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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0387.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2197. Vol. LIX. FRIDAY, 2 MARCH 1951 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR G. GEOFFREY SMITH, M.B.E. EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL ED/TOR 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: fl/ffe. Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW. C.2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams: IHffe, Glasgow. Telephone: Central 4857. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Canberra Across - - - 246 Aquatic Auster - - - 255 The Human Factor - - 256 A "Brisfit" Flies Again - 259 Up and Doing - - - - 260 Flight Research - - - 262 Tomorrow's Trainer - 265 Canberra—Shows the Way . . .O F the 2,000-odd issues of Flight which have appeared to date, a few command extra- special attention among historians, students and collectors—that, for instance, which records the first direct Atlantic crossing, by Alcock and Brown, and others containing the first serious dissertations on jet propulsion to appear in any aeronautical journal. Among these last were predictions by G. Geoffrey Smith, Flight's managing editor, of transatlantic crossings at 500-600 m.p.h—predictions with which Air Commo- dore Sir Frank Whittle, designer of the first successful turbojet, was in accord. That the present issue will in due time likewise be prized as a contemporary chronical we have no doubt, recording, as it does, the first direct crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a jet-propelled aircraft without recourse to flight-refuelling. The flight is the more meritorious in having been made from east to west, in face of the strong opposing winds encountered even at lofty levels where the Canberra cruised. The English Electric Canberra's performance on February 21st is a resounding vindication of Britain's faith in jet propulsion. In acclaiming those who designed, built and equipped the Avon-powered Canberra, and the R.A.F. crew which manned it, we speak for the whole country. Nor do we forget Sir Frank Whittle. ... for Civil AviationI T is generally assumed, though not always borne out in fact, that progress with civil aircraft will lag several years behind military developments; but during the last few years—since the war, in fact—certain designs have been conceived, and aircraft built, almost side-by-side for the two widely different spheres of flying. The period must be almost unique in this respect so far as Commonwealth aviation is concerned, producing as it has two four-jet airliners before a bomber counterpart, and no fewer than three turboprop airliners of medium or large size. Indicative of the overall situation is the description given by M. Maurice Roy in his Louis Bleriot lecture before the R.Ae.S. on February 23rd. He commented that the primary reason for progress in the design of commercial aircraft was the need to use the best power plants with increased performances. Such units became available, thanks to a large and continuous rate of production for military aviation. He also quoted Mr. Harold Adams, who in 1948 said that in the race towards higher speeds the fighter metaphorically tows the commercial aircraft, with a time-lead which grows slowly but which is of the order of six to eight years. Yesterday's discussions as to whether and when gas turbines would be applicable to civil aircraft have today changed to others upon the traffic-control and navigational problems that will arise when the introduction of such machines becomes fact next year. The Canberra's remarkable achievement last week is but another- indication of what can be expected of jet power. Were it to have good cause to do so, there is little doubt that the Comet in its present form could follow the Canberra across the Atlantic. Although British, Canadian and Irish airlines are the only ones to have ordered turbine-powered airliners to date, others of the world's operators freely admit that they must soon follow suit, though for the time being they prefer to operate conventional, known-quantity, machines while someone else pays for the jet trail-blazing. The need for jet airliners to begin an accurate let-down from operational height into a congested traffic pattern, or to receive warning of diversion when still over 100 miles from destination—these are the sort of control problems to be faced. Servicing of turbine-powered aircraft is not expected to cause difficulties—on the contrary; but the increased numbers of passengers carried in larger aircraft with greater frequency of arrivals will necessitate improved services at international airports if delay offsetting the speed advantage of the new airliners is to be avoided. Of turbojet-powered civil aircraft (and of long-range military machines as well) it may be said that the considerable benefit to fuel consumption expected to follow upon the installation of axial-compressor power units is perhaps the most important single factor influencing their development and subsequent adoption.
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