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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1934.PDF
TOO FLIGHT, i December 1949 GETTING to know the CANBERRA English ELectric's Twin-Avon Bomber Under Construction and On Test AN aperitif before some rich fare in the form of adetailed technical study of the Canberra, now in pre-" paration, these notes and impressions are the out- come of a brief visit to Preston and Warton, facilitated by relaxed security and the guidance of A.Cdre. Strang Graham, head of the Aircraft Division of the English Electric Co., Ltd. We were fortunate in the first place in being accorded the best possible technical introduction to the Canberra— a briefing by Mr. W. E. W. Petter, chief engineer, who recalled that the Canberra idea first began to take shape as long ago as 1944, while he was still with the Westland Aircraft Company. It seems that Sir Ralph Sorley had proposed a high-performance, jet-propelled aircraft to succeed the Whirlwind and Typhoon in the low-level fighter /bomber role. On joining English Electric, at the invitation of Sir George Nelson, Mr. Petter pondered the proposition, meantime gathering round him a small team of very capable specialists. Deep study of jet-bomber possibilities brought about a change in official views, and a design contract was finally placed with English Electric for a high-altitude aircraft to be powered with two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets. For defence it would rely on the excel- lence of its performance, not only in respect of speed, but of altitude and manoeuvrability also. The technical solution, as Mr. Petter explained it, was found to lie in the right choice of wing. A light wing- loading, comparatively low aspect-ratio, smooth structure and modest thickness/chord ratio were considered to be prerequisites, and sweepback was found to be unnecessary at the Mach numbers attainable when carrying a useful military load with the thrust likely to be available from two turbojets within the operational life of the aircraft. Hence the "straightforwardness" of the Canberra's aerodynamic design. Being thus acquainted with technical background, we scaled the Warton control tower, which shuddered in a blustering rain-bearing wind as we watched W/C. R. P. Beamont take off in the first prototype Canberra. This already historic machine is still finished in what is com- monly described (though with some misgivings) as "ceru- lean '' blue; but subsequent Canberras are being painted medium sea-grey on their top surfaces, with searchlight black beneath. Beamont pulled the 64-foot-span bomber round in tight circuits, which bespoke plenty of trouble for fighters, and even managed a roll or two under the lowering clouds, recalling the warmth of more charitable weather on those memorable Farnborough afternoons. With wheels and flaps lowered, the Canberra loitered past, seemingly at the approach speed of an Anson ; but the most startling moment came when we found ourselves confronted with a wing-tip vapour trail, a few feet outside the window where we stood, and but for the protection of which it seemed we should have felt the spray on our face. Since the first prototype Canberra flew on May 13th this year, nearly 100 hours of flight-testing have been achieved. The aircraft has shown itself to be genuinely stable over the full e.g. and altitude range, but, nevertheless, as Farn- borough-goers will allow, it possesses sufficiently light and effective controls to give fighter-like handling qualities. The first prototype has already undergone its initial handling trials at the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment, where, winter weather and short hours of daylight notwithstanding, it was flown by seven pilots and D 2
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