Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmyjimjim  The funny thing is, in the same period as Neve, Trident, Helios etc. came to excellence, bad electronics and electrics completely killed the English aircraft manufacturing industry.
Like basing aircraft electronics around 112 Volts DC, and thus having to carry 500Kg's of batteries around in the belly to be able to start the engines. (The airliner called Trident)
That's one business where England is assosiated with utterly bad electronics engineering in the 50's, 60's and 70's. |
Hi
Could you give me some links to back up this assertion?
The very plane that you mentioned did the first automatic commercial landings using Smiths Autoland which set the path for safer landings in poor visibility.
Decca also made a moving map navigation system similar to GPS used today.
Your post smacks of some sweeping generalisation, methinks.
Autoland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I also lived under the obviously misguided impression that jet engines are started by high pressure air, either from an auxiliary power unit in the tail of the plane or from a ground vehicle. Your assertion that they are cranked over from batteries like a car engine is much more novel!
Quote from Yahoo answers... "Larger engines, for instance the Spey, uses an air start system"
For the record, my father worked for De Havillands and, up to the early 1990's I used to do volunteer work at Duxford Air Museum, restoring old airliners
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwBMH...84208744971305 