286

FLIGHT.

MARCH 23,

1939

(Left) " Slottery and flappery " is an important feature of the Parnall's specification. The inner portions of the flaps can be depressed to 45 deg. and the outer portions, which function as ailerons, can be lowered about 15 deg. The other appendages are the numerous inspection doors, shown open. (Right) Mr. B. B. Henderson, the designer, with Mr. J. A. C. Warren, test pilotwhose headgear tempts us to pin a quip on his name. . T h e t e a r (instructor's) cockpit m a y h a v e a sliding c o u p e roof w h i c h is c a l c u l a t e d t o benefit n o t o n l y t h e t e m p e r of t h e o c c u p a n t b u t t h e p e r f o r m a n c e of t h e m a c h i n e . A b r a k e c u t - o u t lever is a n o t h e r comforting f e a t u r e . T h e p a r t i c u l a r l y n e a t P e r s p e x windscreens a r e e x p l a i n e d b y t h e c o m p a n y ' s m o u l d i n g experience in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h the Nash and Thompson gun turrets. T h i r t y - s i x gallons of petrolsufficient for a cruising d u r a t i o n of t h r e e h o u r s i s carried in t w o w i n g t a n k s , t h e g a u g e b e i n g u n d e r a P e r s p e x w i n d o w in t h e w i n g . The three-gallon oil t a n k will, in p r o d u c t i o n m a c h i n e s , b e m o u n t e d in t h e leading edge. I n s p e c t i o n doors a r e located o v e r t h e whole length of t h e fuselage a n d a t a p p r o p r i a t e p o i n t s in t h e wing. D a t a for t h e P a r n a l l 382 T r a i n e r a r e : S p a n , 33ft. 8in.; l e n g t h , 28ft. ajyin. ; t r a c k , 6ft. l o i n . ; wing a r e a , 155 sq. ft.; w i n g section, B . H . 5 ; t a r e w e i g h t , 1,655 l b . ; all-up weight, 2,450 l b . ; t o p speed, 155 m . p . h . ; take-off r u n , 180 yd. Mr. H e n d e r s o n tells u s t h a t , b y using t h e slots a n d flaps t h e m a c h i n e c a n be flown a t 43 m . p . h . w i t h t h e engine o n . T h e stall is n o t r e a c h e d u n t i l t h e angle of incidence is o v e r 30 degrees, e l i m i n a t i n g t h e possibility of accidental stalling o n t h e glide. Mr. J . A. C. W a r r e n , t h e company's t e s t pilot, h a s d i v e d t h e m a c h i n e u p t o 265 m . p . h

"HUGHES OF FENCHURCH STREET"

Celebrating a Centenary
LYING is still regarded by most as a newfangled notion, and a favourite phrase is to talk of it as being " still in its infancy." Wheu applied to flying as flying, the expression is certainly not very applicable. B u t if by flying one means getting from A to B and back again safely, and in a minimum of time, a case can very well be made out for the beginner point of view. Aerial navigation is in its infancy and is the one branch of flying in which we still have a great deal to learn. Fortunately for this country, we have the brains and the mechanical skill to keep in the very forefront in this particular field, and it is, perhaps, significant t h a t at least one firm of instrument makers, whose name has been associated with air navigation since the earliest flying days, celebrated its centenary last week. " Hughes of Fenchurch S t r e e t " is a name familiar to generations of sailors, whether of the Merchant N avy or of its " younger s i s t e r " (as Admiral Sir Edward Evans called it) the Royal Navy. And there were Hugheses (how does one spell t h a t plural?) long before t h a t who made navigation instruments. Last Friday Henry Hughes and Sons celebrated their 100 years of occupation of No. 59, Fenchurch Street, " i n the Port of L o n d o n , " by a dinner at the Savoy Hotel. Sir Robert Burton-Chadwick, Bt., was in the chair and recalled t h a t the name was an honoured one in connection with instruments, and had been handed down from father to sen. He had read, for instance, of William Hughes in the middle of the j 8 t h century, then of his son Jasper, and of his son H e n r y . The present head was Arthur Hughes, whose son Francis (cries of " Francis, where are you? " ) brought the long line up to date. Mr. Arthur Hughes referred to the early navigators and their instruments. In those days navigation and navigation instruments were treated as mysteries, and t h e secrets were passed on from father to son. Nowadays, fortunately, navigation was not on the " secret l i s t . " Navigation was originally developed by robbers and smugglers and by the Vikings. From Iceland the latter reached Newfoundland, making use of a primitive instrument which consisted of a circular shield with a nail in the centre. After recalling the good work done by early air navigators, Mr. H 1 (;hes paid a tribute to the Government research depart-

ments, with which he had been proud to co-operate. He said quite frankly t h a t without those departments the perfecting of t h e bubble sextant would not have been possible. Admiral Sir Edward R. G. R. Evans, K.C.B., D.S.O., L L . D . ( " Evans of the Broke " ) , pointed out t h a t the celebration was being held on St. Patrick's Day, a day held in great esteem in the " R o y a l Irish Republic." He recalled that if the Arctic and Antarctic were classed as additional to the " s e v e n seas," he had sailed all nine in safety, thanks largely t o Hughes instruments. H e paid a tribute to Captain Oates (of Scott Antarctic fame) and many others who had carried navigation t o the far corners of the world. The gallant Admiral concluded by explaining that after having been, as he put it, " a little tin god " as Admiral of the Nore for years, he did not take kindly to an inspection by the Board of Admiralty. He got over the difficulty by borrowing a Short flying boat and taking the Board around the Thames Estuary. When it was pointed out t o him t h a t he had an alarming number of great people on board, and the question was asked whether the young man at the wheel really knew his job, he said " Y e s , I think so. I call him 'Brackles.' ' The pilot was Major Brackley, flight superintendent of Imperial Airways! Mr. H . E . Wimperis, who replied for the air navigators present, pointed out t h a t one of the difficulties of air navigation was t h a t the " t i d e s " might reach a speed of 100 m.p-bHe told an amusing story of some tests a t Farnborough with steel darts early in the last war. The darts had been dropped from an aeroplaue and two R . F . C . officers went out on Lallans Plain to mark each dart with a piece of white paper so that the " s c a t t e r " could be photographed from the aid. Just as they had finished a cavalry officer came along. He was very intrigued, and the R . F . C . explained, as they thought, the idea of it all. To which the cavalry officer replied: "Well, i would never have believed such accuracy possible." Mr. A. Gordon Smith, chairman of Smith's Aircraft Instruments, explained the great qualifications of Sir Robert BurtonChadwick to take the chair t h a t evening, and modestly expressed his pleasure t h a t Smiths had been able to co-operat with Henry Hughes and Sons in organising production an distribution of Hughes instruments.