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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0747.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 April 1950 4»5 aircraft were flying one-third of the total service although theycarried only a quarter of the combined total tonnage. This discrepancy was due almost entirely to their lighter loadcapacity, in most cases, compared with that of the C-54. It emphasized sharply the necessity for the employment, on anoperation of this nature, of the heaviest possible load carriers, consistent with such operational factors as runway-strength. Some months before the end of full-scale operations, on July31st, 1949, the Air Lift had settled down to a steady routine which could have been continued indefinitely with the existingorganization and resource?. Within certain limits, the daily tonnage could have been increased by refinements in theorganization and additional resources which had been planned. A significant improvement in performance followed the pro-gressive standardization of techniques and procedures of the combined British and American force. Conversely, a diver-sity in types and equipment oi aircraft, inevitable in the cir- cumstances, intensified a number of the problems. NEW FAN FOR FARNBOROUCH Unchanged Performance with Fatigue Reduction THE accompanying photograph shows stages in the produc-tion of new blades for the fan of the high-speed wind tunnel at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. Two years ago—March 4th, 1948—the details of the high- speed tunnel were published in Flight, and so far as the normal operating conditions are concerned they remain unchanged. The fan is 15ft nin in diameter, and comprises thirteen blades on a spinner-type fairing; in airscrew parlance, the unit is a left-hand tractor, and the normal maximum speed of rotation is 850 r.p.m., this giving a flow-speed through th« working section equivalent to a Mach number of 0.8, or 600 m.p.h. at sea-level I.C.A.N. conditions. The fan is driven by two D.C. motors which, each of 2,000 h.p., are mounted in tandem. Whereas the original fan blades were forged in RR 56, the new blades are of Hiduminium RR 58. High Duty Alloys, Ltd., have been responsible for making the primary forgings, the work having been carried out at the Redditch works of the company. In the finished-forged state, the blade units each weigh 1,465 lb. Machining to form is being undertaken *y the de Havilland Propeller Co. at Hatfield, and in the fully finished state, the weight of each blade is 370 lb. We understand from de Havilland's that the aerodynamic design of the fan blade remains unchanged, but that the use of RR 58 in place of the original RR 56 has resulted in some advantage in stress loading. . . . .. . . Partly finished blades for Farnborough's new wind-tunnel fan. 5 JET MAIL TO NEW YORK A KRANGEMENTS were made for the Avro-Canada, Jetliner •*~V to carry mail when it flew to New York on April 18th to take part in the aviation exhibition of the Society of Auto- motive Engineers. This is believed to be the first official mail delivered by a jet transport and, incidentally, it is the Jet- liner's first flight outside Canadian territory. In this connection the accompanying illustration will be of interest. The cover concerned was one of three carried from London to Rome and back on the Comet's recent record- breaking flight, and although on the outward journey it was unofficial air mail, the Italian authorities at Rome readily agreed to the suggestion that Italian stamps should be affixed and correctly franked for the return flight. It will be noted Collector's piece ? A cover carried from Rome in the Comet. that the British Customs stamp—corrected from Northolt toHatfield—both inward and outward, bears the same date, and that Mr. John Cunningham, the pilot, has signed the envelopeon the right-hand side. R.A.F. Ex-P.o.W.s' REUNION AT the Albert Hall last Friday, April 14th, the R.A.F.A.held the first ex-P.o.W.s' cabaret ball and reunion. Some 2,500 guests showed their approval of the id:-a oi holding such a function, and difficult as it always is to find all one's friends in a building as big as the Albert Hall, there is no doubt that everyone had a very enjoyable evening. Music was provided by the R.A.F. Central Band's dance orchestra under the leadership of Sgt. H. Fitzhenry and by Jo-^ Loss and his radio orchestra, and the organized programme (the mistake of over-organizing the evening made at certain other such functions was avoided) included an enthralling demonstration, together with commentary by Oliver Philpot, of incidents from the now classic Wooden Horse escape. Members of the Chislehurst Branch of the R.A.F.A., who brought with them a replica of the vaulting horse, were respon- sible. Entertainment was also provided by the Luton Girls' Choir and Humphrey Lestocq, and raffle prizes (which included a free week-end in Paris lor two) were presented by the Swedish actress Signe Hasso. .Among those present were the Chief of the Air Staff and Lady Slessor; the president, Air Marshal Sir Richard Peck; the vice- president, A.V-M. Sir Charles A. H Longcroft; and, incident- ally, Padre Harry Thorpe. P/0. M. B. LE POER TRENCH A PROMISING R.A.F. career was cut tragically short onApril 16th when P/O. M. B. Le Poer Trench died at sea shortly after rescue. Following a collision, he had baled out of a \?ampire. P/O. Le Poer Trench graduated from Cranwell last year as an outstanding member of No. 46 Entry, and winner of the Chance Memorial Prize.
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