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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0359.PDF
MARCH I8TH, 1948 FLIGHT " Flight " photograph. er than standard toAlthough it comes in fast, the Trent-Meteor is no trouble on the approach and landing. The undercarriage legs are give airscrew tip clearance. TRENT METEOR "In the Air" First_ Experience of Airscrew-Turbines : Pitch and Jet-Pipe ^i^ Temperature Control for Economy By Wing Cdr. MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. _.*' FOR many months past the Rolls-Royce flight develop-ment section has been studying control problems inconnection with airscrew-turbines, using two Trent engines in a Meteor. W/C. McDowell, who must certainly have more hours' experience with this type of unit than any other man, has done most of the flying. The develop- ment programme has now been completed with these engines, and pilots from Boscombe, Farnborough and other establishments have been invited to fly the aircraft before it is dismantled. Recently Flight also took the opportunity to fly it in order A record impressions of the handling 01 the Trents, and of flying jp. a "propjet" aircraft. It is not the in- tention to describe the handling chaT- acteristics of the aircraft except in so far as they are related to the engine's. The Meteor airframe is an old Mk. 1 with hinged cockpit enclosure and long undercarriage to give airscrew tip clearance, and the Trents are purely development units comprising pure- jet Derwent Us to which have been fitted shafts and reduction gearing in order that a proportion of the power may be absorbed in airscrew thrust. Power output is made up from 750 s.h.p. and 1,000 lb thrust. As a re- sult of modifications, the Trent-Meteor is heavier than any of the standard marks. Reference has already been made Preparing to take off in the old Mk. I Meteor, ks Rolls-Royce Trents are basically Derwent Us with reduction gears0j»& tWit/feW ShaJT "Flight" photograph. to the engines, and to the early difficulties experi- enced in controlling them (Flight dated June 24th, 1947). Summarizing briefly, the aim has been to produce satis- factory single-lever control for airscrew turbines, i.e., fuel pressure, and appropriate airscrew pitch must be selected automatically according to the setting of a single '' throttle '' lever. Some mention of the parallel problems on the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba is made on pages g and h in the centre pages of this issue.
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