UNIQUE MONOPLANE

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 71, 26 April 1929, Page 7

UNIQUE MONOPLANE

(British Official Wireless).

LEAYES ON NON-STOP FLIGHT. Many Wonderful Devices.

(Eeceived This Day. Noon.i RUGBY, April 25. A specially de*igned Roval Air Force monoplaiie, which left Cranwell Aerodrome 011 a long distance non-stop lliglit. has many remarkable features emliodied in its design. It was made hy the Fairey Aviation Company, of llayes, Middles'ex. Three tnns of petrol are carried in its wing, which has a spnn of 57 feot. This wing is thick aiul hroad and is all in oue piece, being probably the largest cantilever monoplane wing ever made. The engine is a 530 h.p. Napier Lion, and is in effect a service edition of the raeing Napier engine used to win tlie Schneidor Trophy for England. Oue ingenions arraugement with which tlie maehine is oquipped is a liorn, worked off an aneroid in such a manner that if during night flying the maehine comos below a eertnin altitude, and is thns in danger of hitting a mountain. a horn sounds a warning in tlie pilot's oar. With its 1000 gallons of petrol, the maehine weighed 61 tons, aqd a special two-mile run had heen prepared at Cranwell to faeilitate the take-off. Tt was, however, well in the air after a run of only 600 yards, and soon after turned on a southernward eonrse. The maehine has passed Bagdad.