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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1263.PDF
FLIGHT Twin heavyweights—the capacious Breguet Bretagne freighters. Post-war equipment of French Naval Aviation—Nord Noroit amphibians. THE LE BOURGET FETE . . . were seen to be metal-built, two/three-seater trainers similar in layout, and each with an undercarriage retracting into under-wing fairings. Unlike the specimen in the Grand Salon, the Ambrosini S.7 was a two-seater. Of the articulated-wing Rey Ri research aircraft more will be said next week. The twin turbojets of a second French research type, the S.O.30 Nene, are installed in broad nacelles with the wheels retracting outboard of the jet pipes. The Marauder flying test-bed for the Atar turbojet has very prominent lateral intakes and the Atar is installed far back in the fuselage. Private-owner machines on parade included an Auster with a Bonmartini track-type undercarriage; Sipa S.901; Vema 51 (a most attractive six-seater of Macchi design); S.O. 7060 Deauville (first shown at the previous Salon); Paul Aubert P.A. 204, a new high- wing 140 h.p. four-seater; S.A. 104 Emouchet Escopette pulse-jet glider; M.S. 703 "colonial" six-seater of all-metal construction; examples of the Cessna 170 and 195; and a Fouga CM. 13 glider. Transports, other than the Armagnacs, Breguet Provences and S.O. 30PS which figured in the flying display, were two Italian- built Fiat G. 212s of the French Air Transport company and a DC-3, displayed by S.N.C.A.S.O. and fitted with a Palas auxiliary turbojet beneath the fuselage. The claim was made that for a given distance the Palas enables the DC-3 to carry 700 kg of additional load, or, for a given load, to increase its range by 700 km. Flying-display organization for the convenience of the spectators (said to have numbered about a quarter of a million), and for the hundreds of pilots involved, was exemplary, and the occasion proved in all respects worthy of [the illustrious patronage it received. The President of the Republic,'M. Vincent Auriol, was there, with his Defence Minister M. Jules Moch. From Great Britain came Mr. Aidan Crawley and Air Chief Marshal Boothman, while representing the U.S.A.F. and Allied Air Forces in Europe was Lt. Gen. Lauris Norstad. Staff officers alone totalled over 100. One of the most interested technicians, we understand, was ex-Focke-Wulf designer Kurt Tank, responsible for the Argen- tine's Nene-powered Pulqui II fighter. From time to time one heard prominent figures in France's aircraft industry—MM. Saulnier, Breguet and Hereil among them—being called to join the President on his balcony. Shortly after mid-day—by way of hors d'oeuvres before the Lucullan banquet then being garnished—four Vampires whistled onto the scene, looping, rolling and aileron-turning with great zest. Three parachutists, with a red, white and blue canopy respectively, stepped out of a Ju 52, and a CM. 13 glider, towed aloft by a radial- engined Morane-built Storch, diverted the converging masses with a collation of bunts, slow rolls and inverted flying. The glider's performance was altogether exceptional, and bespoke equally high quality in aircraft and pilot. Sharp at 3 p.m. the flying programme officially opened—happily on a note of novelty, for the performers were a pair of Emouchet Escopette gliders powered with S.N.E.CM.A.-developed pulse- jets as shown in the Grand Palais and described in our issue of June 22nd. One had six jets, in two clusters of three, and the second had four only; but both made an impressive amount of noise (as was expected) and clipped along the enclosures at very low level and at speeds which ranged, one guessed, between 60 m.p.h. and 80 m.p.h. Visually this was an appealing little display, and in a sense one even appreciated it aurally—it was so nice when the noise stopped. Next—for the first events were, as the French say, "consecrated" to light aircraft—the Paul Aubert P.A.204 took off for a surpris- ingly lively performance, considering its low power (140 h.p.) and capacity (four seats). We knew what to expect when Sonderman lifted the yellow and silver Fokker S.n trainer off the runway, and, sure enough, it came—the low flick roll from take-off (Sonderman's signature); spins in each direction, slow rolls, and masterly crazy flying. The S.i 1 is far removed from, say, Miss Betty Skelton's Little Stinker. It is, in fact, a two/three-seater military trainer; but the Dutch pilot could hardly have given a more gripping performance in an out-and-out stunt machine. There were one or two fraught moments (or so it appeared from the control tower) when Sonder- man found himself in too-close company with the Morane Saulnier M.S.733 which performed prettily, if less spectacularly, Photographic evidence notwithstanding.'the S.O. 6021 has'swept wings. The Attacker rolls and leaves a wake in the best Naval manner.
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