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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0279.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2195. Vol. LIX. THURSDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 1951 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT ED/TOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL EDITOR C. B. BAILEY-WATSON, B.A. ART EDITOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices : DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.I. Telegrams : Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices : COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams : Autocar, Coventry. Telephone : Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2. King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams : Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone : Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3. 260, Deansgate. Telegrams : H/ffe, Manchester. Telephone : Dlackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deamgatc 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams : Iliffe, Glasgow. Telephone : Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas : Twelvemonth; £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, SI0.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. In this issue: : Skyjeep in the Air - Making Air Transport Pay ?*. Hovering-on - The Last Mosquito - Adder ----- Performance in Triplicate Night and Day - Everything Under Control • Turbine Aircraft in Civil », Aviation - 176 182 185 186 187 191 192 194 200 Conquest of the Atlantic FROM the beginning there has been in man that which transforms all barriers intochallenges—challenges which, to all but the weakest, trigger the will and thespirit to prevail. Thus evolution receives its energy and direction. Before time was measured, the human animal gave up crawling and stood erect; now he has learned to fly, and his determination to conquer all natural barriers on this earth—still as strong as ever—has been given new opportunities. To fly the Atlantic direct was naturally the ambition of many a pioneer airman, and it fell to two Englishmen to achieve this brave feat. That was thirty-two years ago; eight years later an American, flying in a small aircraft, made the first solo crossing of this great ocean expanse. As so often has been the case, a war provided conditions in which the greatest progress was made, and a feat became a routine—in this instance the mastery of the Atlantic sky, the desire to conquer being reinforced by the urgent need to do so. In 1941 plans were in hand for delivering no fewer than 50,000 aircraft in a year, by air, from North America to the British Isles. Atlantic Ferry Command had been formed for the purpose, and on the foundations it laid so well are based the many daily passenger services which now ply between America and the European capitals. Such regularity and reliability has been achieved that a leading figure in American aviation, Mr. T' P. Wright, was recently able to quote a remarkable record of safety: in 1949, the year he was reviewing, there were no casualties at all on over-water American services. Once again there is possibility of war, and huge numbers of aircraft may be required to fly the Atlantic, either direct or by the Northern route via Greenland and Iceland. Such flights are no longer a problem to large bombers, but a jet-powered machine has yet to make a direct crossing. Jet fighters have frequently crossed in both directions by stages, and with the aid of refuelling in the air an American pilot recently made the flight without landing, while another failed by a narrow margin. As these words are written, two of to-day's outstanding jet aircraft are being prepared to make historical flights: one from the British Isles to America; the other in the reverse direction. By a coincidence, these two machines, the Canberra and the Canuck, each has two engines of the same type and bearing the same name, Rolls- Royce, as did those of the Vickers Vimy in which Alcock and Brown made the first crossing of all. And the maintenance of a successor to the Atlantic Ferry Command of the 1940s has again become essential to-day. It has been made possible by the historical flights of a period of little more than 30 years. Through the air the great democracies of the old and new worlds may be linked more closely than ever before in mutual defence of a way of life which, having warded-off the risk of spiritual as well as bodily destruc- tion, will permit men to continue their peaceful conquests and their discoveries of the good things of life. " FLIGHT " for the FUTURE WE ARE SURE that readers will welcome the news of several important changes inthe presentation of " Flight" that will be introduced with the issue dated February 23rd and, unless world conditions dictate otherwise, retained in all subsequent issues. 0 PUBLICATION-DAY will be changed from Thursday to Friday. This will facilitate distribution and also enable us to give more comprehensive coverage of week-end events. % NEW PRINTING arrangements and improved-quality paper will result in clearer reproduction of illustrations and text in the black-and-white editorial and advertisement sections. £ THE PHOTOGRAVURE section, which has long been a feature warmlyapproved by readers, will be retained, and still higher standards of presentation and reproduction will be the aim.
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