Apropos, the first of the sixteen Fairey Battle monoplane bombers ordered for the re-equipment of Belgian air squadrons has just been delivered. For many years the Fairey company has supplied most of Belgium's needs.
I saw the Battle fly at Hatfield last summer and its performance is most impressive its Rolls-Royce Merlin 990/1050 h.p. engine making it one of the world's fastest, most formidable single-engined bombers.
It is a low-wing all-metal monoplane built to "stressed skin" design in which the outer coverings of wings and fuselage carry much of the loads and stresses imposed on the structure. Retractile undercarriage, wing flaps to steepen landing glide and to reduce landing speed; and controllable-pitch airscrew are installed. Its streamline form, helped by the compact and shapely nacelle that is sufficient to house the engine, is excellent and no unessential excrescences break it. It has a proved level speed, with full military load, of 257 m.p.h. at 15,000 ft.
Carrying full bomb and fuel load the Battle climbs from sea-level to 10,000 ft. in 8 min. 24 sec. and to 20,000 ft. in 21 min. 24 sec. Its maximum level speed at 20,000 ft. is 250 m.p.b, Landing speed, with the wing-flaps in operation, is 60 m.pf andąthe ratio between maximum and minimum flying speed is, therefore, more than 4 to 1—an excellent achievement, The Battle's range at normal cruising speed with full normal load is 1000 miles, and at the maximum speed of 257 m.p.h.
640 miles, but for extra long journeys, additional fuel can be carried.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.