOAC continental services are flying with 11.8% empty seats, which the
government thinks is a good number. Nineteen airfields in Scotland are now
served by a total of nineteen routes operating 6,700 miles within the United
Kingdom, with 162 services a week. All Irish services will be flown by a
jointly-owned company, Aer Lingus, in which all existing Irish and British
operators may participate. TWA is fighting with Italy over Italian air
services. Two American airliners will arrive at “London Airport” to inaugurate
American trans-Atlantic services there on 31 May.
 |
| It's hugely embarrasssing that Heathrow has tents in the summer, but perfectly okay that the Tudor is being pushed into service three years after design work began, with production of a proposed 70 seat Transatlantic airliner ordered before the first prototype has flown. |
The Air Registration Board
writes to correct the paper. The Constellation has been granted a Certificate
of Airworthiness at a maximum takeoff weight of 90,000lbs, giving a load factor
of 3.75, not 3.5, as the paper suggests. British South American Airways will no
longer stop in Lisbon. This is an “acceleration” of their service. BOAC now offers a weekly
service to Iran (Persia), but no bookings are currently available, as all seats
are taken by Government officials on their way to have a crisis.
 |
| Iranian cavalry on the move. |
“Civil Aircraft
in France: Some Impression of the Types Being Produced by the French Industry”
The types are the experimental jet-powered SO-6000 prototype, the SUC 10 four-seater, the Languedoc 161,the Max Holste MH-52 and Nord 1200 after the
current financial crisis has resulted in dramatic cuts of orders for Foelands, some
of the Languedoc 161s, four engine SE-210s, and 80 of the SO-91 and S0-93
types. In all, contracts for some 1700 aircraft are being scrapped. 1700 seems
like a ridiculously large number, so it lucky for the French to have a
financial crisis just now.
“Vickers, Ltd.:
Chairman’s Speech” After the unexpected death of Charles Craven, it was up to
Mr. A. A. Jamieson to give the talk. He welcomed Sir John Anderson back to the
board, and new appointments Sir Thomas Ralph Merton, who will be in charge of research
and development, and Major Kilner, who will be in charge of aircraft. A
separate aeronautical research establishment is being formed under
Barnes Wallis, and Supermarine is to get new works.
Correspondence
“218” reminds us
that 3 Group didn’t participate in this whole “Pathfinder” thing on account of
having its own. B. E. J. Garmeson is upset that some technicians receive
promotion on meeting certain technical standards “regardless of their ability
to lead and command men.” J. Freeborn asks whatever happened to the Fairey F.C.
1. Nothing, the paper replies. B. Gibson, (Flt. Lt.), recalls how his squadron
flew very long range Liberator missions in the Far East, the longest being 23hr
20 minutes in the air, for 3,820 miles, with an operational load of 1500lbs,
with auw usually around the 62,000lb mark, with one aircraft taking off at
73,000lb on a 2000ft runway. “Fusilier” thinks that pilots of pressurised
airliners might be seated in the very nose of the plane, outside the pressure
cabin, while Man-in-the-Street thinks that Air Force men are hard done by, while
P. B. thinks that it is Halton men who suffer the most outrageous persecution by
“fat matrons in salon cars,” to quote Man-in-the-Street, and not P.B., who might well not have anyting against fat matrons or salon cars.
Newsweek, 27 May 1946
Letters
Name Withheld, in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, complains that a 28-year-old of her acquaintance was
recently sent to the Occupation Forces, Germany, under Selective Service, and
that he is serving as a General’s orderly, or, effectively, maid. This person
is upset, and so is Name Withheld. Several writers are upset that a French correspondent was upset at America.
Hendrik Suydam, of Toronto, Canada, is upset that American public opinion is
“almost 100% against the British loan.” Mrs. H. C. Juckett, of Bedford,
Massachusetts, writes in for an update on “General” Coxey, who led Coxey’s Army’s march on Washington in 1894. The paper replies that he is still alive,
aged 92, and showed up in Washington a few m
 |
| "The purpose of the march was to protest the unemployment caused by the Panic of 1893 and to lobby for the government to create jobs which would involve building roads and other public worksimprovements, with workers paid in paper currency which would expand the currency in circulation, consistent with populist ideology." What a bunch of crackpots. |
For Your Information
The masthead
feature is given over to an emergency appeal from Henry Wallace, chairman of
the Emergency Food Collection effort. It turns out that there’s a famine on,
and if everyone would give just a can of food or a few thousand tons of wheat,
it would be over in no time.
The Periscope
There is talk
that General MacArthur will resign his post at the end of next year. You know,
at the beginning of 1948. The President, meanwhile, will not go to visit him, as he can’t
be away from Washington that long, including both Washingtons,
as he will make time for a two-week fishing trip to the Pacific Northwest in
the summer. Governor Stassen says that his campaign is doing very well indeed.
Several Southern senators now claim that they only voted against the British Loan
because it was safe to do so, and that they would have voted for it had it been
in trouble. Secretaries Forrestal and Patterson will resign from the Cabinet
before very long. The paper tells us that the “only Communist paper in
Iceland,” which opposes the extension of the American base there, has a
monthly deficit of $10,000, and no-one knows who covers the deficit. Most
Germans tell American pollsters that they have no political opinion. Diplomats
fear that a Russian-Argentine agreement will soon be signed. New Russian movies
are reported to be quite propagandistic. Russia is trying to buy tanker loads
of vegetable oils in Buenos Aires, and the Americans are blocking the sale
until they get reliable statistics of Russian production, stockpiles and need.
Congress will hold several fraud trials soon concerning the sale of surplus
property, and a further shakeup is expected. The FBI is letting the OPA take
over black market investigations.
Ginger Rogers has
signed a $175,000 plus 40% contract for her next movie with Enterprise
Productions. MGM is having trouble negotiating the book rights to Talking Through My Hats. Kermit
Roosevelt and John Gould are bringing novels out, while Mary Chase has written
a children’s book entitled Harvey the
Invisible Rabbit, based on her Broadway hit.
Washington Trends
The page of short
bits boils down to one-third proposed anti-union/anti-strike legislation, one
third Secretrary Byrne Fights the Red Menace, one third army, navy, atom bomb,
and surplus property.
National Affairs
“Strikes: Awesome
Power of Chaos” Railways, coal, various manufacturing concerns are being struck. A case of home picketing in Detroit, a practice that may go to the Supreme Court.
Also, the CIO is trying to get rid of Communist-affiliated unions. The Engineer
was back in the country to scold us all for eating too much. On the one hand,
in spite of all of his tireless efforts finding alternate food sources,
alternate grains, etc, there is a “food gap” of forty million people. On the
other, rationing isn’t called for in America, as “voluntary methods” will
suffice. (Whenever I meet at the
Engineer, I think to myself, “Will he behave like a one-term President today?” I
am rarely disappointed.) In other food control measures-related news, the slaughter control plan isn’t
working very well.
“On the High
Seas” “Pilfering of
ship’s cargoes plagued the Army and Navy throughout the war,” and now that the
war is over, the FBI and War Shipping Administration are cracking down by
making an example of one particular crew, the Liberty Ship Frank B. Kellogg, which docked in Seattle from the Far East,” where
the FBI asked the crew how a shipment of 300 cases of cigarettes end up selling
on the Batavia black market at 400/60-carton case. “Short, swarthy, ex-boxer
Captain Louis Guillemette” denies everything, then adds that “The British were
pilfering, the Dutch were pilfering, everyone from the colonel on down the line
was hustling something or other on the black market. The cargoes were being
discharged into open fields and left without guard. . . “
“People: Or For
Worse” A brief human interest story about a German colonial from Guam named
Gertrude, who married an American named Hornbostel in 1914. They had a busy
life until interned in Manila by the Japanese, during which period Gertrude
caught leprosy. Now she is to go to the Carville leprosaurium, but is
determined that she will be cured; her husband will move to an adjacent hotel
to be closer to her during her confinement, which is sweet.
 |
| Also an important step forward in reducing the stigma around Hansen's Disease. Picture from guampedia.com |
“Hope in Ashes”
The case of a savings bonds owner named Marion C. Bailey, of Atlanta, Georgia,
who nearly lost his in a house fire illustrates that this is a problem.
Washington Tides, with Ernest K. Lindley, “The
Roxas Lesson” The lesson of President Roxas is that America is wonderful for
letting the Philippines be independent, but only if it gives the country its
requested $400 million loan.
From the Capital
Dr. Karl Herzfeld
is the latest speaker to the Congressional Club, as even congressmen’s wives
are interested in nuclear fission now. With clothing manufacturers having
turned out thousands of technically illegal short coats for spring, the
Civilian Production Administration has had to bow to the tyranny of fashion and
make them retroactively legal. The President is feuding with neophyte St. Louis
Congressman Roger C. Slaughter, and this counts as news at two full column’s
length.
 |
| Dottie Reid in a short coat, 1946. Source: vintagedancer.com |
Foreign Affairs
“The Widening
Persian Gulf” The Persian crisis is getting worse!
“Female of the
Species” The women of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations thinks
that women should have human rights, too. The men are not so sure. In other
news, United Nations delegates don't like talking about the war.
“The Peace: Red
Seeds of a Polish Civil War” Poland is going to have a civil war, and it is the
communists’ fault?
“If at First” The
Foreign Ministers Conference in Paris failed to resolve all the world’s
problems. (Counting Germany, I get to summarise two major articles this way!) So
that’s it, nothing for it but atomic war. Remind me to learn how to chip a stone axe.
“Wehrmacht
Autopsy” The final tallies are in. The Germans mobilised 17 million men
(actually men? That’s a lot. What about the women and girls?) 10.7 million were
taken prisoner by the western allies, some 2.25 million were killed, and
another 1.5 million are missing, with 2.5 million unaccounted for, and perhaps
Russian prisoners.
“Russia: Empty Breadbasket” Russia has said
that it has already contributed 1.1 million tons of grain to France, Poland,
Finland and Rumania, and has no more to give. UNRRA officials touring the
Russian breadbasket say that the Russian crop will fail unless there is rain within the next two weeks.
“No Parking” A
clerk at the American embassy in Moscow, Waldo Ruess, assaulted a “Gypsy girl”
in February at an embassy event. (Where I would think that an actual Gypsy girl is about as likely to
appear as a fox maiden), and for some reason probably not unrelated to the fact
that she is probably a general’s daughter, the Russians got quite upset, and
are trying to hold and charge Ruess; the State Department has responded by
arresting one of the more artless spies of the San Francisco Naval Cheka, Lt.
Nicolai Redin. (If he expects us to bail him out the way we did over that boy, he’s got another think coming.)
“Books to Burn”
The story about German libraries purging Nazi literature makes the rounds
again. Following is a story about the latest cut in the ration in the American
zone, from 1275 calories to 1180, due to the shortfall in American grain
shipments, and almost to the level of the British zone, where it is 1050
calories per day. The British will release 200,000 tons of grain from their
stores, but this means that America will have to make up the British Zone’s
supply when American grain does become available.
“Left of Center”
The Dutch parliamentary elections will likely end in a Catholic-Labour
coalition. In other election news, the French are going to the polls on 2 June.
“Disloyal
Opposition” Turkey’s unofficial, technically illegal opposition party gets a
short story, in which the Turkish premier explains that these “Democrats” are
actually “communists.”
“White Paper
Blueprint” The paper interprets the latest British white paper on Indian
independence as saying that the British will only relinquish power to a united
India. Then it adds that Winston Churchill calls it a “melancholy document,”
and adds that the British are determined to go through with their own plan for
Indian independence. Since that plan does not provide for a Pakistan, the
Moslem League is expected to reject it. So, no independence? Or, as the paper
says, it “Will be years before India has complete independence.”
“Place of Refuge”
Ships full of Jewish refugees are defying the British and heading for
Palestine.
“Dominion
Threshold” Unlike India, Ceylon will be independent soon.
“Heaved Ho”
General Ho Ying-chin is out as the Koumintang’s minister of war.
“Manifest
Manifesto” Japanese leftists think that the American Occupation favours rightists.
MacArthur’s headquarters suggests that they are all communists. Japanese
lawyers are talking back at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials. Shigeru Yoshida is to
be the new Japanese premier. The Russian and British delegates at MacArthur’s
headquarters wish that they were included in memo circulation, had corner
offices, and that there would be some coffee in the pot in the lounge when they
take lunch. Edwin D. Pauley says that Japan’s war industries should be/will be
seized as reparations.
Foreign Tides, with Joseph B. Philips,
“The Hundred Years’ Armistice” An Italian “political writer” thinks that the
Allies are BUNGLING foreign relations.
Canadian Week
“Port of Bad
Luck” The paper informs us that the first ships to dock in Churchill were two Dutch vessels, in 1619, and that only 3 out of 65 explorers survived. There is
a port there now, but it has had no better luck, until this week, when
Dalgleish Shipping, of Newcastle, announced that it was sending six ships there
to bring off 1.8 million bushels of wheat, which have been lingering there in
silos since 1939. It has been suggested that some of the 1945 crop be diverted
to Churchill, but the Canadian Wheat Board has refused, since the wheat would
have to be held there until August, and it is needed now. Also, out in your
neck of the woods, the paper notices the IWA strike, set to idle the woods and
two-fifth’s of the province’s work force, and ruin the fruit crop for lack of
boxes.
Pan American Week
Followers of
exiled General Batista attacked an army camp in Cuba this week. Haiti has had
an election, but, fortunately, the leftists didn’t win, as no-one voted
“black,” and upper-class mulattoes continue to control the wealth of Haiti. In
Argentina, Peron has a cabinet, the members of which are profiled in two
columns.
Transitions
Tilda Thamar is
upset that Walter Winchell says that she shouldn’t be hired as an actress on
account of Argentina being Nazi-Fascist-Peronist. Kay Williams is not married
to Martin Unzue, and her new husband, Adolph B. Spreckels, did not assault Bebe
Webb. Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza, is six months old, and hasn’t come home
drunk yet. Mildred Youmans thinks she’s owed more from her husband’s will.
Captain Louis Zamperini has married Cynthia Applewhite. Booth Tarkington has died.
 |
| Tilda Thamar. Source |
Money
“The Nation’s
Cash Begins to Contract” The money supply is at an all time high, but personal
savings rates are going down, so that individual cash holdings have fallen to a
level not seen since 1941. Alvin Hansen greets the news optimistically, saying
that there is no reason the United States cannot handle its new money supply,
and that “in twenty years we will probably need twice as much.” More
conservative economists think that too much money “cheapens its value,” and
believe that balancing the Federal budget is fundamental to the protection of
everyone’s money.
“Helicopter
Future” In an article in the current Popular
Science, Devon Francis suggests that the private commuting helicopter is
not actually just around the corner.
“Unscheduled Death”
The crash of an unscheduled DC-3 just short of Richmond, Virginia, on 16 May,
carrying 25 passengers, including three women and two children, highlights the
near-unregulated state of the “unscheduled” airlines.
“Chevy Chase” To
illustrate the need for new cars, the paper tells the story of two-door
Chevrolet sedan No. 142077, which rolled off the assembly line in November of
1935. It has changed hands seventeen times, at a total profit of $1000; various
owners have spent $1045 in repairs, and driven it 200,000 miles; its lowest
price was $100 on a trade-in in January 1942; its highest, for $400, in October
1939; last month, a young farmhand in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, spent $395 on
it, drove it around the block, and had a breakdown. With the $125 in required
repairs and $78 in financing charges, he paid $598 for it, only $160 less than
its price new.
“Jack, Heintz and
Foy” Jack and Heintz were said to offer the sweetest wartime jobs of all. This
week, they merged with Eisenmann Corp, a Brooklyn magneto maker, to become Jack
and Heintz Precision Instruments. Bill Jack and Ralph Heintz were paid $5
million and given a $3 million stock interest in the new company, along with
five year contracts to work at $40,000/year. This week, Byron Foy, formerly of
Chrysler, bought in.
“Entering Wedge”
Lumber production is down 7.5% since last year. The OPA has raised the ceiling
price, and Mexican hardwood is being brought in to make up the shortage.
Ernie Breech is
leaving Bendix to join General Motors. Plastic cushions are in for the beach
this summer.
 |
| I should probably do something quantitative before shooting my mouth off, but it does seem like the popular press is getting sexier as 1946 wears on. |
The United Steelworkers are campaigning for a guaranteed annual
wage as a cure for technological unemployment, as mechanisation in the steel
industry will throw many workers out of work. The iron miners’ strike may collapse
soon. The CIO’s Operation Dixie will take an anti-Ku Klux Klan line, over the
objection of organisers who think that it will damage the drive.
Business Tides, with John W. Love, “Collective
Bargaining for Higher Prices” Increasing wages are leading to increasing prices
in a “wage and price spiral,” as predicted by Sumner Schlichter.
 |
| Another sign of the times: furnace and plumbing ads in Time and Newsweek. |
Science and Medicine
“And Now Sofar”
Another story about the use of sonar in oceanography by Dr. Maurice Ewing at
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. It’s rather technical, but basically
describes how differences in water temperature create refraction boundaries and
zones, and that these can be manipulated to produce images of objects with
“sideways” sonar rays.
“Mind Over
Matter” The Army reports that between one fifth and one fourth of disabling
heart and blood vessel conditions, and also stomach problems, are traceable to
“upset emotions rather than physical defects.” What to do with up to half the
men in the wards, when there are only 3500 doctors with the psychiatric
speciality in America? Roy Grinker, the Chicago neuropsychiatrist is getting
good success with narcosynthesis technique, using sodium pentothal.
“Scare in the
Heart of Texas” A flareup in “infantile paralysis” in the Galveston area of
Texas was blamed on various diseases, and promoted as a reason for DDT
spraying, rural draining, and a public hygiene campaign. In reality, it proves
to have been due to polio, and the only answer, medical authorities say, is a
vaccine.
“Automats of the
Breakfast Table” The latest fad in American radio is breakfast radio shows with
husbands and wives. The paper is pretty sure that there is something wrong with
people enjoying listening to a couple banter about the day’s news over
breakfast, but isn’t sure what.
“Test for Brass”
The paper covers the Army’s new “psychological” testing for officer candidates,
and the new drive for “Basic English.”
Press
Burton Roscoe has
quit. Time, Life and Fortune were among victims of assorted
strikes this week, having to publish slimmed-down versions. The paper was saved
by a last-minute deal. Other victims included the Philadelphia dailies, so that
Philadelphia readers got a taste of New York’s innovation of comics read over
the radio.
Movies
Now that Lost Weekend has won its awards,
Paramount can tack and do something sentimental, the paper says, with To Each His Own, with Olivia de
Havilland. The paper liked it, and also liked The Animal Kingdom, and especially Jack Carson’s performance.
Book and Arts
Art covers
exhibits by Georgia O’Keefe and Camille Corot, while books is shocked by the
radio-advertising revelations of Frederic Wakeman, and likes Upton Sinclair’s
latest Lanny Budd novel. It also liked James M. Cain’s latest.
Perspective, with Raymond Moley “What
Does Congress Represent” Not enough business.
 |
| These two beautiful cherubs won't die in their sleep of carbon monoxide poisoning with American Standard! Just saying. |
Flight, 30 May 1946
Leaders
“A Problem of Penetration”
Current tests of heavy bombs (for example, the famous 10,000lb “blockbusters”)
at the submarine pens at Farge are investigating their failure to reach
calculated depths of penetration. People wonder why it should all matter, what
with atom bombs and the like, but the paper gets to the heart of it: What if we
need new bombs, and new bombers to carry them? Wouldn’t that be, uhm, a crisis,
or something?
“Equipment versus
Payload” More safety equipment, or more payload? That is the question. The De Havilland Dove, if safe to fly, won’t be able to carry anything worth flying
for, save that it was designed to be very, very light. So, congratulations to
the designers.
“Another Brabazon”
Technically, the Miles Marathon is one of the Brabazon Scheme planes, so the
Brabazon now has two of three aircraft called for. Now we are just waiting for
the gigantic, really expensive one that was actually the problem all along.
“Tented Terminal”
Heathrow isn’t nice enough yet, and the paper is sad. It should be really nice.
For the Americans.
“Bombs Versus
Concrete: Deep-Penetration Trials by RAF and AAF: B-29s and Lancasters
Co-operate on ‘Project Ruby’” The Farge pens, barely completed during the war
and built of a new type of construction, are structures 1320ft long, 300ft
wide, 75ft high, and have 14ft walls and roofs varying in thickness between 15
and 23ft, and being pretty much useless for anything in peace time, might as
well be bombed to smithereens by “Grand Slams” and “Super Slams” and such.
Except that it turns out that they can’t blow all that concrete to smithereens.
Neither can German rocket-assisted bombs, if that is any consolation. In
wartime, 12,000lb bombs dropped by Lancasters from around 16000ft fell well
short of Barnes Wallis’ dream of 22,000lb bombs dropped from 40,000ft, which,
he calculated, could penetrate 130ft of soil, or 20ft of concrete, and cause
underground structures to collapse from “earthquake effects.” Some Lancasters
staggered off with 22,000lb bombs towards the end of the war, albeit dropped
from no greater heights, and to disappointing results, as it turns out. The Americans used 4500lb rocket-assisted bombs, as did the Germans, and these did
not work, either. It is hoped that the
Farge trials will turn up what went wrong.
Here and There
Douglas’s XB-43 exists. There is more information about the de Havilland Ghost, and the first
batch of 203 civilian internees have been flown out of central Java. Major
Mayo, formerly of the Short Composite Aircraft project, now wants to lease cars
and planes through “Automobile and Aircraft Services, Ltd.” The Americans are
referring to the fleet of captured and condemned ships anchored at Biikini as a
“target array.” The paper is upset that Russian propaganda films suggest that
the Allied strategic bombing offensive was not that effective in reducing
German industrial output. The Bell L-39, a modified version of the P-63 with 35
degree backswept wings, is being tested by the US Navy. The fourth edition of
G. Geoffrey Smith’s Gas Turbines and Jet
Propulsion for Aircraft is now available from the paper.
“Operation
Endurance: Volunteer RAF Crew Tests Airborne Lifeboat MkII and Its Rescue
Equipment: New ‘Exposure Suit’ Proves Its Worth in Channel Storm” The morals I take away are that the ‘Exposure
Suit’ looks like a mummy dressing, and that the RAF’s Air-Sea Rescue branch
will be ready this time if we have to do WWII over again.
“Miles Marathon: Prototype
Tests of Brabazon Type Va Under Way: New Medium-sized Medium-range Fourteen-Twenty-seat
Transport” The paper thinks that the Marathon is just perfect the way it is.
“De Havilland
Dove: Modernity in Miniature: All Metal Transport for Eight to Eleven
Pasengers: Gipsy Queen 71s with Direct Injection” The paper is very impressed.
Again. Surely doesn’t have anything to do with all the “Dove” themed
advertisements in this number. How many “feeder airliners” does the world need?
 |
| Grace's Guide on Hughes-Johnson |
H. A. Taylor, “Flying
the Dove” It handles well, and is the “best of both worlds.” See above.
Civil Aviation
“Proposal for the
Flying Boat Interim Base” A suggestion about where to put the international
flying boat base. It’s between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wright, but in a
different place from where it is now. KLM’s first transatlantic DC-4 service
landed in Prestwick for the first time on 21 May. Heathrow has tents still.
There is a “deadlock” over attempts to find a traffic terminal more convenient
to London than Hurrn, with problems with Heathrow, Croydon and Northholt. De
Havilland Canada’s Chipmunk is ready to fly. Cobham’s Skyways, and his Flight
Refuelling, Ltd are both active, the latter attracting attention from the
Ministry of Civil Aviation and British South American Airways.
“Air Conditioning
Large Civil Aircraft: Considerations of Refrigeration and Humidifying
Equipment: Precis of a Lecture by D. R. Pobjoy, B.Sc., F.R.Ae.S” Mr. Pobjoy, famous for Rotol
equiopment and the Pobjoy Niagara, has moved on to refrigeration. Refrigerating
large civil aircraft is difficult. It comes down to the right combination of
rotary engines for blowing air and water vapour about in the right quantities
for a given altitude. I can’t help notice that we are talking about “centifugal
blowers” again, just as though we were talking about jet engines, or hydraulic
motors –or fuel vaporisers!
Correspondence
PAC thinks that Heathrow
could esaily be spruced up if we just held a World’s Fair there, like New York did at Idlewild, and built all
the necessary faciltiies because ofo the World’s Fair, intead of the airport.
W. Reginald Dainty, Hon Capt, RAF (RN, RFC) writes to suggest that his scale
drawing of how Heathrow should look is still the best plan of all, since it
gets rid of “uderground thoroughfares and underground carparks,” centralises
all the terminal utilities, and situates the control tower so the sun isn’t in
the controller’s eyes. H. O. Short writes about some birds he’s seen. R. H.
thinks that “aircraft are becoming too complicated” these days. “Fusilier”
writes this week on the subject of airliner luxury costing too much.
Radio News, May 1946
Editorial
“Ham” radio
amateurs are the best people who ever lived.
Spot Radio News
The FCC is being
awful to hams. 350 proposed FM radio stations have been granted licenses, and
15 are actually on the way to operating, “some as early as April.” In spite of
OPA price ceilings, radios have sold well in the last twelve months, and would
have sold much better had the supply been greater. Many people want to listen
to radio, and the FCC hopes that less of them will listen to soap operas and
other objectionable shows. The FCC also finds commercials to be too commercioal,
although the National Association of Broadcastes disagrees.
“Report on
European Radio Industry” Europe produces fewer radios, but at lower costs, but
with lower productive efficiency, than in America. This is largely because of
American mass production efficiency. European manufacturers aim to achieve full
technical efficiency, too. European radios tend to be simpler than American,
and while some European industries are well-developed, others are not. The
eastern, agricultural countries, for example, still have fog and storms and
vampires and werewolves all the time. There's a particularly silly bit describing Czechoslovakia as an “agricultural
country," so. . . .
Harry D. Hooyten,
“1000 Watt R.F. Amplifier for the HAM” Just in case you’re worried that
Antarctic explorers and Moon men can’t pick up your conversation with your
neighbour.
 |
| Not actually a picture of the Brooklyn college 1000w ham set. |
Harvey Kees, Electronic Research, Inc., “A Simple FM Converter” A device to convert FM
signals for listening on AM radios is described. It won’t actually work with
the FCC’s mandated broadcast ban, but you readers can probably jigger
something up.
David W. Moore,
“Test Oscillator TS-47/APR” Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation is
getting into othe business of radio repair shop equipment. Here is its latest
offering. It is a military design, so you know it is good.
E. M. Purcell, Head, Advanced Development Group, Radiation Laboratory, MIT, Associate
Professor of Physics, Harvard University, “Microwave Radar Antennas” Microwave
radar antenna are highly directional antenna of use in radar transmission and
reception. The Schwarzchild antenna system is described.
Norman L.
Chalfin, “Crystal Stabilisation of Television Receivers” New televisions often
have signal distortion due to oscillator drift, especially audio. The various
reasons for this are discussed, and manufacturing remedies suggested. Local
temperature and atmospheric conditions may be very problematic unless proper
measures are taken in the design.
David Fidelman,
“Electronic Applications in Meteorology” New electronic devices such as the anemometer
and cloud-height indicator are useful for predicting the weather. The article supplies a two-column precis of meteorology.
Harold S. Renne,
“Development of the Phasitron,” A phasitron is a phase modulator vacuum tube
that produces “linear lane excursions as large as 200 degrees.” It was
developed by Dr. Robert Adler of Zenith. It reduces the number of amplifiers
needed in an FM receiver.
 |
| Another not-directly relevant photo. See "smallest vacuum tube." below. |
David W. Moore,
“One Transmitter per City?” It is suggested that all radio broadcasts in a
given city might be carried on a single high frequency carrier, because it
would be more efficient. (It would broadcast all the commercial stations thanks
to something something radio engineering. Double modulation? Entire stations on
sidebands?) Also, we should have pills instead of food, wear togas to not work,
as we won’t need to, due to universal annual uncomes, excecpt for eugenically
conceived servitor races, and achieve peace through a world air force.
Tom Gootee,
“Radio Relay Communications With Pulse Modulation” The author describes the
Signal Corps’ AN/TRC-5 radio relay equipment. It is a multiplex relay, allowing
eight voice or audio channels using sampling, and allows UHF broadcasting.
George E. Duvall,
Dept. of Physics, Oregon State College, “The Non-Inverting Amplifier” Unlike
traditional cathode-driven amplifiers, this novel gadget can give a gain of one
stage, sufficient for the unusual uses for which it is required, for example
on-off control switches.
Industrial Review
Cincinnati
Electronic Products has developed an ingenious hermetic terminal glass-metal
seal. Robert Bosch, of Germany, has developed capacitors consisting of zinc
painted on paper and rolled up. Federal Telephone and Radio has a central
requency stabilisation and modulation unit for FM transmitters that “readily
meets” FCC requirementgs. Centrallabs is in the printed circuit game. The
Signal Corps has released additional details about its Moon radar equipment,
which was able to detect a 20db difference in broadcast and reception. That’s a
lot!
New Products
H. V. Walker has
a new fast-drying baking enamel. Sylvania has three new tubes: an
interdigitated magneto, a reflex klystron, and a thermocouple tube. C. F.
Pease, of Chicago, has a new whiteprint reproduction machine out. It continuously
produces white copies in sheets or rolls at 30 ft/second. McGraw-Hill has two
new electronics textbooks/reference books out.
News Briefs
Various
conferences are being held. Sylvania is opening up a plant in Riverside,
California. David Prince of General Electric is receiving an award from the IEE
in Detroit during their June conference. Raytheon has a new candidate for the
world’s smallest vacuum tube, an amplifier for their new hearing aid. RCA is
resuming publication of its RCA Review. Polytechnic
Research Lab, of Brooklyn, N.Y., wants everyone to know that it exists.
Philips Laboratories will soon start releasing monthly numbes of its Research Reports. The FTC thinks tha the
Moon might be useful as a radio relay; just bounce radio signals off it for
more effective international communications. Sylvania is opening up a plant in
Britain as a collaboration with A. C. Cossor, of London. Write to Corning Glass
for some catalogues –I mean, research journals—on glass that you can use in
electronics.
S. R. Winters,
“Pilotless Plane Run by Radio” This article describes experiments with a
radio-controlled P-59, so similar to the P-80 trials mentioned in Flight. “Telemetering” equipment on the
plane can transmit “visual images of the vibrations, accelerations, structural
leads and stains and similar stresses encountered by the robot plane.” It even
has a television broadcaster in the pilot’s seat, allowing the remote operator
to pilot the plane. While this is a strictly experimental Bell set-up, the
author fearlessly predicts the imminent arrival of an all-electronic,
remote-control, pilotless plane, which will allow us to avoid needles sacrifices
of human life as flight explores new supersonic realms. Turbojets were chosen
for these experiments because they have fewer vibration sources. Separate
“rate” and “displacement” autopilots further reduce the need for a human pilot.
D. W. Gunn, Field
Engineer, Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., “100mc. Receivers Require New
Servicing Techniques: Circuits and Components Become Critical at Frequencies
above 50 megacycles: New Service Practice and New Test Equipment Will be Needed
for Adequate FM Servicing”
R. A. Mnfort,
Television Maintenance Supervisor, NBC, “Practical Television” Mr. Montfort
explains how television works, in case the front of the paper is too close to
the back.
 |
| Big and roomy is the way to go! |
Rufus P. Turner,
Consulting Engineer, Radio News, “A
Per-cent Modulation Meter” A gadget is described for the use of amateurs.
Charles E. Pett,
Jr., RT 2/C USNR, “Unique Phono Amplifier: Featuring Full-range Volume
Expansion and Individual High and Low Frequency Boosts Makes This Unite Ideal
for Full Tonal Reproduction” “Much of the full brilliance of classical recordings
is lost in the reproduction due to to compression employed when the recordings
were made.” But thisd equipment can fix it, with an “expander circuit”!
QTC
In his regular
column, Carl Coleman covers the vicissitudes of communication operators in all the
ships at sea, and the bright future of LORAN comes up in this number.
Ben F. Taylor, American
Air Filter Company “Electronic Air-Filter” Drawing air across an
electrostatically-charged sheet takes most of the dust out. This counts as
“electronics,” right? At least for the sake of keeping advertisements apart?
Also, they use them in radio stations.
Edward W. Noll,
Television Tech Enterprises, “Television Deflection Channels” Details of the
latest, deluxe GE full-colour television are described.
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