Персиваль Галл: Британдық ұшақтың тарихы мен жетістіктері

The Percival Gull was a British single engined monoplane, first flown in 1932. It was successful as a fast company transport, racing aircraft and long range record breaker. It was developed into the Vega Gull and the Proctor.

The Percival Gull was the first aircraft of the Percival Aircraft Company, formed in 1932 by Edgar Percival and Lt. Cdr E. B. W. Leake. It was designed by Percival himself, and was strongly influenced by the Hendy 302, designed by Basil "Hendy" Henderson, which he had owned and raced. The new company did not have the facilities to build the Gull, so the prototype was produced by the British Aircraft Company of Maidstone, Kent, and the first 24 production machines were manufactured by Parnall Aircraft of Yate, Gloucestershire. In 1934 the Percival Aircraft Company moved to Gravesend Airport, Kent, where it built its own Gulls, with the last Gull built at Percival's new Luton works. The Gull was a low wing cantilever monoplane, constructed of wood with fabric covering. The wings tapered in both thickness and chord, with dihedral outboard of the centre section. They were constructed according to Basil Henderson's patent, and folded rearwards at the rear spar for storage. There were split flaps inboard. The fin and rudder were initially very similar to those of the Hendy 302, with a horn balance and a notable nick on the leading edge where that balance met the fin, but this was soon replaced by the final symmetrialc elliptical and unbalanced design. The horizontal surfaces were also rounded, and tailplane incidence was adjustable in flight for trim; the elevators were mounted on a common shaft. Although Gull variants were powered by five different engines, these were all inverted inline air cooled types driving two bladed propellers, making for a neatly faired installation. The rear fuselage was of square cross section with a rounded top. The glazed cabin joined smoothly into a raised dorsal fairing, and placed the pilot in front and two passenger seats, slightly staggered behind. Entry into the early models was via the sliding canopy. The main undercarriage was fixed and spatted, each wheel mounted on three struts in the early models; there was a small steerable tail wheel.

Gulls sold well to private owners, offering speed and comfort. Others were bought by charter companies, and were used for photographic and newspaper work. Gulls were used, for example, to cover distant but important events such as the Italo Abyssinian war of 1935. Some were used for company communications, for example by Avro Aircraft and Shell. The sole Gull Four Mk III (G ADOE) was used by Blackburn Aircraft as a testbed for both the Cirrus Major Mks 1 and 2 engines. Gulls were sold abroad, to France, Australia, Japan, Brazil and elsewhere. Two Gulls worked the Karachi Lahore mail run for Indian National Airways.

On 9 July 1932, E. W. Percival flew the prototype Gull (G ABUR) in the round Britain King's Cup Race, averaging almost 143 mph (230 km/h), although a D series Gull never won the trophy. The speed of Gulls also made them attractive for the long distance flights popular in the 1930s and the Gull, fitted with extra tanks offered a range of 2,000 miles (3,220 km). On 4 October 1933 Charles Kingsford Smith started a flight in a Gull Four (G ACJV), from Lympne Aerodrome to Darwin, Australia, arriving on 10 December 1933, in a record 7 days, 4 hrs, 44 min. On 4 May 1936 Amy Johnson, flying a Gull Six (G ADZO), flew from Gravesend to Wingfield aerodrome, Cape Town and back to Croydon Airport in a record 7 days 22 hr 43min.