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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0574.PDF
258 FROM ALL QUARTERS . . . Shorts to Build Comets A JOINT announcement by Short Brothers and Harland, Ltd., and the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd., states that, with a view to doubling the output of Comet jet airliners, they have come to an agreement for the manufacture of Comets (Series II, we understand) at the Short Bros, and Harland works at Belfast. It is the intention "to utilize the resources of the two companies to achieve maximum efficiency," and the first aircraft from the new production line should emerge in 1954. The marketing of the Comet will continue to be handled by the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd. Short Brothers and Harland also announce changes in the staff of certain departments. The two chief appointments are those of Mr. P. S. Lewis, A.F.R.Ae.S., to the post of superintendent of research and development and of Mr. R. Beaney, A.F.R.Ae.S., to that of experimental shop manager. Both these departments have only recently been formed; as is commonly the case, the former deals chiefly with more fundamental research, while the experi mental shop will be responsible for prototype production. Mr. Lewis has Mr. J. C. Bissett, Wh.Sc, A.C.G.I., A.M.I.Mech.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., as his deputy. Other recent appointments include : Mr. W. Brunskill as an assistant designer; Mr. E. Lloyd Thomas, B.Sc.(Hons.), A.C.G.I., as instrumentation engineer to the company's precision engineering division; and Mr. S. Johnston as works engineer. Rising Wind FLOWN by M. Marchandeau, production test pilot of the French S.N.C.A.S.E. works, a Mistral (Nene-Vampire) fighter —of the type illustrated on page 177 of Flight for February 15th last—has climbed to 40,000ft in 9 min 45$ sec. It may be recalled that the special long-span Ghost-powered Vampire which attained a height of 59,446ft in March, 1948, passed the 40,000ft level 7J min after take-off. Damaged Canberras: Employee Sentenced AT Liverpool Assizes last Friday, Derek Butler, a 22-year-old • fireman at an aircraft factory, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. On January 24th, at Lancaster Assizes, he had pleaded guilty to causing malicious damage to Canberra bombers at the Warton airfield of the English Electric Co. Evidence had then been given of a control-tube being found partly sawn through, and of other damage. Passing sentence, Mr. Justice Finnemore told Butler that his act might have resulted in a terrible disaster and loss of life. "I am satisfied from what the police say that there was nothing in this other than mischief and wrong conduct," added the Judge. "There is no suggestion that you were, with anybody else, trying to sabo tage aeroplanes." Decca for B.E.A. FOR years now, Flight has consistently advocated the use of the Decca navigator system for aircraft; it is thus with satisfaction that we can now report that British European Airways have decided, subject to a satisfactory contract agreement, to adopt the system for Operation of the Corporation's fleet. By this decision, B.E.A. have taken a step which will not only increase the opera tional effectiveness of its aircraft, but which will also bring economies and promote safety. That Decca is the most satisfactory aid for helicopters was stated by Mr. Peter Masefield in January. It is to be hoped that other airlines will follow the lead now given. A common argument levelled against Decca is that it is limited to Europe and is thus inapplicable to aircraft operating extra- European routes. The Decca Navigator Company's answer to this is their new Integrated Track-Range (I.T.R.) system. How long it may be before I.T.R. becomes accepted would, however, seem to depend on potential user-demand. For readers who wish to refresh their knowledge of Decca, the more recent main articles dealing with the system were published in Flight on June 2nd, 1949, and January nth, 1951. What, no Sabres? SPECIAL flights will probably be made over America's airways by an Avro Canada Jetliner, a Douglas F3D Skyknight night- fighter and two North American B-45 Tornado bombers as part of a $1.4 million C.A.A. jet-aircraft test programme requested by President Truman. The President said that a number of air craft will be extensively operated in order to collect needed inform ation on jet operation and the associated problems of air safety and air-traffic control. The tests, scheduled to last until June 30th, I953> will include 365 hours of operational tests with the Jetliner, 325 hours with the Skyknight and 100 hours with the Tornadoes. The Air Transport Association has told the C.A.A. Prototype FLIGHT Committee that the airlines are in favour of the proposed prototype testing plan, and has listed 28 specific questions they need to have answered before they can complete specifications for a new jet transport design. Once these are answered, the airlines plan to deal directly with manufacturers to have one or more jet transports built. The A.T.A. does not want any special subsidy to help in building a prototype jet transport. Last year Congress refused a C.A.A. budget request for proto type funds to test a B-45 in simulated airline operations, but the new programme is wider in scope. Delivery Times and Costs A IR and Navy Estimates, and a Second Report from the Select **- Committee on Estimates, have been dealt with at some length on pages 263-264. Below are some figures for delivery times and costs oi equipment, which are both revealing and of general interest. These are taken from lists included in Appendices 7 and 8 of the Select Committee's Report. The present time-lag between receipt of indents from customer Departments and com mencement of delivery of equipment to the Forces may be taken approximately as follows :— INTERVAL BETWEEN ORDERING AND DELIVERY Monthi 18 to 24 10 to 12 24 15 to 18 Heavy and medium guns Ammunition Armoured vehicles Unarmoured vehicles Aircraft: Existing types 18 to 26 New types 23 to 29 Radio and radar: Follow-on contracts 0 to 12 Current designs not in current production 15 to 18 New designs 4 REPRESENTATIVE PRICES OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT Store Clothing and textiles: R..A.F. jackets (serge) (other airmen) Ammunition: 20 mm ball cartridges (linked and packed), per 1,000 60 lb H.E. aircraft rocket projectile Weapons: Rocket launcher 20 mm aircraft gun A.F.V.s: Centurion Aircraft: General reconnaissance A.O.P Fighter Bomber Transport Elementary Trainer 1945 Price £ s. c , 1 6 1C 114 11 4 12 83 3 44,845 0 1,090 0 9,680 0 15,915 0 45,240 0 1,100 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 Feb.1951 Price £ 2 190 9 73 150 35,000 105,055 2,875 16,160 77,600 91,395 3,120 s. 6 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 d. 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Latest Price £ 2 200 13 62 150 38,000 114,695 2,890 16,720 89,105 91,550 3,220 s. d. 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The cost figure under the heading of "bomber" presumably refers to a twin-engined light bomber design. Certainly the cost bears no relationship to new jet bombers of the Valiant type. The Royal Air Force no longer employs elementary trainers, the requirement now being for a basic machine of the Provost type; thus the figure for elementary trainers is probably representative of aircraft used in the Reserves, such as the Chipmunk. SECOND PROTOTYPE of the Hindustan HT-2 trainer, flown on February 19th from the makers' works at Bangalore in the presence of Air Marshal G. £. Gibbs, C.-in-C. of the Indian Air Force. This latest aircraft has a Cirrus Major III engine and a modified tail unit. The first prototype, it will be remembered, was lost during spinning tests last summer.
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