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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1438.PDF
624 FLIGHT 23 May 1952 6/G—: Even with wheels and flaps down the mighty Boeing YB-52 still retains much of the func tional beauty of all thoroughbred aircraft. Note the "double-bi cycle" landing gear with diagonally offset stowage; the inner and outer flap sections, operable inde pendently and separated to provide a clear path for the efflux from the inner engines; the short bomb-boy; and the high- aspect-ratio ailerons, which look interesting. HERE AND THERE Jet Joy-rides AT a return fare of £36, South Africans are booking Comet flights from Johannes burg to Livingstone (650 miles) and return ing by another aircraft the same day, just for the experience of a jet airliner flight. Helicopter Postponement THE Coupe Stemm helicopter competition in Paris, originally fixed for May 25th, has been postponed until September 28th. Austers for Japan LAST Friday Auster Aircraft, Ltd., shipped the first post-war British aircraft —an Aiglet—to Japan. The Sino-British Engineering Corporation of Tokyo have been appointed agents, and other orders— including one for an Autocar—are in hand. Austers claim that their aircraft are now operating in 75 countries. Consolidated-Kaiser-Frazer ? ACCORDING to a statement by Floyd Odium, president of Consolidated Vultee, his firm is negotiating with the powerful Kaiser-Frazer Corporation with a view to a possible merger. The idea grew out of proposals to modify and maintain B-36S at the vast Willow Run plant of Kaiser- Frazer; the factory was found unsuitable for the purpose, but "satisfactory for smaller types and numerous other kinds of work." Adopted AFTER extensive testing, both statically and on dummy and live drops, the Irvin barometric parachute-release has been standardized for R.A.F. harnesses. The necessary modifications are now being made to equipment on stations. Canadian Defence Appointment FOLLOWING the resignation of Mr. F. L. Trethewey, Mr. Donald C. Markey has been placed in charge of the contracts and purchasing activities of the Aircraft Division of the Department of Defence Production, Ottawa. The Fruits of Research ILLUSTRATED on this page, the Boeing YB-52 and the Convair YB-60 represent the outcome of the biggest pre- flight effort ever demanded by any aircraft type. Following acceptance trials, an even bigger effort will be needed to tool up for one, or both, aircraft; neither type is likely to be seen in numbers before 1954 at the earliest. Dimensionally the Boeing is the smaller: span, 185ft; length, 153ft; height, 48ft, against the Convair's figures of 206ft, 171ft and 50ft. All-up weights will probably be of the order of 330,000 and 360,000 lb, respectively while, with some 80,000 lb thrust available from eight Pratt and Whitney J-57S, perform ance for both aircraft may exceed that of any other bomber so far announced. Eglinton's Display ORIGINALLY announced for June 26th, Air Day at R.N. Air Station, Eglinton, Northern Ireland, is to be held on Saturday, June 28th. American Way AFTER a U.S.A.F. F-84 Thunderjet from Manston had caught fire and fallen into the sea last week—the pilot baled out and was rescued—all aircraft of this type in Britain were grounded until inquiries into the accident had been completed. This is, apparently, a usual procedure in the U.S.A.F.: a short time ago all F-84S in this country were grounded—for just 20 minutes—for a check on ejector-seats. Adding Lightness SOMETHING like 1,000 technicians from M.o.S. establishments and the industry visited the recent exhibition organized at Farnborough by the S.B.A.C. Weight Control Panel, at which 133 examples of weight-saving design were displayed. Citing typical approaches to the problem, the S.B.A.C. quotes the fractional shorten ing of rivet shanks to give a slightly smaller head : as there may be two million rivets, weighing about a ton, in a 140-ton aircraft, such shortening can save as much as 200 lb. New U.S.A.F. Rank Titles A RECENT survey made by the U.S.A.F. disclosed that about 70 per cent, of its enlisted strength was in N.C.O. grades. This was largely due to the fact that a man's pay could be increased only by raising his rank, and skilled technicians required a rewarding rate of pay. The inevitable result was that the disciplinary authority and prestige of the N.C.O. —AND BIGGER: Similarly powered to the YB- 52, the Convair Y6-60 is even larger. Com pared with the 6-36, of which it is a develop ment, the new bomber shows a swept wing of reduced span, in conjunction with a longer fuselage and bigger tail. Both the new bombers are the subject of a paragraph on this page.
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