new Marconi-Stanley info

It's been a fair while since we last looked at this little beasty.

It had been tentatively suggested that it was fitted to the Ensign airliner, largely based on circumstantial evidence from the owner of one unit (I think the one Kim now has)

Since that time, the archives of 'Flight' magazine have become available on-line and a bit of rooting around produced this 1937 article on the Ensign with a cut-away drawing

showing the "Emergency petrol driven generator" on nthe flight deck behind the radio operator. Too small to positively ID as Marconi-Stanley but at least we now know that it did carry something of this sort. The accompnying text refers to it thus; "On the port side of the operator's compartment is a small petrol motor, similar to that used in the Empire boat equipment, which is permanently coupled to a generator". Following up on the Empire flying boat leads to another Flight article

Again, no specific mention of Marconi-Stanley but it broadly fit the bill and seems to differ from the Ensign intallation primarily in that rather than having its own dedicated generator, the engine is coupled to the wireless motor-generator set only when required. Further information is to be found in the book 'Flying Empires' (available on line)

The motor generator set consisted of a Stanley Type SM 5M 0.74

kW (1 hp.) two-stroke petrol engine, a 24 volt FB/M1 electric motor Type - normally powered by the

aircraft's electrical system - and a Type FB/G1 generator, arranged in that order. In normal conditions on

the water and in flight, the FB/G1 generator was powered by the electric motor. For emergency use on the

water, the petrol engine could be engaged through a hand-operated clutch, to drive the generator through

the electric motor. The whole of the petrol engine, it's fuel tank and exhaust pipe, were enclosed in a

'fireproof' box, kept tightly closed while the aircraft was in flight. The petrol motor's starting handle was in

a canvas case attached to the side of the aircraft, over the 'fireproof' box. If the petrol engine was required

for use, the box was opened up and the exhaust pipe fitted, leading to the outside of the aircraft, through the

direct vision panel of the windscreen on the Captain's side. Very noisy in operation, the set provided

enough power for effective communication. It was also possible for the petrol motor to charge the aircraft's

battery.

At last a mention of the Stanley engine! From the operating description avove, I bet the set was used pretty reluctantly.

This however seems to have been by no means the beginning of the story - another hit from the Flight archives shows a Marconi-Stanley engine in use as a ground power unit testing experimental short-wave wireless equipment in

1934. Interestingly the unit is coupled to the aricraft (a Bristol Bulldog) not by electric string but with a long speedo cable type flexible coupling to what I assume would have been a 'windmill' type generator.

Hope that was of interest and all the links work ok!

NHH