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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0541.PDF
APRIL IOTH, 1947 FLIGHT AMERICAN NEWSLETTER a single tail boom. The engine is mounted in the toe of the boot, and drives a normal tractor airscrew The all-up weight is just over 2,000 lb, and it has a speed range of from 50 m.p.h. to 112 m.p.h., a service ceiling of 16,400 feet, and a normal endurance of 2\ hours. The North American XB-45 four-engine jet attack bomber is still said to be held up for lack of engines. The Consolidated XB-46, however (which is believed to be to the same specification) is likely to fly before May. This latter is one of the most attractive machines yet built and certainly looks as though it should be fast. Photo- graphs indicate that Consolidated have stuck to the Davis Nv-ing for this project, but the very sleek lines of the machine give the impression that it is smaller than it really is. What sort of flaps and ailerons are fitted is not known, but the former may be of the full-span variety. MACH NUMBERS AND "G "-SUITSS OME remarks in these columns regarding the accelera- tions imposed on the P.80 under Service conditions have caused a certain amount of discussion in various quarters. It has been reported that acceleration of 8 or 9G are normal for this machine and that these are obtainable because the P.80 pilots wear " G "-suits as a matter of course on all flights. If such suits are standard equipment in the U.S.A.A.F. jet fighter squadrons, these figures are feasible but it does suggest that this particular machine must be designed for an ultimate factor some- what higher than that required of British fighters. In other words the manufacturers, realizing that pilots will always go the limit in such matters, must feel that the P.80 will stand loadings of, perhaps, as high as 12G with- out danger of structural failure. The chief argument against the G-suit"when it was first introduced was that it would enable pilots to withstand such high accelerations that they would be pulling the wings off before blacking out—an argument that can only be dismissed if the load factors, and high-speed stall and control characteristics of the aircraft, arc satisfactory. It this report on the ns<- ot (.'.-suits is correct, it would mean , that, although the Meteor—and possibly the Vampire may be faster than the P.80 on the level, they could be out- turned if it came to a dog-fight. Another consideration is the behaviour of the modem jet fighters—British or American—under these high accelerations and at really high speeds. As a rule it is sale to say that an aircraft, with a low critical Mach number will show up badly when the loading is artificially in- creased by violent manoeuvres, even though the speed at which the manoeuvre is carried out may be some way be- low the critical compressibility speed of the machine. On the other hand, an aircraft with a higher critical Marh number may be correspondingly better behaved under such conditions. Even at low G a really high-speed stall is a pretty uncomfortable performance, but if turns or pull-outs are made possible at the speed and accelerations suggested for the P.80, then any resultant loss of control should be spectacular! A GOOD FILMI NCIDENTALLY, and although it has littlo or nothing to do with this newsletter, American cinema audiences are getting quite a kick out of an opening scene in the excellent M.G.M. film " The Best Years of Our Lives." An Army Air Corps Captain, who is trying to get on to a flight to his home town on his return from overseas, is told by the girl booking clerk, with that sweet finality that we all got to know so well: " Oh! no, that flight has been cancelled." If the audience reaction should make the airlines blush, the film itself should restore faith not only in human nature but in the Hollywood movie in- dustry. This is a film to see, and, having seen, to remem- ber. For it shows what the ordinary, everyday, honest, small-town American really is, not what the majority <>f the super-duper Hollywood horrors generally make him out to be. And it has a little flying, some excellent humour, and much human understanding in it as well. (The film is now showing in London.—ED.) WEDDING OF W/C M. A. SMITH OUR assistant editor, W/C. M. A. Smith, D.F.C. and Bar.was married on March 26th at St. Giles Church, Ashtead, to Vivienne Margaret Nugent-James, youngest daughter of Mrs. Nugent-James, ol " Whitehayes," The Marld, Ashtead. The reception, which was held at the R.A.C. Country Club, Wood- cote, was attended by a very large gathering. INTAVA TO END ACTIVITIES IT is announced that Standard Oil Company (New Jersey)and Socony-Vacuum Oil Company Inc. will terminate by; the end of 1948, the agreement under which these two com- panies have jointly provided aviation products and services throughout the world outside the United States. Under these plans, which will not affect existing contracts or services, the activities of Intava Inc., the jomtly-owned .management and service affiliate of the two oil companies, will be terminated over approximately a tvvo-year period During this time, facilities and services will be absorbed bv marketing affiliates of either business independently In announcing the decision.to discontmu<.the £nt -a ™- ^cTu^orthe^eriod/standard Oil Ca^'Pgw Je«y)and Soconv-Vacuum Oil Company Inc., expect to be in < and Socony Vacuum .^pe^tly aviation products and InSa Inc is the successor to International Aviation Asso- cia es whLh was organized in ,936 by the present paren.com- panies to co-ordinate supply of aviation oil P™^ £g L i on a world-wide basis (except in the services. THE WAR IN THE ETHER THE perfect title—that used above—was selected byA.V-M. E. B. Addison, C.B., C.B.E., for his paper on radio counter-measures, delivered by the Institution of Civil Engineers on March 27th. There could be little doubt that the use of radio counter- measures, introduced for the first time with such telling effect in the war, would be a prominent feature in all future large- scale conflicts between nations, particularly in air warfare. Now that radio had assumed so important a role in warlike operations and was likely to play an even greater part as war became more scientific, it was only to be expected that one side would do all within its power to deny to its opponents the benefits to be derived from the use of radio. Thus the Services were confronted with two new problems. First, they must assure that any radio device they use to further their war aims must be as impervious as possible to enemy int< 1- ference; and, secondly, they must continue to develop, ami have readv for use in the event of emergency, methods of countering any "radio device which might be used by the enemy. The term " radio" was used in its widest sense to embrace all forms of transmission of electric power through the ether and so included radar as well as all methods of wireless signalling. It would be apparent that now radio had assumed so impor- tant a place in modern warfare, it was likely to play an even greater role when we arrive at the stage of fighting with remotely controlled projectiles capable of carrying tremendously powerful explosives and of being aimed accurately at targets over vast ranges. It might well be that some form of radio counter-measure would be the most effective means of defence against such weapons. In the meantime the last war had shown us the writing on the wall—that a nation possessing the ability to exploit the valuable uses to which radio as a weapon could now be put would be endowed with advantages which an opposing nation could only hope to neutralize by a vigorous and carefully planned radio counter-measure organization.
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