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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0217.PDF
FEBRUARY 12TH, 1948 FLIGHT 189 Survival in the Air Age loans to manufacturers for development costs when it appears that such financing cannot be obtained from civilian sources." Taking it as a whole, there will certainly be much in the report to promote discussion, or even give rise to opposi- tion, but the aircraft trade will approve of it. How many of the recommendations will be adopted remains to be seen —although some of them are such direct logical develop- ments of existing circumstances that they must come about sooner or later. As usual, the crux of everything will be the question of funds, and although the allocation of these is the responsibility of Congress, an election year is a difficult time to introduce financial measures. At the moment a Republican-dominated Legislature (which may well be re-elected) is doing its best to reduce taxation, cut expenses at home and abroad, and at the same time pretend that there is not such a thing as a steeply rising spiral of costs and wages! It will be difficult, therefore, to increase any budgets, whether for the Armed Services or for research, or for the various aids which would benefit commercial operators. That something will have to be done goes without saying, but the extent of such aid must depend on many factors, not the least of which will be the political situation now and after the 1948 election, the success or otherwise of the Marshall plan, and last, but certainly not least, the loudness and ferocity of the growls that come out from behind the Iron Curtain. WATERTON DOES IT disappointments, occasioned not by any technical diffi-y but by impossible weather, add to the satisfaction which will be felt at the news that S/L. W. A. Waterton,chief test pilot of the Gloster Aircraft Company, has broken— subject to confirmation—the international 100-km closed-circuit record. Early last Friday he averaged 515.89 m.p.h. over three circuits, each of 20.78 miles, using a standardR.A.F. Meteor IV, powered by two Rolls-Royce Derwent V turbo-jets. Confident that he could better this performance(he had an uncomfortable ride, the wind gusting up to 25 m.p.h.), he later took the Meteor round a 62.2-mile circuit,having five turns, at 542.9 m.p.h. The light was failing, and navigation lights had to be used. As the Meteor neared theend of the course Waterton asked for Very lights. As it was, he. lost precious time at Pershore, where he could not see thecontrol tower and took the turn wide. FAIREY'S AUSTRALIAN VENTURE '"THE Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., have completed arrange-J- ments with the Clyde Engineering Co. of Sydney, Australia, for the formation of the Fairey-Clyde Aviation Pty.,Ltd., whose headquarters will be situated in Sydney. The new company will take over the plant and personnel of theaircraft division of the Clyde Engineering Co. in Sydney and will have access to the full facilities of the Fairey AviationCo., Ltd., in England and elsewhere. Sir Richard Fairey and Mr. Raymond Purves, chairman and managing director ofClyde Engineering, will join the board of the new company, of which Mr. Purves will be chairman. The primary role ofFairey-Clyde Aviation Pty., Ltd., will be to support and strengthen naval aviation in the Pacific. FIRST FOUR-BLADE, AIRSCREW TEST A BRIEF statement was recently made on the first tests ofthe Fairey four-blade metal airscrew fitted to a standard Magister. The report states that noise reduction was so slightas to be almost negligible, but that the normal rate of climb SOUTH AMERICAN VISITOR : Sir Roy Dobson explaining details of the Athena cockpit to the Argentine Ambassador, H. E. Senor Dr. Don Ricardo de Labougle (centre) and Commdre Zumelzu, Argen- tine Air Attache, in Avro's works at Chadderton. For the visitors a flying display by companies of the Hawker Siddeley Group was staged at Woodford airfield, ol 800 ft/min was increased to 1,400 ft/min. Take-off runwas also considerably improved, but maximum and cruising speeds were not affected. In view of the tremendous effecton take-off and climb one is led to conclude that the original airscrew on the standard Magister was of a coarse-pitch, woodentype. It is unusual to hear appreciable airscrew noise from any standard Gipsy Major airscrew turning at under 2,500r.p.m., but one occasionally hears a Harvard-like roar wher. maximum revs are momentarily exceeded on aerobatics. PYTHON INSTALLED : After extensive testing against the dynamometer and in the special test bed at Ansty with air- screw fitted, the Arm- strong Siddeley Python is now ready for fight. In ihis first Illustration of one of a pair of the country's most powerful airscrew turbines instal- fed in a Lancaster test bed, its excellent lines from spinner to jet tend '0 deceive one as to its size. The maximum power output is 3,670 s.h.p.plusl,l50lbthrust.
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