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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 0748.PDF
-382 FLIGHT APRIL I8TH, 1946 Bigger and Better j* LTHOUGH, at the time of writing, there is no truly /-\ official confirmation of the generally accepted . statement that the Government has ordered three more Bristol 167s (or "Brabazons") in addition to the prototype, and three of the big Saunders-Roe boats, this is undoubtedly a fact. Presumably the orders are now on their way through the Ministry of Supply. The three 167s will consist of a prototype gas-turbine-powered version and two '' production'' aircraft of the same type; while there is to be a prototype Saro boat and two "production" aircraft to follow. In Flight of March 14 we commented on the general situation so far as the Bristol 167 was concerned, and suggested that, if work was really to proceed on this project, it should be on a very high-pressure scale. For each of the firms concerned the task will be immense. Not only are we dealing with sizes greater than any previously contemplated, but the aircraft are being developed around new power units. Except in the matter of pressurization the designers of the flying-boat have a slightly less troublesome time ahead of them, since a flying boat can be scaled-up with a good deal of assurance, but there will be little room for any control or stability errors in either design. By the year 1951 we should have learnt a very great deal more about tur- bine installation, undercarriage loadings, large-volume pressurization, and powered controls. On technical grounds alone the experimental development work should, in knowledge gained, have paid for itself. The possibility that something like two million pounds will need to be spent at Filton airfield before the proto- type 167 can be completed and test-flown is more than distressing. But it should be a^ salutary lesson both for CONTENTS The Outlook - - - - A Teaser in Hydraulics - India's Air Pageant ... Here and There - In Praise of Ourselves - Rolls-Royce Nene I - - - Cabin Lighting - - Tudor II in Camera ... A Brabazon Comes to Life Britain's Test Pilots - - - Miles Technical School - Civil Aviation News -" Correspondence - - - Service Aviation ... - - 381 383 - 385 386 388 389 a 6 395 396 398 400 402 404 the Government and the aircraft industry. A great many of the present- contractors' airfields are far to» small and too badly placed for safe use by modern air- craft. Before it is too late the entire position, from this point of view, should be reconsidered and the necessary action taken. The development of our civil and military aircraft will otherwise be hampered, delayed and made immensely more expensive than necessary. We remem- ber an occasion during the war when the chief of one of our shadow factories was shocked and incredulous when he was told firmly by his chief test pilot that the first of the firm's new bomber series could not, repeat not,- be flown out of the tiny field which had previously been used, at considerable risk, for the production fly- offs of very much less heavily loaded types. The work ahead of the industry will be sufficiently hard without the addition of any further complications. SUNDAY DIVISIONS : Flanked by Seafires, the ship's company of the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Implacable attend Divine Serv ce on the flight deck while the ship is in Melbourne hkrbour.
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