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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0049.PDF
JANUARY 8TH, 1948 FLIGHT 43 UPTURNED (EONIDES Early Helicopter Power Plant Tests DURING a recent visit to Alvis Limited, Flight wasable to see something of the progress which has beenmade with the Leonides helicopter power plants. At the. company's Baginton test beds the development unit illustrated was seen running at full power. It is a standard Leonides with rear cover and oil system modified to permit running " on its back "—i.e., with the cylinders horizontal. The first such test made with the Leonides on its back comprised an eleven-hour run at full power (515 b.h.p., 3,000 r.p.m., 6.5 lb/sq in boost), and the engine performed Sfeultlessly. The Fairey Gyrodyne is believed already to nave flown with a Leonides, but in this case the engine is the normal way up and only differs from the standard in having a special gear box, clutch and drive. For the engine intended to run on its back the rear cover has been modified to carry the sump, normally found between the lower cylinders and the C.S.U. The oil pas- sages have also been rearranged to drain into the rear case and sump. The reduction gear is to be replaced by a Borg and Beck clutch, and provision is made for fan cooling. In all about 30 hours' running have now been made with an engine arranged with drive vertical. Type test requirements are not yet known in detail, and it may be that the already type-tested engine will only be required to.make a'short run on its back for acceptance. The Leonides is now scheduled for a dozen new British and foreign aircraft, including helicopters, and among which are the Gyrodyne, Westland-Sikorsky S.51, Bristol, Cierva and also the Pfflxival Prince and Short Sealand. The standard nine-cylinder Leonides. has a particularly small frontal area for its power. The overall diameter is 42m and the weight is 742 lb. In the case of the helicopter power plant the weight of clutch and drive will be" much the same as that, of the reduction gear and shaft they replace, therefore the power/weight ratio will be similar, namely 1.44 lb/b.h.p. Creditable figures for consumption have been achieved. One of the early Leonides helicopter development engines runningon its back at the Baginton test beds. . BOOK REVIEW fffassey's Naval Annual, 1947. Edited by Rear-Admiral H. G. Thursfield. William Clowes and Sons, Ltd. 30s net."DECENT aero-naval arguments involving technical require- -tV ments for future wars greatly increase the value of thislatest " Brassey." Rear-Admiral Thursneld discusses "The Naval Prospect" ; Captain E. Altham deals with "The NavalYear " ; and Mr. Francis McMurtrie reviews " Foreign Navies." The collaboration of sea, land and air forces is the theme forCaptain Cyril Falls, and Volage sets down his ideas on the future of naval aviation. Major Oliver Stewart ably presentsthe case for "The Operational Future of the Flying-Boat." Conclusions drawn from the 1946 atomic bomb trials are sum-marized, and appendices include tabulated data for naval air- craft and aircraft carriers. On aeronautical matters, Mr. McMurtrie, in his contributionon foreign navies, seems to be somewhat at sea, and in the main confines himself to recapitulation of U.S. Navy pressreleases. In the opinion of Volage, the advent of the atomic weapon may well cause an increase in the demand for navalaircraft. There seems likely to be, he considers, a greater need for efficiency in air interceptions and a geographical extensionof the areas in which they could be made. Here the carrier- borne fighter could be called Hpon to fulfil a new role, lyingoutside the usual fields of naval strategy. The second possible demand might be that arising from the advantages whichcarrier-borne aircraft can offer for the delivery of atomic mis- siles, if circumstances were ever again deemed to justify theiruse. A remark by Volage that the Sea Fury, Sea Hornet and hooked Vampire are all "in service in the Fleet" is unfortu-nately misleading, should the reader very naturally assume from this that the types are being extensively used by opera-tional squadrons. It is a matter for some regret that the tables of data for naval aircraft are incomplete, sometimes inaccurate, and generallyin need of authoritative revision. Such shortcomings as there are in the book, however, detract little from its value as a guideto naval/sea progress during a vital period. JETS FOR JUNIORS A MONGST the rising generation a popular attraction of the** Christmas holiday season is the annual series of lectures on scientific and technical subjects organized by the LondonCounty Council Education Department. Eminent scientists lend their services (and like it) and a good time is had by all. This year they had an aeronautical treat. Dr. S. G. fif&okeriof Rolls-Royce, devoted two afternoons to lecture at the Poly- technic Institute, Regent Street, on the development of jetpropulsion. Rolls-Royce, Ltd., sent a part-sectioned Nene jet engine for examination. His talk was illustrated by lanternslides and by two films. The first, with excellent animated diagrams, dealt with the theory and early development of jetpropulsion and showed the first British jet flight by the Gloster E28/39 in May, 1941. The second was the news-reel recordof the Meteor flights \>y Mr. E. S. Greenwood and Group Captain H. G. Wilson when the world's speed record wasestablished at 606 mph in November, 1945. On the day Flight's representative attended, about ahundred keen youngsters from secondary schools, girls as well as boys, listened with rapt attention and later bombarded Dr.Hooker with serious, pertinent questions. A few brought their parents along and helpfully explained to them the inneidetails of the Nene. Dr. Hooker was rewarded by the responsive interest andwarm applause of his audience. The Rolls-Royce Co. earned full marks for treating the juniors seriously and sending a Nene—the real thing—for them to see and handle
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