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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0333.PDF
FLIGHT, 23 February 1951 211 HERE AND THERE... further increased by water injection. Third of the Boeing test-beds is a B-50, lately acquired from the U.S.A.F. and fitted with a "pod" beneath the fuselage for a new P. and W. turbojet, as yet undesignated. Still Going Strong ONLY one type of piston-engined fighteris now being produced in the United States —-the Chance-Vought F4U-5 Corsair(2,400 h.p. P. and W. Double Wasp). The service history of the Corsair began in1940, when Vought-Sikorsky delivered the first prototype to the U.S. Navy. Orderswere placed in 1941, and 10,000 Corsairs had been built by mid-1945. The latestexamples, which fly at over 450 m.p.h., are armed with four 20 mm guns andcarry bomb-loads of up to 3,200 lb, are to-day performing valiantly over Korea. Deck-landing Delta PRELIMINARY details nave been re-leased of the second American delta-wing aircraft to fly—the Douglas XF4D navalintercepter (illustrated in Flight of Feb- ruary 8th). The first flight—"30 minutesat altitude"—was made on January 23rd at Muroc. Designed specifically for inter-ception, the XF4D is equipped for catapult take-off from carriers; its power plant isprobably a single axial-flow turbojet- reported to be the new WestinghouseJ-40, which is claim;d to produce 10,000 lb thrust with afterburning. No tailplane isfitted, and the fin is of high-aspect-ratio, swept-back design. The tips of the deltawing are rounded and the leading-edge roots—or "apex"—are enlarged and fairedforward to form air-intakes. Russian Air Strength THE Chief of Staff, U.S.A.F., GeneralVandenberg, stated last week that Russia had at least 450 bombers capable of reach-ing the United States from Soviet bases. The best Soviet bomber, he said, was theTu-4 (Superfortress), but Russia was working on an aircraft to match the B-36,and would unquestionably build it. He estimated that 70 out of 100 Russianbombers making a determined attack on the U.S.A. would reach their targets. Toshoot down 30 per cent of an attacking fleet, America required an air-defencesystem three times more effective than that of Britain in the last war, although the areato be protected was 30 times as large. In more cheerful vein, General Vandenberg TANK THANKED: President Peron (right) congratulates Professor Kurt Tank, designer and test- pilot of the Pulqui II jet fighter, after a recent demonstration at Buenos Aires. News of the aircraft and its designer is given below. declared that only a few aircraft wouldcarry atom bombs; even if Russia had 100 atom bombs—which she had not atpresent—she could not afford to use them all in one raid. Man of Parts PROFESSOR KURT TANK, now em-ployed by the Instituto Aerotechnico of Argentina, has supervised the design, con-struction and now test-flying of that nation's second jet fighter—the Nene-powered I.Ae-33 Pulqui II (Arrow). This advanced jet fighter has an estimated topspeed of 646 m.p.h.; its shoulder-position wings are swept back 45 deg, and the tailsurfaces—of T-form layout—have 50 deg of sweep-back. The Rolls-Royce Nene 2turbojet is fed by a nose air-intake. Professor Tank, as technical director ofthe German Focke Wulf concern, was responsible for many successful designs,including the famous Fw 190 fighter. He made the first flight of the Fw 200 Condor,and it was his practice to fly as many of his own designs as possible. After the war, herelated with satisfaction that superior speed had enabled him to avoid the attentions offive Mustangs during a test-flight with the Ta 152, a development of the "190." NEWS IN BRIEF THE journal British Engineering, sale ofwhich was previously restricted to overseas circulation, is now available in thiscountry. It is obtainable on the first Wednesday of each month, price 2s 6d,from newsagents or direct from Associated IlifFe Press, Dorset House, StamfordStreft, London, S.E.I. * * * In pursuance of its policy of sharing "know-how," the Glenn L. Martin Co., Baltimore, has reprinted 17 articles from The Martin Star in the form of a 40-page booklet entitled Modern Techniques in Aircraft Manufacturing. SIZE IS RELATIVE: The largest refueller at London Airport—an Esso tanker of 4,000-gallon capacity—was used to replenish the tanks of a US.A.F. C-124 when one of these big Douglas transports landed there recently. The vehicle was dwarfed by the 80-ton, 48ft-high aircraft. During 1950, Britain exported 20,778 tyres (valued at nearly £300,000) for air- craft; in addition, exported British aircraft carried a further 2,556 tyres. Correspond- ing figures for 1949 were, respectively, 18,874 and 3,744. Claimed to be the most powerful valve-driven H.F. induction-heating generator in Europe, new equipment built byPhilips Electrical, Ltd., has recently been installed by de Havilland Propellers, Ltd.,for hardening duties. It has maximum outputs of 150 kW (continuous) and200 kW (intermittent). A leaflet from the Acru Tool Manu-facturing Co., Ltd., 123, Hyde Road, Ardwick, Manchester, 12, illustrates a setof ingenious "finger tools" to facilitate assembly of small parts in awkward posi-tions. Spring clips to fit over the operator's fingers are surmounted by compact nutsockets (sizes 0, 2, 4 and 6 B.A.), tweezers, screwdriver-blades and similar small tools. A page ,of a catalogue of "RMB"miniature ball-bearings is devoted to their application in artificial horizons, gyro-pilots, turn-and-bank indicators and other aircraft instruments. Manufactured inSwitzerland,.these bearings are now made available in -Great Britain by MiniatureBearings, Ltd., 192, Sloane Street, London, S.W.I. A sample bearing enclosed withthe catalogue, though consisting of cup, dust cover, cage and three chrome steelballs, is of only 1.1 mm overall diameter— little larger than a pin's head.
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