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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0034.PDF
34 FLIGHT 1947 BO5COMBE DOWN a "batsman," usually borrowed from Lee-on- Solent or Ford, riding at the rear of a Humber van equipped with an A.S.I. This is driven down the runway at t,he desired speed and can simulate " 30 knots over the deck " and repro- duce lor the pilot the conditions he would experience up to the moaient of touch down on a carrier. A film of these activities is taken from a second van driven parallel to the first. Lt. Cdr. levers showed us how the pilot's view is assessed from a deck-landing aircraft. Fainted on a hangar door is a. highly creditable representation of a Light Fleet Carrier as seen 400 yards from the round-down and from a height of 150 feet. By the use of this picture, field ol view can be accurately measured from a parked aircraft. Many of the more recent types of Service air- craft have been designed for, or adapted to, naval requirements and C Squadron is already familiar with their characteristics. They have handled Sea Mosquitoes, Sea Hornets, Sea Vam- pires, Seafangs, Sea Furies, Seafires (including Mk 47), Firefly IVs, Spearfish and Monitors, and have proved the remarkable effectiveness of the dive-brake airscrew on the Griffon-engined Barracuda V. This device is not a landing aid, as it introduces an unpleasant yaw at low speeds. The deck-landing possibilities of the Meteor have been studied and the Short Sturgeon is awaited. Gunnery, bombing and R.P. tests are run as in A Squadron, but torpedo-dropping is left to the Air Torpedo Development Unit at Gosport. Handling of torpedo-laden aircraft is, however, an important A Squadron commit- ment. All marks of torpedo air-tails are checked. A carrier radio beacon is installed at Boscombe for aircraft radio trials and other homing equipment is tested in Lyme Bay. In a block which houses the O.C.'s officers we met Grp. Capt. C. F. S. Fraser, Superintendent of Armament, who explained how control in his Wing is de-centraiized into the hands of Senior Technical Officers responsible for bombing, gunnery and rockets, and outlined the work of the Senior Armament Research Officer, Mr. Standon, and the Station Armament Officer, Sqn. Ldr. Newman, who has charge of ranges. The S.B.T.O., S.G.T.O. and S.R.T.O. are respectively Wing Cdr. Theed, Wing Cdr. Priest and Lt. Cdr. levers (right) discusses full-load tests of the, Fi/e-fly IV with o f hi rilt T one of his pilots. A high-speed cine camera rigged to record the behaviour of 20 mm ammunition belts in a Spitfire 24. Lt. Cdr. Bagley and the Naval Armament Liaison Officer. Lt. Cdr. Maclaghlan. Instructions for the test of armament are received front-. D.Arm.R.D. (Air) at the Ministry of Supply and although a standard work of reference is available for armament,-, as on aircraft testing, special methods of test may have to be evolved. Here the Armament Research Section is called upon, for, apart from assisting the Bombing, Gunnery and Rocket Sections in scientific problems and analysing the results of trials, this is responsible for working out new test procedure. The plotting of R.P. trajectories, gun kinematics, and the measurement of strains imposed by armament on structures and mountings are some of the problems studied. Firing Tests The Armament Wing has the use .of very modern stop- butts, built late in the war, and has various '' hack'' air- craft, a Lancaster, for example, for turret trials. When instructed to test a new gun installation, officers of the.; Wing first examine it in detail for superficial faults. Folf lowing this, about 1,000 rounds are fired to check blastf. effect, muzzle flash, weaknesses in mounting and effects: on structure. A similar quantity of ammunition is expended in the air, in straight and level flight, and at very high speeds, in the last instance to study aerodynamic effects, which can have serious ballistic results. Before the installation is cleared for Service use it is tested under combat conditions, particularly to check feeding, before a last inspection for incipient or actual faults. Sight vibra- tion due to gun firing is one trouble which must be watched for in present-day installations. Bombing trials likewise present peculiar problems. When released at very high speeds (tests have been made at well over 500 m.p.h. and at diving angles of 60-70 degrees) bombs, particularly if externally stowed, often display serious instability. Cine photography is used for the stuojv of this phenomenon. y-' ", The problem, however, over which the Superintendfet of Armament appears most exercised is that of providing ranges, particularly one suitable for bombing at very high speeds and great heights. The public, the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and other Services all seem to be in opposition or competition. It emerged during a chat on R.P. testing that an air- craft with a new installation for launching these projectiles is flown to Pendine and landed on the sands for static firing tests. Subsequent air tests, before preliminary safety clearance is given for Service use, include about thirty-six "shoots" at various speeds, angles of dive and ranges. Mr. B. D. Clark, Superintendent of Engineering, headsrl i/eT
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