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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 2212.PDF
FLIGHT DECEMBER 25TH, 1947 Sometimes grotesque, sometimes beautiful, the A.W.52 may here be described as birdlikey Airborne Wing 4^ • Inspection of the A. W.52 in "Flight and on the Ground : First Public AppearanceI T may seem incongruous that what is probably the most5*-interesting and advanced aircraft flying to-day should itself be of secondary importance to the policy it repre-sents and the information it is to provide. The A.W.52 has been built purely for research and not to any specificmilitary or civil requirements. On the occasion of its first public demonstration at Bitteswell on December 16th thistailless twin-jet aircraft was described by Sir Ben Lock- speiser, chief Ministry of Supply scientist, as the first fruitof a new research policy. In a relatively small country like Britain we have notthe facilities to investigate fully all fields of aeronautics, and Sir Ben stated that the selection of the researches tobe undertaken was in itself a considerable problem. In the past we had relied largely upon wind tunnels to carryaout tests for aircraft which differed from their predeces- sors, though not in a very revolutionary manner. Weare now passing out of that stage, and design principles are no longer fixed. The Ministry of Supply's policy is tobuild purely research aircraft; the A.W.52 was number one, and several others of a very novel type would beseen in due course. Sir Ben believed that with this policy British aeronautical development and research would beput in the foreground. In particular, this new jet-powered aircraft, to specification E.9/44, paves the way for a simi-lar but much larger machine to .weigh in the region of 200,000 lb. A primary aim of all designers at the present time isto reduce drag, and the near-all-wing A.W.52, without fuselage or tail, and having laminar-flow wings, is oneimportant approach to the problem. The control prob- lems produced were, however, great. Commenting onthis, and on other characteristics of the flying-wing design, Sir Ben paid tribute to Mr. John Lloyd, Armstrong Whit-worth's chief designer, and his staff for overcoming the many difficulties involved in constructing this type ofaircraft. He mentioned the control system which they evolved, and said that the A.W.52 was the first air-designed to make use of a suction system SjL Eric- Franklin with his protege. Due to its unusual shape, the size of the 90ft wing is seldom truly appreciated. to control the flow of air over its control surfaces. Swept-back wings for aircraft would undoubtedly be a significant factor in aeronautics at sonic and supersonic speeds, he said, and the elimination of drag as represented in tailless aircraft was of primary importance to future aircraft designs for civil and military purposes. Sir Ben also mentioned in passing that research aircraft were not in themselves profitable, so the co-operation of firms in the industry was welcomed. However, the profound influ- ence of research of this nature was not to be overlooked, and it was the industry that needed the knowledge, so it would be short-sighted not to co-operate. Flying Demonstration The flight of the A.W.52 was very impressive, and the exceptionally large number of representatives of the Ministries, industry and Press bore witness, if this were needed, to the interest felt in this unique design. S/L. Franklin, the chief test pilot, taxied round to the take-off point with a precision indicative of confidence, and after
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