Despite the fact that the main focus was on getting the Hawker Hurricanes mass produced to assist the allied cause in the Second World War, Elsie took part in making design modifications. The key change she made was to winterize some of the planes.
We take it for granted today that we can fly throughout the year and that waiting in line for deicing is part of the trip in the winter months. During the 1930s and 40s there were still concerns about planes having issues with ice build-up on propellers and wings and how to modify take-off requirements.
Deicing addressed these issues and on a high speed war plane and made it safe to fly. In addition to these modifications, Elsie also worked on skis for the aircraft instead of wheels. She used the contacts she had established at the NRC to help her make sure that the changes would be fully functional.
No comments:
Post a Comment