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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 0844.PDF
434 FLIGHT MAY 2XD, 1945 Radar for Airlines I N view ot the intensive development and extensiveuse of radar during the war, one wonders to whatuses this wealth of knowledge and experience can be put now that commercial aircraft of all types are claiming our chief attention. It is no secret that most of the radar equipment used on R.A.F. machines was costly to produce and maintain, and in many cases was both heavy and bulky. The great dependence of Bomber Command, to quote an example, on its radar blind-navigation and bomb- aiming equipment is amply demonstrated in an article on Pathfinder duties and technique in this issue. Even though the bomb load and speed of the bombers was of paramount importance, the sacrifice of space and weight occasioned by the installation of up to five radar devices in addition to radio and other special navigational equip- ment was accepted without hesitation. Taking figures recently quoted by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, radio equipment including H2S (700 lb) totalled only 1,310 1b or approximately 2 per cent of the total weight of a Lancaster. Sir Robert added that it was certain that the weight of present equipment could be substantially reduced. The Tudors I and II carry approximately 1,000 lb of radio equipment, i.e., one-half per cent less of their all-up weight than the Lancaster. For the Brabazon I the 1,050 1b of radio equipment will repre- sent only 0.42 per cent of the all-up weight of the aircraft. Radio or radar for the detection of cumulo-nimbus clouds and tropical storm centres is a practical possibility which has recently come in for consideration and discus- sion and this would be a most important step towards accident prevention at worst or at least towards punctual and comfortable passenger flying. While the term radio can be used to embrace radar, the converse is not true. Undoubtedly pure radio will come into ever-increasing use particularly for short-range navigation, homing and traffic control, but radar with its' freedom from distortion, unintentional jamming and CONTENTS The Outlook - ... Helicopters - Here and There - - - - Goblins at Munich ... Flying Club News - - - • American Newsletter The Mosquito - Pathfinder Story - Civil Aviation - Correspondence - - - - Aeronautics and the Metallurgist Service Aviation - 433 435 437 439 440 44i 442 a 448 450 452 454 interference due to atmospheric conditions also has an important place as a navigational aid and for blind ap- proach to airfields. The range limitation of Gee, the most practical and simple to use of the present radar navigational aids, is more acute for airline usage than on bombing sorties, and not the least of the difficulties—geographic and inter- national—on Empire routes is the positioning "of ground stations. It is gratifying to know that in spite of this a comprehensive network of Gee chains for Transport Command is nearing completion on our Eastern and Middle Eastern routes. Assuming the ultimate need for a series of such radar networks for safe and regular international airline opera- tion, it may be necessary to pool resources to meet the expense of ground installations and their subsequent operation and maintenance. An alternative is the use of a self-contained navigational aid of the H2S type. The advantages of such a set, independent of ground stations and range limitations, may well be considered to offset, its weight and cost penalties. The stowage of the "black boxes" and, even more important, the detri- mental effect on performance of external aerials, still re- main as a radio and radar problem. AMERICAN ALL-WING : Following a study of the handling characteristics of their small-scale N-iM experimental all-wingdesign, the Northrop Company have now released some details of the XB-35 bomber prototype. Four " buried" Pratt and Whitney 28-cylinder Wasp Major engines give an aggregate output of 14,000 h.p., driving pairs of contra-rotating airscrews throughextension shafts. Wing span is 172 ft and the wing area 4,000 sq. ft. Notable features of this 120,000 1b not-very-clean flying wing, are the air intakes in the leading edges and the transparent starboard nose section of the leading edge.
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