B.A.C. INNOVATIONS

B.A.C. INNOVATIONS

LAST month Mr. Lowe-Wylde carried out a series of demonstration flights with his B.A.C. boat-glider on the Welsh Harp at Hendon. This craft, as can be seen from the accompanying photograph is of the high-wing monoplane type, strut-braced and with wing-tip floats. The fuselage is of unusual construction,

being built up in tubular form of laminated plywood. The machine is a twoseater and has dual control. Mr. LoweWylde informs us that he will carry out a tour later on this year with his craft, in conjunction with an aviation project which will be headed by Sir Alan Cobham.

The B.A.C. boat-glider is the only machine of its type in Europe.

The B.A.C. concern, of which Mr. LoweWylde is principal, has introduced a further innovation just lately. They are now marketing an extremely clean and. compact glider (known as the B.A.C. IX) and it is being built in such form that it may be bought in parts and assembled by the purchaser. The span of the B.A.C. IX is 35 feet, the length 18 feet 6 inches and the wing area 150 square feet. The main plane is not in one piece, but two, and each half is attached to the centre-section struts by three bolts. The rudder and elevators are interchangeable and there is no fixed tailplane. In. order to obviate over-sensitivity in the elevator, the control is arranged differentially, which allows of a large travel of the joy-stick in the central position with only a few degrees movement on the elevators, while at each end of the joy-stick range the movement of the latter is speeded up. The ailerons run the whole length of each wing and are operated by a push-and-pull rod from the sides of the fuselage.

The complete set of parts for the B.A.C. IX is obtainable, at the present time, for approximately 235 10s.