FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0551.PDF
MARCH 24TH, 1949 Specialized Capacity FLIGHT 353 exactly and accurately to the profile of the former. i- Obviously, there is immense skill in knowing just what •tool to use, where to press and how hard to press in order ; to obtain the correct shape, yet not to destroy the gauge* of the material. Tolerances vary a good deal according to the particular job, yet it is common for the thickness of even large-diameter spinnings to be held within a few thous. of the nominal gauge. As with pretty well every other field of craftsmanship, there is a good deal of applied --$xt in metal spinning. It is, incidentally, worth noting that the forms against which the spinnings are profiled are themselves cast in the company's foundries and machined and assembled in the toolroom. Finally, there is the plating shop—one of the best in- -. stallations of its kind we have seen. Almost all types of plating are undertaken here, one of the more interesting systems being the recently installed apparatus for chro- mium-plating light alloy. This has been a problem for some long time, but some considerable degree of success now attends the process and there is every hope that advantage may accrue in aircraft manufacture, where a deposition of chromium could well serve protective or decorative ends. Cowlings for radial engines involve an enormous amount ofhand-built detail work. Tudor VIII Eight Miles Up Modified Pressurization System for New High-Altitude Research PRELIMINARY trials of the four-jet Avro Tudor VIII havebeen completed, and an important new phase will shortlybe commenced. The purpose of the first Tudor VIII and of the small number more which are now under construction is, of course, high-altitude research. Flying to date has been concerned chiefly with the proving of the aircraft as a flying machine and the testing of the Rolls-Royce Nenes in their new paired installation. In the near future a new test programme, involving flights up to 44,000ft—nearly 8 miles—will be undertaken. During the preliminary 30 hours in the air flights have been made at heights up to 20,000ft and the maximum true air speed which has been reached is 430 m.p.h. at 18,oooft. Previous reports quoted concerning speeds reached in excess of maximum safe speed were incorrect, confusion having arisen in the original statement between true and indicated air speeds. The I.A.S. on the 430 m.p.h. flight was 330 m.p.h., which is 10 m.p.h. less than the permitted maximum of 340 m.p.h. I.A.S. Mr. Jimmy Orrell, Avro's very experienced chief test pilot, was at the controls. The pressurization system of the Tudor VIII is now under- going modification. The original system for the Tudors was designed for passenger operation at altitudes not greater than 25,000ft. The pressure differential at maximum height is then about 5^ lb/sq in. An S.B.A.C. comment on the subject is thatj although this does not sound a very great pressure differential, it is nevertheless equivalent to a constant pressure of 5.3 tons on a door measuring 6ft by 2jft. The Tudor's new system is to produce a pressure equivalent to that at 8,000ft when flying at 44,000ft. This requires a pressuredifferential of something like 8 lb/sq in or, as a comparison with figures quoted above, a constant pressure of 7.7 tonsagainst the door. The new pressure system will be the com- bined work of A. V. Roe and Normalair. Neither companyunder-estimates the problems which it will have to solve, but each is nevertheless tackling them with confidence. Successful ground pressure-tests with Tudor fuselages havealready been made at a differential of up to 11 lb/sq in. Hitherto the blowers used to produce the internal air pressurehave been of the single-stage type, but the new requirements resulting from an increase in operating height of 20,000ft callfor two-stage blowers driven by the main power plants of the aircraft. It is pointed out that it is technically possible,when gas turbines are installed, to tap air from the main compressor of the engine. The Normalair pressure system will mostly be under auto-matic control and, naturally, safeguards in the form of valves and regulating devices are provided. Although the Tudor VIII has not yet been taken above20,000ft, other Tudors with piston engines have on several occasions been test flown at above 30,000ft, the pilot andcrew using normal oxygen apparatus. It is calculated that the Tudor VIII will be capable of about 385 m.p.h. at 30,000ft. Although this particular adaptation of the airframe is forexperiment and research, it was designed as, and basically still is, a commercial airliner. The very high operating speedand altitude of which it is capable are therefore the more significant. DUTCH RUNWAY: A K.L.M. Lockheed Constellation on Schipbol's newest runway, No. 32, which is sited in a SE-NW direction. The runway is 1,968yd long by 66yd wide. The double white lines and the figure 32 are of a special mixture of white paint and minute particles of glass, which glow when caught in the landing lights of aircraft, n 23
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
