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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0271.PDF
FEBRUARY IOTH, 1949 FLUGHT 177 The transporter trolley for the outer wings had to be capable of holding the wings in exact alignment while they were being bolted and riveted to the inner wings. ••'..- Giant's Ancillaries impression of simplicity and ease of design. Actually there were a good many intricate problems to be solved, due to the fact that it was, for example, not merely a case of slinging a control surface to the approximate height and then guiding it by manhandling into the right position for bolting up. The surfaces had to be held accurately in position by the mechanical gear. In other respects, too, great precautions had to be taken. In the case of the transporter trolley for the outer wings, for instance, provision had to be made not only for accurate location but for rigidity. This was made necessary by the fact that the outer wing portions had to be brought into position against, and lined-up with,, the inner wings and there held firmly while the two wing portions were bolted and riveted together. This entailed several multi-direc- tional controls on the trolley. Or take the case of the oleo legs. A very special hand- ling trolley had to be provided for attaching them to the wing, since the leg had to be wheeled into position in a sloping attitude and then brought to the vertical. Fine adjustment was required not only for vertical and lateral angle, but the leg had to be capable of being rotated about its axis so as to bring bolt holes, etc., into accurate alignment. Even an apparently simple piece of equipment such as the tow bar presented special problems. Resilient towing from the front undercarriage leg was easy enough, but provision had to be made for the aircraft over-running the tractor. This could cause damage to the oleo leg, andwas guarded against by a weak link. Switches had to be incorporated so as to give a light warning to the driverof the truck if he was beginning to take his turns too sharply. Many other instances could be mentioned of problemsto be solved, but sufficient has probably been said to indicate that the design of this ground equipment for theBrabazon was not quite as easy and simple as one might imagine. Folland Aircraft is doing other work. Under sub con- tract from the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd., many parts of the Dove airframe structure are being made, as well as wings for the Vampire, and a number of tools for Chip- munk manufacture. One of the most interesting jobs now being tackled is the conversion of a Bristol Brigand for deck-landing developments. No aircraft heavy enough to test new car- rier equipment, and designed for such work, was in exist- ence, and Folland Aircraft was given the task of converting a Brigand. Since the machine was not originally stressed for such work, Mr. A. Beavan, Folland's chief designer, and his staff had to re-stress the whole structure. Catapult and arrester gear impose loads on the aircraft structure which do not arise in ordinary land-based operations. For- tunately, as the Brigand is not intended for actual carrier work, but solely for testing carrier equipment, the weight question is not serious, and in many circumstances it has been possible to strengthen the structure by merely using a heavier gauge of skin sheeting, a fact which makes the strengthening process much simpler. SWISS-BUILT VAMPIRES THE Swiss authorities and the de Havilland Aircraft andEngine Companies in England have concluded a contract whereby, following the supply of a large number of Vampires from England, aircraft of this type will be manufactured under licence in Switzerland, thus increasing overall output. Following Swiss experience with Vampire is has been evolved the Vampire Mk. 6, closely resembling the Mk. 5 as supplied to the Royal Air Force, but powered by a Goblin 3 turbojet of 3,300 lb static thrust. (The Mk. 5 has the Goblin 2 of 3,000 1b). Increased thrust is especially valuable in Switzer- land, where short take-off runs with full war load are con- stantly demanded. Deliveries to Switzerland of the first of 75 Vampire 6s are now starting. It was recently announced in Berne that a hundred Vampires will be built initially in the Swiss factories, though, as is usual under licence agreements, a certain number of components B 27 and various materials will be supplied from England in the early stages of the project. The Goblins will all be built by the de Havilland Engine Company. A de Havilland statement points out that to take on the manufacture of a modern aircraft under the technical guidance of the designing company is a project involving several years of co-operative international effort and organization. The choice of the Vampire by many countries which occupy key positions in world affairs, it is affirmed, may be taken as an indication that the Vampire design, from the point of view of the airframe and the power plant, will be vigorously devel- oped, for such elaborate preparation would be unwise unless there was confidence that the type would hold a pre-eminent position among the world's fighters of the new generation. No precise information 011 forthcoming Vampire develop- ments may yet be divulged.
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