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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1072.PDF
552 FLIGHT MAY 30TH, 1946 Airworthiness Requirements IN view of the fact that the system of granting Certificatesof Airworthiness is at the moment in a state of flux, the iollowing explanation by the Air Registration Board should help to clarify the position. It was in 1937 that the Secretary ol State for Air delegated to the A.R.B. the responsibility for issuing requirements for civil aircraft up to 10,000 1b weight. In 1940 this was extended to include all aircraft, but during the war the work was suspended. The position is that the Board tenders its advice and recommendations, but has no legal authority to enforce them. The present position is conditioned by two developments of the reasonably near future. The Air Navigation (Consolida- tion) Order and the Air Navigation Directions are under re- vision, and when the revised editions are published under the title of the Air Navigation (General) Regulations, they will indicate that the Minister will only grant a Certificate of Air- worthiness to an aircraft which has been designed and con- structed in accordance with the published requirements of the Board. This will obviously alter the position and will mean that the Board's requirements will have a different legal stand- ing and must be met by the aircraft designer, or, alternatively, the designer must persuade the Board that he has provided an equivalent standard. The second consideration is that the British Government will undoubtedly adopt the findings of the Provisional Inter- national Civil Aviation Organization (P.I.C.A.O.) in place of I.C.A.N. Whereas I.C.A.N. never published detailed re-quirements, P.I.C.A.O. has already agreed a fairly detailed code. The Board has been concerned with this from the begin-ning and has made certain recommendations which it put for- ward recently at the meetings of the Airworthiness Division ofP.I.C.A.O. at Montreal. At these meetings the United Kingdom delegation consistedof the Chairman of the Board and members of its staff. The basis of their discussions was the recommendations that theBoard had made to the Minister and which were circulated before the meetings.The requirements agreed at the meetings in Montreal \v" also be circulated and will eventually be included in the BCivil Airworthiness Requirements because, when the ref tions made by P.I.C.A.O. are adopted as the British Regtions, the airworthiness requirements will be put into force in this country as a Government responsibility.The Board's responsibility at the moment, therefore, is to give the Minister such advice as it knows is generally in accord-ance with the principles adopted by P.I.C.A.O. In the meantime the constructor's position is that if hebuilds an aircraft to a standard lower than that recommended by the Boaid, he will find that a Certificate of Airworthinesswill not be issued to any prototype or series aircraft which does not comply with international standards after January1st, 1951, and that in any case such aircraft will not be per- mitted to operate internationally after January 1st, 1954. THE D.H. CHIPMUNK DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT OF CANADA have built andflown their first aircraft of entirely domestic design—the D.H.C.i, or Chipmunk. It was flown by Mr. Pat Fillingham,chief production test pilot at Hatfield, who is now on a visit to Canada. The Chipmunk is -an all-metal low-wing cabin monoplanewith two seats in tandem, while the D.H.C.2, a side-by-side version, is now under development. J be alJ-up weight is about1,780 1b. A D.H. uipsy Major Ic gives it a top speed of 152 m.p.h. and a cruising speed of 133 m.p.h. Later Chip-munks will have Gipsy Major 30s, which will raise the speeds, and the fitting of the D.H. manually variable pitch airscrewwill further improve performance. C.U.A.S. 21st BIRTHDAY THE Cambridge University Air Squadron celebrated itstwenty-first anniversary on Friday, May 24th, with a dinner held at the University Arms Hotel, and it was good tosee so many old friends renewing acquaintance. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder was preventedfrom attending owing to the arrival of a son and heir (con- gratulations !), but Air Chief Marshal Sir John Slessor made anoble deputy. He commented that this year, 1946, was, per- haps, the most difficult the R.A.F. had ever experienced, for thepresent is a very sticky transitional period from war to peace- time establishment. The great trouble of the moment is lackof policy, for it is too early as yet to form rigid ideas of peace- time strength. It is not yet known, for example, whether ornot the National Service Act will come into being—if it does, it will be important to university men in stipulating as towhether they are required to do theit national service before or after their university training. Sir John further went on tosay that the newly formed Technical Branch of the R.A.F. is expected to recruit its officers almost wholly from the uni-versities. Mr. H. Thirkill, the Vice-Chancellor, propounded the viewthat the aeronautical engineer is better off for having some flying experience, and, too, the pilot is better off for havingsome knowledge of science. In such case, the C.U.A.S. was happily placed in its close association with the science side ofthe University. It has been strongly requested that the scien- tific establishment of the University be increased, but that isimpossible until the building labour position allows greater laboratory accommodation to be made available. Cambridgecould look back on its war record with a good deal of pride; over 100 decorations had been earned by C.U.A.S. men, butmaDy old members of the Squadron were gone for ever. Of the Squadron itself, the commanding officer, Wing Cmdr.Nigel Bicknell, reported that the present strength comprised three Tiger Moths, one Hillman Minx with a broken differential,and three bicycles, but it was hoped that, as time went on, this position would be materially altered. Undergraduates are allowed five flours' flying per term, and are not permitted tofly solo under twelve months' dual. One undergrad has bought an Auster and is flying to Ceylon during the long vac, butuntil his dual period is completed he will not be allowed to fly Squadron aircraft solo. There was some laughter at this,and also at the quiet comment that the president of the Oxford U.A.S. had learned his flying as a member of the CambridgeSquadron. COBHAM ACTIVITIES THE first of the Skyways, Ltd., charter flights which, as wementioned in last week's issue, was to Basra and back, was successfully completed to schedule. The York flew viaCastel Benito to Cairo where it made a night stop. The second day it went on to Basra via Lydda, was turned round, andflew back to Cairo by the same evening, making its second night stop there, and finally returned from Cairo on the thirdday of the trip, arriving back at Manston on schedule at 6.30 p.m. Throughout the journey the passengers were fed onboard the aircraft which carried supplies of frozen food. The master of the aircraft on this occasion was Capt. Ashley,who is managing director of the company and to whom much credit is due for dealing with the mass of detail organizationwhich was necessary before Skyways, Ltd., came into being. Sir Alan Cobharn is deputy chairman of the company, of whichBrig. Gen. A. C. Critchley is chairman. Apart from the charter contract with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Skyways' Yorksare also carrying out the Swiss luxury cruises for Sir Henry Lunn, Ltd., the travel agents. Sir Alan Cobham's other interest is, of course, flight refuel-ling, and the latest development in this sphere was the beginning last week of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's trialsat Ford airfield in conjunction with Flight Refuelling, Ltd., and British South American Airways. Capt. Prowse has joinedthe staff of Flight Refuelling, Ltd., and it is interesting the* once the system had been explained to him on a giouii*trainer, he was able to undertake refuelling in the air success- fully at the first attempt. The trials, which are being operatedby a panel composed of representatives from all the appro- priate Ministries, may continue for several months. NEWS FROM THE CLUBS Following the appearance of "ground facilities" on May19th, the Herts and Essex Aero Club has now started flying with an Auster V. One Tiger Moth has been allocated in theusual way and should now be available, while a Hornet Moth is also expected. * * * The Royal Artillery Aero Club hopes to start flying at HighPost on June 10th, and will hold an initial gliding meeting on July 6th and 7th. Members who wish to fly at H.P. shouldmake direct arrangements with the Wiltshire School of Flying (Middle Woodford 57). The gliding meeting will be held atKnighton Down, Larkhill.
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