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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0162.PDF
IO2 Fighters de Havilland Venom fighter-bomber, a Vampire development, powered by a D.H. Ghost turbojet of 5,000!b static thrust. greater degree than any other fighter. An experimental wing for the Lockheed Shooting Star has been built in magnesium alloy, with resultant simplicity and—by virtue of the thick skin—favourable aerodynamic qualities. No substantial weight-saving is claimed in this instance. The Sabre has a very thin wing, swept back at 35 deg utilizing sandwich-type construction, with the struc material laminated between inner and outer tapered skins" There are no ribs in the inner sections of the wing, at the root of which the sjrin is milled from sheet Jin thick. Up to the present, designers have shown reluctance to use more than 35 degrees of sweep, but a 60-deg angle may eventually become common. There is a large measure of agreement that the ultimate development of sweep-back will be the delta, or triangular, plan form, having very sharply swept leading edges and a near-straight trailing edge. Especially suitable for supersonic flight, this con- figuration offers a favourable structural arrangement, a relatively small degree of stability change in the transonic regime and, if of lower aspect ratio than 2.5, elimination of tip stalling. Being deep in section, the classic Lippisch delta wing allows generous space for fuel and service load. Full-scale flight research with the Convair XF-92A delta is well advanced and new British designs of similar form are probably under development. A Martin-Bakefp'roiect- for a delta fighter has, in fact, been displayed as a moael but such information as has been released concerning the Avro 707 has not been linked with any fighter project. From America come reports of a Convair intercepter, de- signed in the light of experience with the XF-92A, and a twin-jet Douglas delta for the U.S. Navy. But the fighter designer is generally required to reconcile very high speed, for the attainment of which sharp sweep- back or the delta wing form are indicated, with tractability at altitude. In the latter respect British fighters in general, and the de Havilland family in particular, are at present un- surpassed. It will be appreciated that as height increases FLIGHT, 26 January 1950 and the stalling speed rises, the range of speed betweert- the stall and the onset of compressibility is reduced, and ultimately eliminated; therefore it becomes necessary to delay this occurrence to the highest possible altitude. Pre- requisites for good handling qualities at height are low wing loading (to allow high-g turns and pull-outs), low span loading, and low thrust loading, which together make for a small turning radius and high attainable ceiling. To enable the pilot to bring his guns to bear, precision of control is vital. In this connection it is claimed for the special long-span Ghost-Vampire which, on March 23rd, 1948, achieved a world's altitude record of 59,446ft, that no serious deterioration in handling qualities was noted eyen at the highest altitudes. Stability remained good ind, though the aircraft was sensitive fore and aft, it was flown " hands off " at its ceiling. It was further reported that there was no tendency to rapid, unheralded straying into a stall or compressibility trouble as a result of changes in thrust or flight path. At 60,000ft pressure-altitude there was a speed range of 35 m.p.h. (120-155 m.p.h. indicated air speed), with a rapid improvement as altitude was de- de Havilland Vampire Type 113 two-seater night-fighter, fitted with a D.H. Goblin 4 turbojet of 3,5501b static thrust. Gloster Meteor 8, a development of the Meteor 4, powered by two Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojecs. de Havilland Sea Vampire naval fighter (Goblin). Note flap area andarrester hook on this Naval development of the Vampire. Wl M N^^P
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