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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1820.PDF
4 FROM ALL "Bill" Saves the Records THE week's good show was put up by Gloster's chief test pilot, S/L. W. A. ("Bill") Waterton, A.F.C. and Bar, whose exploit involved the first prototype Gloster G.A.5 delta-wing multi purpose fighter, as now on order for R.A.F. re-equipment. After a test flight from Boscombe Down on Sunday, June 29th, the G.A.5 developed trouble with a new elevator control and Waterton decided that, rather than bale out, he would set the machine down on the main runway. In this undertaking the undercarriage was wrecked. The big fighter skidded along on its belly, slewed round and caught fire. Waterton grabbed the cinefilm from the automatic observer and leaped clear—not, however, without sustaining slight burns. Fire crews quenched the flames before the G.A.5 was totally consumed. Interviewed after the incident, Waterton paid tribute to the delta construction in saving the machine from greater damage during the landing. He is further quoted as saying : "I was not doing any special manoeuvres; they had been completed. I was just using the wonderful weather and testing some new elevator controls. However, there will soon be another G.A.5 in the air. It is a super-priority production job for us and this bad luck will only stimulate us that much more." Award to Brigadier-General Lewin THE Committee of the Royal Aero Club has awarded Brig.-Gen. Arthur Corie Lewin, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., a Bronze Medal of the Royal Aero Club for his outstanding record of private flying over a number of years. Brig.-Gen. Lewin was born on July 26th, 1874, and learned to fly in 1931, obtaining his pilot's licence at the age of 57. He flew solo to Kenya in 1931 and back again in 1932. Between 1935 and 1937 he flew to and from Kenya by various routes. On one occasion, it will be remembered, he force-landed in the Sudan swamps, where he remained for ten days. During the war he flew as a sub-area commander and, later, as welfare officer, with Royal Air Force East African Command. He has owned ten aeroplanes and flown over 2,300 hours as a private pilot. Since 1935 he has taken part in six air races, three of which he won, and he was second in the King's Cup Air Race in 1937. This year, at the age of 77, he won the East Africa Aerial Derby. The medal was presented to Mrs. Lewin, in the absence of her husband, by Mr. Whitney Straight, on June 25th. G.A.P.A.N. Awards FOR further outstanding work in air navigation, and in particular for his pioneer work in opening up the direct Australia-South America route, Capt. P. G. Taylor of Trans-Oceanic Airways has been awarded the Johnson Trophy for the second year in succession by the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. The Guild's Cumberbatch Trophy for the same period (1950-51) has been awarded to Tasman Empire Airways for their record of safety and regularity in operating passenger, freight and mail services, in particular on the Auckland-Sydney, Wellington- Sydney and Auckland-Fiji routes. Over the past 11 years, T.E.A. has operated without any major accident and without injury to any passenger or crew-member, and has maintained 96-100 per cent regularity on the routes named. W/C. Barry T. Aikman, chairman of Aquila Airways, receives the Brackley Trophy for pioneer work in the development and operation of an aerial public-transport service using flying-boats. The Guild states that a considerable contribution has been made to the organization and improvement of operation of these craft by his "enterprise in launching scheduled flying-boat services in these difficult years . . . when many major operators have dis carded the use of these vehicles, despite their high popularity with many experienced air travellers." Hunting Aerosurveys' Laboratories PfTRODUCING Mr. Reginald Maudling, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the M.C.A., who opened the new aerial-survey laboratories of Hunting Aerosurveys, Ltd. at Boreham Wood on June 27th, Mr. C. P. M. Hunting welcomed him not only in his official capacity but also as the MP. in whose constituency the new laboratories stood. Mr. Hunting also reminded those present that the company had done work in almost every country in the world, except those behind the Iron Curtain. In his address Mr. Maudling said, "The work being done by a private-enterprise organization such as the Hunting aerial survey group of companies all over the world is of immense importance to this country at the moment. Not only is it bringing in foreign exchange, but it is opening up the undeveloped areas of the world and uncovering hidden resources of timber, oil, minerals, FLIGHT, 4 July 1952 QUARTERS water and metals—and so bringing us those essential raw materials that we must have to develop our standards of living." Mr. Wills, managing director, told Mr. Maudling that the company had started in 1919 and had made an important contri bution to the war effort during 1939-45. Jet Aid from France BRITISH Commonwealth sales of the S.N.C.A.S.O. "booster power-unit" (consisting of a Turbomeca Palas turbojet housed in a practically self-contained Fouga-designed nacelle) are to be handled by Aerocontacts, Ltd., who recently obtained a similar concession for the S.O.30 Bretagne airliner. Producing 350 lb static thrust on fuel from the main aircraft supply, the Palas is put forward as a useful method of improving the performance of twin-engined airliners, in compliance with I.C.A.O. requirements. The following advantages are claimed for an aircraft equipped with one, or two, of these units, which weigh 210 lb and measure 5ft 3m long by 17.7m in diameter; greater safety if one [piston] engine fails on take-off; increased service ceiling on one engine; increased range; increased payload [1,000 lb in the case of the Dakota with one Palas]; ability to use smaller airfields and those at higher altitude or temperature. The sound of the jet is stated to be inaudible above the noise of the main engines. Maintenance, it is claimed, is practically negligible, since the Palas would normally be used for about 50 hours on an aircraft flying 1,500 hours in a year, and the life of the jet unit is around 500 hours. S.N.C.A.S.O. have conducted some interesting tests on a DC-3 equipped with a Palas beneath the fuselage, and it is hoped to publish some of the results in the near future. Busy at Hamble THE history of Air Service Training, Ltd., which appeared in our issue for June 20th, touched but lightly upon the company's Aircraft Division, the 21st anniversary being applicable to the Training Division only. But the manufacturing side of A.S.T. is now preparing to taper off Meteor production and replace this with new undertakings. The Hawker Hunter will soon occupy a major place in the A.S.T. production picture, and the jig and tool departments are now tooling up for component manufacture for this fighter. A still newer commitment is the establishment of a G.A.5 shop, in which prototype components have been made; no doubt full-scale pro duction will follow. Finally, it will be recalled that A.S.T. have built up a reputation as manufacturers of test-bed aircraft—with, for example, the Sapphire-Meteor and the Saab-axial-turbojet Lincoln. The newest such conversion is a twin-Atar Meteor, which has been prepared for the French S.N.E.C.M.A. group. The Atar is a large axial-flow turbojet of some 7,000 lb static thrust. A recent visitor to A.S.T.—on June 23rd—was Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Trenchard, who inspected all depart ments of both the company's divisions and took tea in the students' mess. It is appropriate to recall that A.S.T.'s managing director, G/C. R. J. F. Barton, O.B.E., served under Lord Trenchard in the Royal Fusiliers and again in 1914 at the Central Flying School. Mr. Frederick Mew IT is with regret that we have to record the death on June 18th of Mr. Frederick Mew, sales manager of Desoutter Bros., Ltd. Having spent over twenty years with Beardmore Motors, Ltd., Mr. Mew joined the Desoutter company in January, 1939, as assistant sales manager. NATO Air Display T HE first annual air "demonstration" of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is to be held in Belgium this month. Of the signatory nations (in addition to Belgium as host), Britain Canada, France, Holland and the U.S.A. have all promised full support, and smaller contingents are expected from Italy, Den mark, Norway, Luxembourg, and Portugal. The three-day programme will include drill, colour guards, track and field con tests, and will conclude with a spectacular air display and a grand fly-past by the air forces of the Treaty nations. The demonstration is the outcome of a suggestion by Lt.-Gen. Lucien Leboutte, Chief of Staff of the Belgian Air Force, and met with the immediate approval of Lt.-Gen. Lauris Norstad, Com mander-in-Chief, Allied Air Forces, Central Europe. More than 1,500 NATO airmen will travel to Brussels for the various events, quite apart from those who will participate in the fly-past. The ceremonies will begin on Friday, July nth, with the laying of a wreath on the tomb of the Belgian Unknown Soldier. On this occasion the chiefs of NATO delegations and the Belgian Minister
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