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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1472.PDF
154 FLIGHT, 3 August 1950 CIVIL AVIATION NEWS . . . of airborne V.H.F. equipment capable of operating on 60 or more frequencies was expected to start at the end of the year; and that the Ministry thought that a high standard of piloting and navigation was better than the provision of warning beacons foi preventing aircraft hitting mountains. Further questions elicited the information that the London Airport runways south of the Bath Road would be complete about the end of 1952, and the dual parallel runway system in operation by the beginning of 1953; that a system of fog- dispersal cheaper to operate than Fido was now under trial; that landing-fee discrimination against jet aircraft was not at present contemplated; and that B.E.A. had requested that Gatwick should be developed as a regular terminal for some of their services. The subject of the Brabazon II brought a whole string of questions and answers. There was no intention at present, said Mr. Beswick, of equipping any more U.K. airports with runways suitable for it (" A very unsatisfactory answer, observed the questioner, Mi;. Profumo). Emergency landings could be made by the Brabazon at at least a dozen airports. Asked—by Mr. N. Macpherson—whether the Minister thought it consonant with British prestige that we should construct an aircraft of this weight and dimensions and then not know what to do with it, Mr. Beswick replied: "I think it is wrong to say we do not know what to do with it. We propose to fly this aircraft." ZERO READERS FOR B.O.A.C. IN co-operation with the Sperry Gyroscope Co., Ltd.,England, B.O.A.C. have arranged to take delivery of Zero Reader equipment and an order (payment in sterling) has been placed. Priority is being given for installation in the Comet and other new aircraft, and the equipment should be in use early in 1951. Pilots are remarkably unanimous in their assessment of its value as an aid to instrument flying, both to increase accuracy and reduce fatigue; pilot-training, also, should be facilitated. The Zero Reader does not replace the instruments of the standard blind panel, but the single dial of its indicator (or meter), with cross-pointers, gives a natural indication of the action required of the pilot to maintain attitude for all normal flying, and one upon which he can act without the usual mental effort of co-ordination and translation entailed when several instruments are observed together. The pilot must simply steer a fixed centre-spot on to the intersection of the crossed pointers. Information from other instruments and from navigation and landing aids can be fed to the Zero Reader and the aircraft directed accordingly. A description of the instrument, and an account of experiences with it, appeared in Flight of August 18th, 1949. A.R.B. TO STAY INDEPENDENT THAT the Air Registration Board, under its distinguishedchairman, Lord Brabazon, is "most competent in the highly technical field in which it labours and has rendered out- standing service in the establishment of post-war standards of airworthiness'' is the opinion of the Minister of Civil Avia- tion, as expressed in the House of Lords on July 26th. Lord Swinton had asked the Minister whether, in the light of a recommendation of the Helmore Committee, he would make a statement on the future of the Board. Lord Pakenham said that the main recommendations were that the Board's annual deficit should be met from public FINNED FREIGHTER : As reported last week, the new BristolType 170 Mk. 31 has a dorsal fin. The engines are Hercules 739s, delivering over 600 h.p. more than the 672s formerly installed funds and its members appointed by the Minister instead ofbeing nominatedf by aviation interests such as constructors, operators and insurers. In reaching these conclusions the Com-mittee were, he thought, influenced by the heavy loss which the Board was expected to suffer and by the possibility that,if that loss fell on public funds, closer Government control over the Board would be necessary. "Since the publication of the report," continued LordPakenham, "my Department has had discussions with the Board which have resulted in a re-organization of its finances.My Ministry has agreed to refund the cost of certain services performed by the Board on its behalf and certain statutoryfees, notably those for prototypes, have been increased. As a result of these arrangements the estimated deficit of theBoard will be reduced to small proportions. Contributions to the annual deficit, if any, will be made in agreed proportionsby my Ministry and the independent guarantors. In these circumstances, I have decided that there is no need to recon-stitute the Board and that the close and harmonious relation- ship which now exists between it and the aviation interestsconcerned would best be preserved by retaining its present independent status." [A brief review of the history and present work of theA.R.B. appeared on p. 758 of Flight for June 29th ] B.O.A.C. CLOUD.WARNING RADAR FOR some time past it has been known that Ecko cloud-and-collision warning radar equipment has been under- going flight-testing in Vikings operated by B.O.A.C. development unit at Hum, and also in Hythes in the thundery areas of the Far East. Now comes the announcement that, with the support of M.C.A. and M.o.S., the Corporation has placed an order with E. K. Cole, Ltd., for a number of sets, which will be installed in forthcoming aircraft—including the Comets—for regular operational use. Meanwhile, a further three sets are being fitted in B.O.A.C.'s Hermes IVs. Developed by Ecko from an original T.R.E. design, the apparatus is a 3-cm radar set intended primarily for the detec- tion of cu-nim cloud, but equally applicable for sensing high ground and for providing a navigational picture of other air- craft and terrain such as coastlines. For these latter func- tions the usefulness of the set is greatly increased by the fact that the scanner is stabilized in both roll and pitch. The equipment consists of seven compact units, of a total weight of 155 lb, including two indicators. In a pressurized installation it is operable at heights of up to 40,000 ft. Clouds which might produce severe turbulence can be detected at up to 40 miles, and cliff coastlines at a similar distance; low shore-lines are identifiable up to about 20 miles. Other air- craft may be "seen" at up to about five miles for small machines and 10-12 for larger types. PRIVATE-AIRCRAFT LANDING-FEES 'TPHREE years ago the Aerodrome Owners' Association agreed •*- to a scheme, organized by the Royal Aero Club, to issue landing cards to owners of private aircraft on payment of a sum of £5 a year. With this blue card, the private owner could land as often as he wished at airfields operated by mem- bers of the Association, without paying on each occasion. The Association now announces that it has found the scheme '' not satisfactory '' and has accordingly decided to withdraw its facilities. (Presumably one of the reasons for this move is that cases have occurred of people who were not bona fide private owners making use of the blue card. It should be stressed, incidentally, that the red-card seheme used on |»I.C.A. airfields is |pt affected.) | Wishing, however, ta continue to help private flying, the Association has de- cidAdiM £Q. reduce the landing fees for all private aircraft of an all-up-weight not ex- ceeding 4,0001b. Under the existing standing charges, the ordinary landing fee is calculated on the basis of 5s for each 1 ,ooolb, but under the reductions now decided upon, private aircraft
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