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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1114.PDF
15 June 1951 693 FROM ALL QUARTERS Soviet Flying in Germany FOR two months past great activity has been observed amongSoviet squadrons based in Germany, especially, it is reported, within the triangle Jiiterbog-Forst-Dresden. Numerous crasheswere witnessed: the inhabitants of Luckau, for instance, are said to have seen as many as six in a day, and similar reports have comefrom airfields in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. A correspondent suggests that the Russian Air Force needspilots not only for its own units, but also to build up a Volkspolizei- Luftwaffe. It is a well-known fact, he maintains, that formerGerman staff officers (he names only Col. Lehwess-Litzmann, who took part in the raid on Vienna in 1938 under General Wolf)have already returned from Russia. He goes on to observe that it is curious that, on the one hand, German pilots are learning to flyin the Russian manner, and, on the other, that Russian pilots should be learning German air discipline under German instruc-tors in Russia. He further reports that for the training of crews operating thenew-type Russian twin-jet bomber (see Flight, May 25th) old North American Mitchells are being utilized. Formerly, hereports, pilots went direct from the B-25 to the jet bomber, but within the last few weeks a new version of the bomber, adapted asa trainer, has come into service. In contrast to the front-line ver- sion, it has no armament or radar, and no glazing in the nose. Exercises in Germany have accentuated tactical support for thearmy. The following types have been observed: Mig-15 jet fighter, La-9 and La-11 fighter/bombers, Il-io ground-attack air-craft, twin-jet bomber (designation uncertain), Tu-2 and Pe-3 reconnaissance aircraft, Yak-11 communication aircraft, and P0-2and Mitchell trainers. .. ... .... ...... "Civil Air Wing" Proposed THE Air League of the British Empire issued a Memorandumlast Tuesday, June 12th, urging the early formation of an air wing as an essential adjunct to the civil-defence organization ofthe country. It points out that civil defence goes far beyond the question of dealing with damage and casualties after an air attack,a vital consideration being the maintenance, so far as possible, of normal life and industrial productivity. For civil defence andA.R.P. alone, a first necessity is the maintenance of communica- tions, and an essential preliminary to the deployment of civildefence reinforcements is reconnaissance. Since it must be expected that surface communications will have been totallydestroyed, the air may offer the only means of communication. Briefly, the proposal is that an air wing shall be formed withoutdelay chiefly from ex-Service pilots who have passed the upper COMMEMORATIVE: Sir George Nelson, chairman of English Electric, presents a silver replica of the "transatlantic" Canberra to A. Cdre. A- W. B. MacDonald for the officers' mess at Boscombe Down. A v'iew of the model, and a note on the presentation, appear on p. 717. FARMERS' FRIEND: The advantages of using helicopters for pest-control duties were convincingly demonstrated near Salisbury last week, when a Hiller 360, operated by Pest Control, Ltd., of Bourne, Cambridge, sprayed phenoxyelene weed-killer over a 90-acre farm in one afternoon. age limits for recall, and that the aircraft shall be of some lighttype as used in flying clubs, or possibly an ultra-light built for the purpose. Proposals are made that operation should be inconjunction with existing flying clubs or reserve centres, or "even a well-equipped garage adjacent to a suitable open space", allbeing situated close to a Regional Civil Defence Headquarters. Resuscitation of the framework of the A.T.A. is suggested as arapid and effective method of creating the required organization. Lord Tedder, Cambridge ChancellorW HEN Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder wasinstalled as Chancellor of Cambridge University on June 7th he was, as is the custom, welcomed in a speech in Latin. Itwas delivered by the Deputy Orator, Mr. L. P. Wilkinson, and a translation would read: "Perhaps someone may ask: 'What has the profession of armsto do with the University?' What has Mars to do with Apollo, with the Muses? Certain it is that we chose you with the moreenthusiasm because we had assured ourselves that there were arts other than the military for which you cared. For you have alwaysbeen a loyal son of your college of St. Mary Magdelene from of old, when among your contemporaries you were a historian whowas also an oarsman, down to your recent election to an Honorary Fellowship, while lately, at the invitation of Trinity College, yougave a successful course of lectures. "That you have also in you the creative spirit of a painter anda desire to perpetuate what you find beautiful, you yourself avowed in your graceful broadcast talk on 'Personal Pleasures'. "Wherefor we rejoice to have with us such a man as Chancellor—a faithful son of his Alma Mater, a promoter of harmony and friendship, a lover of beauty and the arts. Though covered withmartial glory he is no 'vainglorious soldier,' but one who puts humanity before war." Some pertinent observations on world affairs were made byLord Tedder in his own speech. We quote one example: "True leadership is the product of good team-work; the 'leader* is thelast resort of the herd." More About the Skeeter THE latest specification on the Cierva W.14 Skeeter two-seat(side-by-side) helicopter, now under development by Saunders-Roe, Ltd., quotes the maximum disposable load as550 lb and the all-up weight as 2,000 lb. These figures relate to the version with Blackburn Bombardier 180 h.p. engine. Suggestedapplications of the Skeeter include pilot-training, private flying, photography, military observation and gunnery spotting, navalship-to-ship and ship-to-shore duties, fleet spotting and mis- cellaneous radar duties, including calibration. The forward cabinsection is of light-alloy sheet construction, with Perspex windows affording a wide field of vision in all directions, including directlyrearwards. Behind this a section of welded steel tubular con- struction carries the engine and transmission gearboxes as well asthe vertical rotor-drive shaft. Being flexibly mounted athwartships the engine is readily accessible, as is the transmission. Dimensions are: main rotor diameter, 32ft; tail rotor diameter,5ft 8in; length, 31ft 2in; length (without blades), 28ft sin; height over tail rotor, 9ft ioin. The figures hereafter refer to the Skeeter powered by a D.H.Gipsy Major of 150 h.p., and are given only as an indication of the performance to be expected with the more powerful Bom-bardier: Speed at max. continuous power at s.l., 94 m.p.h.; speed at max. weak mixture power at s.l., 80 m.p.h.; max. range (25 gallfuel), 295 miles; max. endurance (25 gall fuel), 5.38 hr; take-off ceiling (hovering inside ground cushion, max. rating), 9,200ft;ceiling (max. altitude for level flight, max. rating), 17,300ft.
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