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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 2267.PDF
and Editorial Director G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. Editor - -CM. POULSEN Assistant Editor - MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C (WING CDR., R.A.F.V.R.) Art Editor • • JOHN YOXALLAIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE W6RLD .• FOUNDED WO9 Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. COVENTRY: BIRMINGHAM, 2 : 8-10, CORPORATION ST. *' N G E D W ARD HOUSE. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham! Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (50 lines.) MANCHESTER, 3 : 260, DEANSGATE. Telegrams : Iliffe, Manchester. GLASGOW, C.2: 26B, RENFIELD ST. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Coventry 5210. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. Telephone: Centra! 4857 No. 1977. Vol. L. SUBSCRIPTION RATES : Home and Abroad ; Year, £3 I 0. 6 months, £1 10 6. Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper November 14th, 1946 "We Outlook Thursdays, One Shilling. Paris, 1938-1946W HEN the doors of the Grand Palais des Champs- Elysees open tomorrow on the Seventeenth In- ternational Aero Exhibition, after an interval of eight years, they will reveal a degree of technical progress which has had no counterpart in the whole history of flying. The first world war interrupted the Paris Show from 1913 to 1919—a gap ..of six years compared with the latest one of eight years—but the development that had taken place was*in no way comparable, even making allowance for the fact that the show was held the year after the war had finished, and for the immaturity of the art in those d.ays. In no section of this year's show will the technical pro- gress be more marked than in the British. In 1938 the fastest aircraft in the Grand Palais was the Supermarine Spitfire, which was then so " hush-hush " that no exact performance figures could be given. Its counterpart this year is the Gloster Meteor IV with its performance of 616 m.p.h., confirmed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. In the absence of performance figures for the 1938 Spitfire, it was the Hawker Hurricane which claimed the attention of visitors by its stated speed of 33^ m.p.h. Few of them could have foreseen ;hat these two British types were destined to save this country, and thus the world, by their part in the Battle of Britain. It was no mere coincidence that both France and Italy (for different reasons) took exception to the announcement by Sir Kingsley Wood, who was then Air Minister, that priority was to be given to British fighter production. Germany's only full-size aircraft at the 1938 show was a Dornier Do. 17, and its British counterpart was the Bristol "long-nosed" Blenheim. Both were to take a part in the world struggle which began less than one year afterwards, but whereas Germany was too far committed to her feebly-armed, fast (but as history proved not fast enough) bombers, we evolved the heavy four-engined bombers which were to spell the doom of Germany. In 1938 the most powerful engine at the show was the Hispano-Suiza of some 2,000 untried horsepower. The Rdlls-Royce Merh'n II of that year (it powered both the Spitfire and the Hurricane) was rated at some 1,000 h.p., approximately the same as the Napier Dagger. The power of the Merlin was to be doubled during the war, a feat which would have appeared incredible to those who studied it at the 1938 show. This year British constructors have pushed the power of their piston en- gines up to well above 3,000 h.p., but it is in the jet units that the most spectacular progress has been made, PARIS SHOW REVIEW rT>HE seventeenth Paris Aero Show opens tomorrow and •*- remains open until December I. Before the war it was our custom to publish special issues of " Flight " in order to keep our readers informed of the latest develop- ments as exemplified by the exhibits at Paris. Fortunately the paper situation, although still difficult, has improved sufficiently for us to resume our pre-war practice, and this week we present to our readers an illustrated survey of the very representative British display in the Paris Show, as well as tabulated data of all the most important British air- craft, military and civil. These tables, and the numerous illustrations, stould prove very convenient for future reference. NEXT week's issue dated November 21 will contain a photogravure supplement graphically illustrating the extent to which the British aircraft industry has gained a strong foothold in the world's export markets. It will also reveal some of the features which have made British power plants pre-eminent, whether they be piston engines or gas turbines. In addition there will be a review of the Paris Show exhibits, written by staff members on the spot and illus- trated by our own artists and photographers.
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