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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1323.PDF
FLIGHT, 13 July 1951 TECHNIQUES FRANCHISES . . . Armagnacs dominated the aircraft park. Barriers prevented free access to the machines, but among the unmistakable features of these good-looking types were Curtiss electric airscrews with root-cuffed blades, and nosewheel assemblies which, efficient though they may be, look decidedly ungainly. The nosewheel is carried in a stirrup yoke, king-pinned at the forward extremity of a cranked beam at the base of the oleo strut. Power steering of the wheel is vested in a pair of hydraulic jacks carried parallel to, and below, the cranked beam. Contrasting in size to the Armagnacs were a couple of imported Cessnas—a Model 170 (145 h.p. Continental flat-six) and a Model 195 (300 h.p. Jacobs radial). These appeared to be highly desirable aircraft: both were immacu- lately finished, delightfully appointed and, in short, possessed considerable aesthetic appeal. Of their technical features, the only unusual divergencies from European practice were that each aircraft had (perhaps naturally) the patented Cessna spring-steel cantilever undercarriage legs and, in addition, each was fitted with the Safe Flight Instrument Corporation's stall warning device. This comprises a small The Nord 2800 trainer was making its first public appearance. The engine can be an Argus AS 10 or a Potez 6D. (Upper left) The Italian Ambrosini S.7 fighter trainer can have a Gipsy Queen or an Alfa engine, and a swept-wing version is being built. (Lower left) The M.S. 733 in which extensive use is made of press-work and spot-welding. fitting in the leading edge of the port wing root, and a bunking light and horn warning indicator on the facia panel. Another rather attractive little aircraft was the S.O. 7060 Deauville which, I believe, M. Servanty—who also designed the Espadon—devised rather as a relaxation from more serious work. The Deauville is, nevertheless, by no means a designer's "doodle" and presents a good deal of evidence of highly individual thinking. The wing, for example, is parallel both in plan and section, and is constructed in nine chordally divided panels port and starboard, each skin panel being separated from its neighbour by a slit about i£in wide covered with a doped fabric strip. The only reason I can suggest for this heterodoxy is that it may offer a cheaper method of construction (and, doubtless, repair) than would a conventional wing. Also unusually3 the aircraft has full-span flap/ailerons, each port and starboard element comprising three identical and obviously inter- changeable sections. This completes the somewhat random notes I made at Le Bourget. There was, of course, simply not enough time thoroughly to take in everything available—which, perhaps, is no bad thing, for it does, at least, leave a great deal still to be said about the aircraft displayed. SWEDISH ANNIVERSARY DISPLAY THE Royal Swedish Air Force recently presented the biggestair display ever seen in Sweden. It formed part of the Air Force's celebrations of its silver jubilee as a separate arm, andmore than 350 aircraft participated. The chosen setting was Gardet, an extensive natural field in the eastern part of Stockholm,and about a quarter of a million people attended, the spectators including King Gustaf Adolf, Prince Wilhelm, Princess Sibyllaand Prince Carl Gustaf, the five-year-old Crown Prince; the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr. T. Erlander; the Minister ofDefence, Mr. A. Vought; the C.-in-C. of the Royal Swedish Air Force, Lt.-Gen. B. G. Nordenskiold; and many foreign diplomatsand military and air attaches. The day was glorious. The programme opened with modelflying) followed by a rendezvous by two Mustangs (J-26) and two Vampires 0-28) which had started, respectively, from thenorthernmost and southernmost points of Sweden. The pilots were interviewed over the R/T. and recounted their experiencesduring the flight for relay over the public address system. Immediately upon the arrival of the King, 52 trainers information spelt out "FV 25 AR" (R.S.A.F. 25 years); then followed an historical cavalcade, including a Swedish-builtaircraft of 1919 and numerous types of later vintage, the climax being a fly-past by five squadrons of Mustangs. Next came adisplay by two Vampire squadrons, which brushed over the field at very low level. Thirty trainers gave a brilliant aerobatic performance, but the peak of aerobatic perfection was reached, by two Mustangs in close formation. Popular items included gliding, balloon shooting, and anairborne horn-blowing orchestra which played in five liaison aircraft. Vampire formations presented a brilliant spectacle asthey manoeuvred with smoke trails of blue and yellow—Sweden's national colours. One of Sweden's most popular broadcasters,Mr. M. Berggren, gave a vivid R/T. description of his sensations during aerobatics. In more serious vein was the assembly of sixVampire squadrons over the capital in order to repel a simulated attack by about the same number of heavy and light ground-attackaircraft (B-18 and A-21). Technically, the most significant item was the presentation of four of the new J-29 swept-wing Ghost-powered fighters, which crossed the field at about 620 m.p.h., zoomed to 15,000ft, and returned to perform aerobatics. Finally,250 aircraft circled the field in a gigantic merry-go-round before saluting the Royal tribune in perfect formation. After photographing the first part of the display from 20,000ft,in order to present a bird's-eye view of the field to the King, a Spitfire reconnaissance aircraft crash-landed at Bromma whengoing in to allow the film to be developed. The pilot escaped, however, and rescued the film. The pictures were duly developed,and ten minutes later the same pilot took off in a liaison aircraft ana landed in front of the Royal tribune to hand over thephotographs to the King.
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