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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1237.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2115. Vol. LVI. THURSDAY, 7 JULY, 1949 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. ED/TOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I. Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London, Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices : •.&•'.....'.. COVENTRY ' "''z'" 8-10, Corporation Street. •-••> •'.:.'. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 260, Deansgate. Telegrams : Iliffe. Manchester. Telephone ; blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. '.-• '" Telephone : Central 4057. •'-":'. •'-- SUBSCRIPTION RATES ' : Home: Twelve months, £3 Is. Od. Six months, £1 10s. 6d. Overseas : Twelve months, £2 18s. 6d BY AIR : To any country in Europ* (except Poland). Twelve months, £5 ts. Od. Six months, a 10s. 6d. Canada and U.S.A. Six months, $16. In this issue: " Foil " Completed - - 2 Wheel Brakes - »0 Gliding Instruction - 13 Giant's Domain - 15 National Air Races - - 21 American Notebook - 24 Fighting Equipment OUR belief in the value of combined air exercises and (particularly) of healthycompetition, no matter in what connection, has been expressed on severalrecent occasions in this column. Exercise Foil, now completed, provided many opportunities for matching defence against attack under near-operational con- ditions and, quite apart from the human element, there were many exceptional opportunities for judging the efficiency of the aircraft involved. Following the much-discussed and seemingly inconclusive B-36-versus-jets controversy 1a America, instances of high-altitude interception during Foil were of predominant interest. Sheer speed, for example, was seen in its relationship to climb, controllability and duration. The true operational value of the aircraft now used by our squadrons tends on occasions to become overshadowed by an isolated outstanding performance of a British or, more often, American prototype. Provided that certain minimum figures for climb and speed can be achieved by operational fighters, for example, good handling characteristics at altitude, short take-off and simplicity of maintenance are qualities which then begin to demand equally high priority. All the current marks of British jet fighters are practical, well-tried machines, exhibiting a very creditable balance of performance; it may be added, incidentally, that more than one observer has been re-impressed during the latest exercises by the excellent showing made by the perennial Spitfire—still in first-line operation—at altitudes above 30,000 feet. At the risk of restating the obvious, it should not be overlooked that aircraft in squadron service must be expected to compare unfavourably in many respects with the prototypes which may succeed them. Many months must elapse between first flight and acceptance, and between production order and equipment of squadrons. Acceptance of one or, perhaps, two, military designs for production (and few countries can afford the cost of more) is always something of a gamble and a compromise—a gamble on the exact role the aircraft may have to fulfil, on the quality of the enemy and, more especially, on the time of greatest emergency and a compromise between the many conflicting features of performance and equipment. There is little value in having a fighter which can climb to intercept a bomber force at 35,000ft and has speed enough to close in but stalls out of a \g turn every time it manoeuvres for the kill. Even the best jet intercepters lack the fuel capacity to make more than a pass or two following interception at the very high levels. Thus, heavy fire power and accurate shooting are demanded. ' ; ''~;.'iY-r : The Bomber Aspect What has been said of fighter performance and production is even more true of the bomber. Where and what will be its targets, when should it be ready for service, and what defences must it be able to penetrate? In this country we have gambled or, we believe, guessed rightly, on these difficult questions, and secret bomber pro- totypes are now beginning to take shape for use in perhaps five or ten years' time. The expense in men, money and materials which the provision of interim types would have involved could not have been justified here. Those who believe, however, that our present lack of a modern heavy bomber indicates a wish that America should look after all bomber operations for Western Union, are very wide of the mark indeed. It is a sobering thought in these days of atomic bombing that our fighter defence- force might be rendered almost powerless by an enemy which made full use of bad weather and darkness to conceal large numbers of small high-speed stabbing raids. Current single-seat jet aircraft are unequipped for blind attack and, moreover, lack the additional aids or endurance to be landed rapidly and in adequate numbers during conditions of low visibility. Development of aids to overcome these weaknesses, together with the two-seater .aircraft required to carry them, has become a vital need. In the matter of all-weather fighters, comparatively large and carrying a crew of two, we ought to follow the lead given by America—and start following now. « 1
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