Читать книгу H. G. Hawker, airman: his life and work онлайн

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“Of his three previous attempts on the Michelin Duration Competition little need be said; the first one was terminated after 3 hours 31 minutes by a valve-spring breaking. On the second attempt the wind, after 2 hours 43 minutes proved too much for further flight, and the third attempt ended after 3 hours 28 minutes in a rainstorm, which soaked the magneto through, and temporarily ended its career.

“With serious designs on ‘durating,’ the Sopwith camp was awake and bustling, and excitement ran high when it was seen that Raynham was to make a simultaneous attempt on the military Avro biplane (enclosed body type), fitted with a 60 h.p. Green engine. Hawker got away just before 7 a.m., but was brought down again after a flight lasting no more than twenty minutes by the magneto cutting out occasionally. Apparently it had not recovered from the effects of its previous soaking. This contingency had been anticipated, however, and a brand-new British-made Bosch had been ordered previously, which, however, had only arrived late the night before. The old ‘mag.’ was hurriedly removed and the new one fitted, but even minor details of this kind take time, and in this case the time was all too precious. In timing the magneto it was found to run the wrong way round, and it had to be dismantled and a new commutator fitted.