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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0066.PDF
FLIGHT JANUARY I6TH, 1947 AMERICAN NEWSLETTER to the tremendous altitudes reached. Designers must have thought out this problem, but nobody has yet explained publicly how they propose to do it. In any case, why must we try these early full-scale experiments with piloted aircraft? We have already reached a sufficiently high degree of skill in regard to radio-controlled drones to warrant the use of such a method in sonic research. Even for the honour of being the first pilot to do it, the risks involved are too great. As far as further experimental work goes, it is known that the Bell XS-2 which is now being built has, among other modifications, sweptback wings, and it seems that the firm will perfect the launching, rocket motors and subsonic control on the XS-i, and then use this second air- craft for the really high-speed tests. Douglas and Northrop are also building supersonic research aircraft, and it is safe to assume that the latter will follow the normal Northrop swept-back wing pattern. But, whatever happens to these machines, it is certain that the data obtained from the experiments will be of immense value to the aircraft manu- facturers, This fact is highlighted by the question as to what types of fighter will follow those now in production. Many designers and engineers state quite frankly that they don't really know what to build, and that, until we know a good deal more about sonic problems and can decide on such things as the plan form of the wings, how much sweep back is necessary, what to expect in the way of loadings, characteristics of controls and the best method^ of their operation, we can't start designing war aircraft of the type and speed that are being called for by the specification experts. At the moment the standard U.S.A.A.F. jet fighters are the Lockheed P.80 and the Republic P.84, which latter is just getting into production. Logically these would be followed by a P.80 replacement, and perhaps something out of the North American, Bell or Curtiss stables, but so far no information, official or otherwise, has come out as to what these will be. The U.S. Navy also has some new machines in this class. The twin-engined McDonnell has been flying for some time and has made many successful deck landings. This has been followed by the North s American and Chance-Vought jet fighters, which are at".- present undergoing flight tests at TMuroc Lake. Both of A these are reported to be satisfactory machines in the 550 m.p.h. class, and they should carry the Navy along for a while. In the medium bomber, or bomber attack size, ^ Glenn Martin, North American, Consolidated and Curtiss, % and possibly Boeing, are all believed to be building air- craft to a specification that calls for four jets, set in pairs in each wing, and with an all-up weight of about 45,000 lb. At least one of these is built and ready to fly but has been " delayed for lack of reliable power plants; by the time this letter appears in print, however, it may have flown. In the heavy bomber class it would be natural for Boeing, Consolidated, Northrop and Glenn Martin all to be engaged in jet design. It is known that the Northr XB-35 (which, was sadly delayed in its flight tests by a screw trouble) has been re-designed as a jet aircraft with the engines set in pairs. This may be the first really heavy aircraft to fly over here with this type of power unit. In the jet version of this machine it will be interesting to see how the designers get around the problem of making up the extra fin area which is normally supplied by the contra-rotating airscrews, but which will be lacking in the jet-powered model. The fact that fin area is much more difficult to locate and balance on a swept-back wing design will make this particularly interesting. Probably some form of trailing-edge fin will have to be fitted. While on the subject of the Northrop XB-35 and its successor, there seems to be too little appreciation of the magnificent development job that this comparatively small company has done in regard to swept-back wing design generally. The fact that the U.S.A.A.F. has always kept its work under a very close security veil has added to the general lack of knowledge of what has been done, but the writer hopes that in the future due acknowledgement will be made to the scientists, designers and pilots who have done so much to further this type of design. NETHERLANDS SEA FURIES > . .H AWKER SEA FURIES, to standard British Admiraltyspecifications, will be supplied to the Netherlands Govern- ment. Deliveries are to start in the spring; thus Holland willhave Sea Furies in operation from her carriers little later than the Royal Navy itself. The Sea Fury is the fastest standard airscrew-driven fighterin -the world, and with its Bristol Centaurus XVIII engine operating at 4 74 lb boost is capable of 460 m.p.h. at 16,oooft. TWO-SEATER COUPE DE VILLE : This new view of a Hawker Hurricane trainer for theRoyal Iranian Air Force shows how the rear cockpit has been enclosed, as mentioned on this page. The earlier version had open cockpits. . . . AND IRANIAN HURRICANES (SIMULTANEOUSLY with the announcement of the new Sea<•-? Fury contract comes more news of the two-seater Hurri- cane trainers for Iran. Most of the Hurricane IICs recondi-tioned for the Royal Iranian Air Force have now been re- erected in Iran by Iranian engineers, aided by a small team ofHawker and Rolls-Royce personnel. Originally, the Hurricane trainer had open cockpits frontand rear, but this arrangement has been considerably im- proved at Langley by the ad-dition o£ a hood on the rear cockpit to prevent back-'draught. . Hawker Aircraft's recentlyappointed Sales Manager, Mr. F. H. M. Lloyd, visitedTeheran last November to study local conditions. He re-ports an enthusiastic reception ior the Hurricanes by Iranianpilots. It remains to be seen if thetrainer is positively the fii ^| variant of the Hurricane. MIXTURE AS BEFORIN A LCOHOL and liquid oxyi*£*• gen, as used in the German V.2, are reported as the fuelsfor the rocket unit of the Bejl XS-i supersonic research ail?craft designed for speeds up to 1,700 m.p.h. at 80,000ft. Therocket is a product of Reaction Motors, Inc., and the design ofthe XS-i was a joint effort by the U.S.A.A.F., Bell and theN.A.C.A.
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