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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1741.PDF
Ciena Air Horse. 298 FLIGHT, 7 September 1951 Cierva Skeeter WHEN development of Cierva helicopters was taken over early this year by Saunders- Roe, Ltd., it was required that the Skeeter should be prepared as soon as possible for flight evaluation by the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment, the Army and the Navy. Three Skeeters, all appreciably different, have been built to date, two—designated Mk 3—with Gipsy Major engine, and the third—the Mk 4— with a Blackburn Bombardier. This thirdtv Pe> performance figures of which are withheld, was designed to meet naval needs. It holds high promise as a trainer and general-purpose type not only for Service, but for civil use. British Aircraft, 1951—ROTARY-WING TYPES Cierva Air Horse FOLLOWING an accident to the original Air Horse, due to a fatigue failure in a detail fitting, the second aircraft has been completely stripped, inspected and re- assembled, and preliminary engine runs have been made. Instrumentation to a programme agreed with the Ministry of Supply is being installed, and it is ex- pected that ground-running and some flying will take place later this year. Empty and loaded weights of the Air Horse, with Rolls-Royce Merlin 24 engine, are 12,140 and 17,500 lb. Up to 24 passengers could be accommodated in addition to a crew of two. Westland-Sikorsky S-51 TO the credit of the S-51 goes a consider- able amount of pioneer passenger-flying with B.E.A.- and highly successful crop- spraying with Pest Control, Ltd. Under the designation Dragonfly H.R.I the type has been adopted by the British Armed Services for a variety of military duties. All production models are powered with the Alvis Leonides engine and fly at a gross weight of 5,870 lb, the maximum dispos- able load being 1,440 lb. The cubic capacity for payload is about 92 cu ft, and, in addition to the pilot, three passengers can be seated. Still-air range at 85 m.p.h. is 200 miles. Westland-Sikorsky S-55 THOUGH the first models of the S-55 are powered with the American Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine, the possibility of redesigning for a British power unit is under active consideration. The empty weight is 4,395 lb and the gross weight 6,800 lb. Although the overall dimensions are by no means large (rotor diameter 53 ft), the cubic capacity for payload is remarkably high at 340 cu ft, and eight or ten passengers can be carried in addition to the two pilots. The maximum cruising speed is given as 86 m.p.h. at 1,000 ft. A valuable feature is the complete accessibility of the nose-mounted engine. Westlond-Sikorsky S-55.
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