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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2188.PDF
2 November 1951 561 Structure would consist of an inner envelope of tungsten- steel plating overlaid by asbestos, then finally covered by sheet aluminium. With a total surface area of 45,000 sq ft, the envelope weight-estimate would be approximately :— Inner steel sheath, 24g ... Asbestos "sandwich" C.io Outer cover AI.18G lb 40,000 9,00031,000 80,000 The engines and accessories could be expected to weigh :— lb Engines and ancillaries ... ... 10,000Structural weight (bracing, etc.) ... 90,000 Military load ... ... ... ... 20,000 Fuel, radar, etc ... 30,000 150,000 lb,\ Gross weight= 150,000 lb+80,000 lb=23o,ooo 1b As a disposable unit of attack, rocket motors might perhaps be applied. As a means of passenger transport the device obviously has no future, but as a weapon it is unlike anything science has yet supplied for strategic warfare. The use of the turbojet to supply heat for altitude and, later, thrust, hardly strains the imaginative designer's brain; it is a very simple matter. Range at 50,000ft and 1,500 deg C would be 1,800 miles (22-ton load), or at 40,000ft and 1,000 deg C 4,320 miles (9-ton load). As a purely theoretical approach the argument does not consider the problem of fuel-storage in relation to such heat. But isolation is possible, and without a doubt every possible combination of practical engineering facts leads to the belief that something of this kind may already have been designed, or even produced; in fact, the author is of the opinion that some pilots have even seen such a device. It is not a fantasy—it can be manufactured here in England or any other country. It is a fact that one country, Russia, has never abandoned the study of lighter-than-air craft, nor has the U.S. Navy. It is by no means an exhausted subject, and this article is an attempt to show that consideration of the jet- ship in the stratosphere is not an idle study. DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF ELECTRONICS AN important new post at the Ministry of Supply, that of' Director-General of Electronics, is to be filled by Mr. N. C. Robertson, deputy managing director of E. K. Cole, Ltd., whose products in the radio and electronic fields are well known. He will take over his new duties, which are on a voluntary basis, early this month. Mr. Robertson will be responsible for the pro- duction of all radio, radar, telecommunication and electronic equipment for the Ministry. The creation of this directorship was announced in the House of Commons on July 23rd, follow- ing recommendations made by the Select Committee on Esti- mates. Mr. Robertson, who is 43 years of age, has been connected with the radio industry since 1924, when he was apprenticed to the Sterling Telephone and Electric Co., Ltd. From 1926-28 he was an engineer with Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co., Ltd., Mr. N. C. Robertson. **d from 1928-30 chief inspector with - Kolster Brandes, Ltd. In 1930 he joined E. K. Cole, Ltd., with whom he has been succes- sively chie^ Jnspector, jjrodustion manager, works manager, director (since 1943) an<i deputy managing director (since 1945). He has been closely connected with the production of radar equipment from its very early stages. He was awarded the M.B.E. in 1944. In his new post, the Ministry will undoubtedly benefit from his long technical experience in this country and from his knowledge of production methods in America and on the Continent. Mr. Robertson is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Associate of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. ":..>,• HOLLYWOOD HOLOCAUST GEORGE PAL, who was responsible, for Destination Moon, afilm with considerable scientific and technical fidelity, has now made an even more ambitious picture called When Worlds Collide. Unfortunately, however, the latter film is not in the same class as its forerunner; technically, it is slapdash by contrast with the unusually high standard of Destination Moon and, of course, the subject-matter of the story is really far too immense in sccpe fcr rcrtrsyal, even by the untrammelled resources of modern film-making. The result is that the film, When Worlds Collide, even although it at times arrests one's attention by the pure spectacle of some of its scenes, nevertheless fails at any time to convince. This failure must not be attributed to the cast, who are, if not outstanding, competent enough. There is little of genuine aeronautical interest in the film, although shots of a helicopter are quite impressive. French Research Glider THE Arsenal 2-301, illustrated on this page, is a full-scaleA replica of a supersonic project and has been flying for some time at Orleans-Bricy and, more lately, at Melun. The glider is towed by a DC-3 or NC-702, and is used for making measurements in free flight during eight-minute glides from 16,400 ft. Con- struction is of wood and a special three-point wing-attachment system has been evolved to enable wing-sets to be changed quickly. The wings are very heavily swept and have a thickness/ chord ratio of only ro per cent. The aileron chord is 20 per cent, and flap chord 11 per «nt, of the total chord. The tailplane is adjustable in flight and the tandem under- carriage consists of a taed main wheel, re- tractable nosewheel,mi small wingtip wheels. The nosewheel is steerable and the main wheel has brakes. An extensive range of recording and telemetering equip- ment is carried. Principal characteristics of the Arsenal 2-301. are: span, 29ft 7in; Length, 41ft; wing area, 219.6 sq ft; aspect ratio, 4; sweep at 25 per cent chord, 45 deg; dihedral, o deg; max. fuselage diameter, 5ft 5in; tailplane area, 49-73 sq ft; weight empty, 2,645 lbj gross weight, 2,980 lb; minimum speed, 81 m.p.h.; maximum speed, 217 m.p.h. The Arsenal 2-301 experimental glider.
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