Among the special accomplishments or British engineers may be mentioned the sleeve-valve engine (which promises much greater efficiency from modern fuels than the poppel-yajye can give) now in the production stage; and the H-shaped engine, an arrangement of small cylinders which provides exceptionally small frontal area relatively to the power developed.
The most powerful engine yet to go into quantity production in Great Britain is a 14-cylinder air-cooled sleeve-valve unit, one model of which delivers up to 1,375 lip.
The most powerful liquid-cooled engine in quantity production, a 12- cylinder unit developing up to 1,050 lip. at a height of 17,500 feet, is emerging from the factory in great numbers for installation in single-engined bombers and 300 mp.h. plus fighters ordered for the re-equipment of home defence squadrons. The engine develops its great power from 27 litres capacity.
Overshadowed by military development, British civil aviation made, nevertheless, a brave show in 1987. The Empire "all first-class mails by air" scheme was inaugurated, multiplying loads entrusted to the airliners and leading before the end of the year to orders for additional flying-boats and landplanes.
British constructors produced new civil craft extraordinarily high performance, among them the four-engined monoplanes capable of cruising at more than 200 mph. two of which will tackle the North and South Atlantic Oceans in 1938. The first of fourteen 22-ton landplane airliners built to replace obsolescent aircraft began flying trials. Seaplanes considerably larger than the Empire boats were in active development.
The move towards world-wide adoption of the wing slot continued. Contracts concluded during the year brought up to fourteen the number of countries that have acquired by purchase the right to use this outstanding British invention. Employed in its early years to make flying safer by preventing loss of control at the lower end of the speed range, the slot is now coming into use as a feasible and effective means of augmenting the speed range of the modern, heavily loaded and fast aeroplane. Without some such device, modern aeroplanes might land at dangerously high speeds.
Further development of the gyroplane must also be mentioned. Though still in the embryonic stage, it is more than possible that the gyroplane will ultimately become. everyman's machine.
The Azores on the Map Actually of course the Azores have been on maps for a considerable time, but they are likely to become specially prominent next year for the development of trans-Atlantic routes. lying as they do about 1,000 miles west of Portugal, to whom they belong.
Until two years ago France had the exclusive right of exploiting them for air routes, but as she did nothing to develop them Portugal would not renew the monopoly when it expired. Several Powers are now using all their blandishments on Portugal for the right to use the Azores. Germany has sent a military and naval mission to Lisbon, and Great Britain, whose oldest ally Portugal is, is to do the same. as a link in the southerly route to the United States that the Azores are so valuable, specially to Germany, France or Italy, as Great Britain and America have reserved to themselves for fifteen years the exclusive use of the North Atlantic bases. Even from the Azores, there is still a 2,000 miles hop to Bermuda. But that is just twice as good as what} aircraft from, say, Germany would have 10 do to New York if she wishes
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.