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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1117.PDF
JULY 22ND, 1948 FLIGHT Ci<il Approval for the Ghost The D.n. Comet Advances Through Another Development Stage FOLLOWING in the footsteps of the Goblin, its smallerrelation which was the first turbojet to receive Serviceapproval, the de Havilland Ghost turbojet has now become the first in its class to obtain full A.R.B. approval for civil operation. The test necessitated a 150-hour run under very arduous conditions, and the purpose was to prove the durability of the unit as a part of its intensive development programme in preparation for installation in the D.H.106 Comet. Many thousands of hours of flight development have been completed by the Ghost in the Lancastrian test bed and in the Ghost-Vampire. Together these two aircraft have en- abled high- and low-speed investigations from ground level to nearly 60,000ft to be made. The main components of the test Ghost had run for more than 100 hours before the approval run was commenced. The rating established is of 4,450 lb static thrust, with an overhaul period of 250 hours subject to an agreed inspec- tion schedule. In the following months, in the next stage of development, the aim will be to increase durability and at the same time bring the approved thrust rating up to the designed 5,000 lb. It is well known that the de Havilland company favours the single-sided impellor, direct-entry type of turbojet. In connection with the Ghost installation, they point out that icing dangers are minimized by this type of air intake, and The D.H. Ghost during its 150-hr civil type-test run. that the absence of a plenum chamber, or the need to pass air around' the engine, permits a simple and light cowling, and also enables the hot and cold sections ot the engine to be separated within the cowling by fireproof bulkheads. The importance of the 500 m.p\h. Comet airliner and its Ghost power units to the future of British airlines cannoi be overestimated. The passing of this gruelling civil engine type-test is an encouraging indication of continued satis- factory progress towards a first flight in 1950. THE BERLIN AIR LIFT "T>OTH the Air Minister, the Rt. Hon. Arthur Henderson, and-D Lord Tedder have been to Germany to watch the Berlin air lift in operation. On his return the Air Minister gave aPress conference with A.V-M. Hardman, Assistant Chief of Air Stafi, Operations, in attendance. Mr. Henderson revealedthat from June 29th, when the lift started with some 50 Dakotas, until noon on July 15th, 2,461 loads had been flowninto Berlin. To take the increased traffic, a new airfield has been con-structed at Fassburg in the British Zone, and a runway length- ened at Gatow. The Gatow runway, extended to 2,000 yards,was expected to be in operation by last week-end. Although he gave the number of loads arriving in the city, Mr. Hender-son refused to quote the number of aircraft employed on the lift. Servicing is proving to be somewhat of a problem, buta certain amount of it is being done in Britain and the remain- der on the Continent. Reserve air crews and ground crewsarc being sent to Germany as they become available but more are still wanted, especially for the Yorks. All Transport Com-mand's scheduled services to the Middle and Far East have been cancelled in order to divert aircraft to Germany, an*B.O.A.C. is taking over these commitments. «»»•• As is the case whenever or wherever the Royal Air FoflSte £as;i real job in hand, morale is extremely high. Mr. Hendeisaip, in answer to a question from Flight's representative, made thedefinite statement that "winter will not ground the R.A.F." Nevertheless, there is, during the winter, abundant Q.B.I.in the area of the corridors. The Air Minister was careful to emphasize the fact thatnothing like the peak had been reached, nor had air traffic at '•atow reached saturation point. It was also stated at the1 onference that the employment of Bomber Command aircraft iiad been considered but not so far adopted. The Air Ministry,tlie same evening, went further stating that final arrangements were being made to use Lancasters and Lincolns. The Russians, in their endeavour to make the air lift as diffi-cult as possible, announced that aircraft of the Russian Air l'orce would be carrying out exercises over the areas covered"y the corridors and also that the whole question of air corri- dors would have to be reconsidered. As a reply to the former,British jet fighters are being held in readiness to escort the' transport aircraft in case the Russians interfere with them.Regarding the latter, G/C. H. M. S. Wright, of the Air Branch of the Control Commission has said that there appears to bevery little the Russians could do to alter the present four-power arrangements and that even if an attempt was made to laydown new regulations they would not be recognized as rules bv any of the other Powers. Over last week-end some sixty U.S.A.F. Superfortressesarrived in Britain, ostensibly on a training flight. It has not been stated whether they will join in the air lift, but these,together with another 30 of the same type already in Germany, would be a valuable addition to the aircraft already being usedby the Americans. In addition a further 70 Skymasters are on their way to Germany, making, in all, 130 C-54S. As we go to press the average number of loads taken eachday into Berlin amounts to about 500, of which some -:i'5 are flown by the R.A.F. About 2,250 tons of supplies per day,including coal, are now reaching the beleagured city, but General Clay, the U.S. Military Governor, has said that theair lift could be "stepped up to 5,400 tons a day and con- tinued at that figure indefinitely." Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder's visit was moredirectly concerned with the welfare of R.A.F. personnel en- gaged in the operation than the air lift itself. Accompaniedt>y Lady Tedder and Air Marshal Sir Arthur Sanders, Com- <#i»nder-m-Chief British Air Forces in Germany, the C.A.S.was met at Gatow by A. Cdre. R. N. Waite, head of the British air branch in Berlin, and G/C. B. C. Yarde, Officer Command-ing Gatow Airport. Later the British Military Governor, General Sir Brian Robertson, landed for a short talk. NO GARDEN PARTY OWING to the many events scheduled for this summer thecouncil of the Royal Aeronautical Society has decided not to hold its annual garden party this year. For the last twoyears this event has been held in conjunction with the S.B.A.C. displays, but this year it was not possible to do so at Farn-borough, and it appears likely that next year the R.Ae.S. Garden Party will be held, as before the war, independentof the S.B.A.C. display, and probably early in the summer.
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