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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1902.PDF
2i September 1951 381 Vukers-Armstrongs Valiant B.i. There is little to add to ourprevious observations on this splendid four-Avon bomber, so stylishly demonstrated by Mr. G. R. Bryce, except to draw atten-tion to the large, double-slotted flaps. It is doubtful whether the machine is stressed for violent low-level manoeuvres at highspeeds, as is the Canberra, so its performance could only be trub appreciated at the upper levels. Perhaps in years to comeguests will be taken aloft in an aerial grandstand (Brabazon II ?) to study the behaviour of such machines to better advantage. Vickers-Armstrongs Varsity. A standard specimen of this twin- Hercules crew-trainer and multi-purpose aircraft was statically shown. Vickers-Supermarine Attacker. As previously noted, a land- based Attacker was exhibited with full armament and "slipper" tanks. With maximum fuel load the Attacker has an endurance of 3.86 hours and a 1,190-mile range. Vickers-Supermarine 535. Though lower powered than itssuccessor, the Swift, the 535 remains a very fast aircraft indeed; of this Mr. D. W. Morgan left no doubt. His use of partialflap in fast, tight turns was interesting. There was no evidence of reheat, though the fuselage is designed for such an installation. Vickers-Supermarine 508. Points to note on this twin-Avonnaval fighter, aside from the neat power-plant installation and un- orthodox "butterfly" tail, are the "droop-snoot" leading edge(which, in conjunction with the large flaps, confers a moderate landing speed) and the four large gun ports beneath the Swift-likeair intakes. The wing is remarkably thin and the wheels retract into the fuselage. Lt. Cdr. Lithgow showed that the 508 gets offquickly, climbs well and has a fast rate of roll. For the present, its speed is restricted to an unspecified figure, but the type isobviously very fast and should lend itself to the fitting of swept- back flying surfaces. Westland Wyvern T.F.4. Mr. R. S. Bradley made a quick take- off in this Python-powered, production-type, strike fighter, though it was handicapped by a torpedo and drop tanks. His runs-past were impressively fast and, external stores notwithstanding, a fine rate of climb was evident immediately after take-ofT. Civil Types /"\F all categories of aircraft shown at Farnborough that in^ which the fewest innovations were apparent was the civil group. This, of course, does not mean that pre-occupation withthe development of military machines has retarded the progress of those designed for more peaceful duties. In point of fact, mostof the promising British commercial prototypes which made their Farnborough debut two years ago are now about to go into serviceon the world's air routes. For this reason, the Comet and Ambas- sador, for example, did not take part in the flying display, butremained in the static park so that visitors might inspect their handsomely appointed interiors. The only really new machinesto appear this year were both from the Auster stable—the versatile little B.4 Ambulance/Freighter and the lively Aiglet Trainer,which was admirably demonstrated on Saturday by Ranald Porteous. In all, nine civil types were given a turn in the air, the remainderbeing shown either in the static park or in model form. Airspeed Ambassador. An Elizabethan (B.E.A.'s class-name forthe Ambassador) was shown in the static display, and a model of this 36/47-passenger twin-engined medium-range transportappeared on the de Havilland Airspeed Division's stand. The Ambassador is powered by two Centaurus 66is. Armstrong Whitworth Apollo. A model of this Mamba-powered airliner was shown on the manufacturer's stand. Auster Aiglet Trainer. A newcomer to Farnborough, thismachine left an excellent impression of its manoeuvrability and pleasant handling qualities. The power unit is a Gipsy Major I. Auster B.4 Ambulance!Freighter. Also appearing for the first time, this single Cirrus-Bombardier-powered variant of the popular Auster series was seen to have a capacious rear-loading freight hold and an extra set of landing wheels at the rear of the cabin to take the place of the normal tail wheel. Its general configuration might be said to suggest a miniature G.A.L.60. It has a gross weight of 2,600 lb and a payload of 550 lb. The B.4's performance with the 180 h.p. Bombardier includes a 100 m.p.h.-plus cruising speed and a 200-yd take-ofT run. Even better performance is obtainable if the machine is fitted with a Continental E.190 engine. Bristol Brabazon I. Being now partially furnished, the BrabWas parked in the centre of the airfield so that visitors could inspect its interior. The machine did not take part in the flyingdemonstrations this year. The model Fairey Rotodyne showed this projected design to be not only an eminently practical and attractive attempt at the "Green Line" coach of the air, but also capable of great development Bristol Freighter 170. To demonstrate its high degree of utilitythe Freighter was shown in the static park with a dismantled Bristol 171 helicopter neatly stowed inside its spacious freighthold.A 171 helicopter was, in fact, recently flown out to Khartoum in this fashion. Bristol Type 175. A model of this long- or medium-range Proteus-turboprop-powered transport, which is now being manu- factured for B.O.A.C., appeared on the Bristol stand. A high power-loading and relatively low wing-loading will give the 175 particularly good take-off and landing characteristics. Its payload will be almost 25,000 lb for a still-air range of 4,000 miles. De Havilland Chipmunk. A civil version of the Chipmunk was exhibited in the static park. Although primarily intended for military service, this Gipsy-Major-engined two-seat trainer is also widely used by flying clubs. De Havilland Comet. Furnished in the style in which it will be delivered to B.O.A.C., a Comet—open for inspection by the public—proved outstandingly popular in the static display. A B.O.A.C. steward and stewardess conducted visitors through the attractive if conventional interior, in which examples of the Cor- poration's standard meals and drinks had been tastefully set out. De Havilland Dove. The manufacturer's own demonstrationmachine, sporting the numerous national flags of the countries which it has visited, gave convincing evidence of its excellentclimb characteristics. The engines are two Gipsy Queen 70s. De Havilland Heron. Following closely on the heels of the Dove,from which it was, in fact, developed, the Heron took off to display its ability to operate from confined spaces. Remarkably shorttake-off and landing runs left little doubt of its aptitude in this connection. This machine was sporting B.E.A. colours as it hasrecently been used on experimental services to the Channel Islands. The Heron is powered by four Gipsy Queen 30s. Handley Page Hermes V. Flown by S/L. H. G. Hazelden, this Theseus-powered version of the type now in service with B.O.A.C., gave a good account of its asymmetric-power capabili- ties. Using the Dunlop Maxaret anti-skid device, its landing run was also surprisingly short. Estimated performance figures for a projected Proteus version are 3,000 miles at 390 m.p.h. with 13,900 lb. payload. Handley Page Marathon I. This useful four-engined feederliner has recently been examined by several operators from various parts of the world. One example was seen in the static park wearing the insignia and colour-scheme of the West African Airways Corpora- tion, who are operating it experimentally. The power units are Gipsy Queen 70s. * Percival Prince. Although the Navy's Sea Prince was flown, exhibition of the standard Prince, was confined to the static display. On the Percival stand, also, there was a model of the Survey Prince, which, as its name implies, is specially adapted for photo- graphic purposes. Prestwick Pioneer Mk. 2. Being, in fact, flown bv a helicopterpilot, this remarkable high-lift four-seater (one Alvis Leonides) showed itself to have take-off and landing capabilities almostrivalling those of rotary-wing machines. Short Sealand. A smart white-painted Sealand amphibian (nowseen to be without its experimental wing fences) made some excellent "one-fan" runs low down. Further evidence of itspleasant handling dualities was also seen in the graceful and precise fashion in which it touched down. The two power unitsare Gipsy Queen 70s; reversible-pitch airscrews are now fitted.
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