The world's commercial airplane business is now almost wholly dominated by U.S. manufacturers, but the 'British hope soon to get their share. Last week Vickers-Armstrong showed off its Viscount 700, in most respects a conventional-looking craft. The novelty was the four engines. They carried ordinary propellers on their noses, but instead of being blunt and thick, the Viscount's engines stuck out ahead of the wing like half-cigars (see cut). On these slender "turboprop" engines Britain is pinning her commercial airplane hopes.
Turboprops are a sort of halfway mark between piston engines and the...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
