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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0152.PDF
FLIGHT, 26 January 1950 HERE AND THERE turbojet is in series production, and theAvro Canada Orenda pure-jet unit has proved remarkably successful in bench-tests. Further Orenda testing will be undertaken in a Lancaster and a NorthAmerican F-86. ' Startling Report AT airfields in all parts of the world,aircraft operators have encountered the menace of bird flocks; althoughmany counter-measures have been ex- perimentally adopted, the problem hasby no means been solved. The R.A.F. has employed hawks at several stations,but, as yet, no definite assessment of the results obtained has been announced.At Prestwick, high-frequency radio beams, inaudible to human ears, havebeen tried. Much research work, too, has been done on bird-proof windscreens.News of a further method of driving away birds comes from Elmdon, Bir-mingham, where, it is reported, "explo- sives similar to fireworks, fused todetonate every 30 minutes," are being placed round the airfield. Given suffi-ciently loud explosions, the system sounds capable of causing human, as wellas avian, evacuation of the Elmdon area. Sapphires in the Air HPHE list of the varied types of '' flyingJL test-bed " produced in Britain forms an impressive record of turbojet andturboprop development in recent years. Yet another addition to the record cameon fanuary 18th, when the Sapphire- RAK1SH RUSSIANS: The new Soviet singie-jet fighter illustrated above first appeared at the 4949 Moscow Air Display, and is reported to be in limited service with the Soviet Air Force. Its general layout, with swept-back surfaces and straight-through induction, is not unlike that of the North American Sabre, although the high-set tailplane is a distinguishing feature. By comparison (left) is a research type seen at the 1948 Display ; it has fuselage-side intakes and sharply tapered swept wings. Lancastrian made a successful first flight. Air Service Training, Ltd., who were responsible for the Mamba-Lancaster installation, also undertook adaptation of the latest test-bed type, which has two Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbo- jets in place of the outboard Merlins. Details of the Sapphire are restricted, but it can be said that it is Britain's— and probably the world's—most power- ful turbojet, although in this early stage it is probably flying in de-rated form. The fact that it has Mown, however, indi- cates successful completion of many hours' bench-testing. Armstrong Sidde- ley assumed complete responsibility for development of the Sapphire from its original designers, the Metrovick Com- pany, several months ago. F/L. Peter Fowler made the first flight from Hamble, landing at Boscombe Down 29 minutes later. : * '•••..•'• Testing New U.S. Fighter 1 THE holder of the world's speed record(670 ra.p.h.), Major Richard John- son, is to be test pilot in charge of"phase two " performance trials of the Rcpiiblir XF-oi interceptor at Edwards Air Force Base, Muroc, California. One of the most interesting American jet fighters, the XF-91 has swept-back wings with reverse taper, variable inci- dence and leading-edge slots; its power unit is a 5,200 lb-thrust J-47 axial turbo- jet, supplemented by afterburning and four rocket units in the tail (the third source of power has not yet been used). The XF-91's initial flight-test pro- gramme began last May and has com- prised 40 flights. Slow-flying characteristics of the new lighter are particularly interesting: stall approaches on the XF-91's .first flight proved too slow for the "monitoring" aircraft (probably a Lockheed F-80). NEWS IN BRIEF MR. I AMESBERGER, AS TVdEil WERE : In Wonder Jet, a 20-minute CentraKjpffice of Information film of jet-propul- sion development, A. Cdre. Sir Frank Whittle and Mr. W. E. P. Johnson (left), now managing director of Power Jets, appear briefly as them- selves in 1926—respectively, a flight cadet and his instructor at the R.A.F. College, Cranwell. HOWARD KINDEL- chairman of North American Aviation, Inc., has been appointed 1950 president of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. He succeeds Mr. W. A. M. Burden, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air. * * » Mr. Desmond F. Hani)an has joined tbe staff of Aircraft Materials, Ltd., Midland Road, London, N.W.i, as head of the technical sales department- * * • " In order to prevent disappointingstair-climbs," R. K. Dnndas, Ltd.. announce that, having outgrown theirSong-established St. James's Street address, they have moved into largeroffices at 29. Bury Street, St. James's, London, S.W.i. The telephone number(Whitehall 2848) remains unchanged. * • •Young men contemplating radio and radar engiaeeriag courses will find muchuseful guidance in two finely illustrated brochures, Marconi Training and MarconiCollage, published by the Education Department (Arbour Lane, Chelmsford,Essex) of Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd. Training facilities at the col-lege are available to young engineers joinitig the company and to nominees ofassociated companies and of clients.
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