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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0162.PDF
i6o FLIGHT, 6 February 1953 From all Quarters NEW VICKERS JET TRANSPORTS —with Rolls-Royce Conways ANY suggestion that the British aircraft industry might be L content to rest on its laurels and allow other foreign construc tors to overhaul it in the matter of jet transports is now, beyond all doubt, contradicted by the facts of the situation. Stated briefly, the future promises Comet 2s (in production) and 3s (construc tion of the first has started for 1956) and a completely new design —referred to as the Comet 4 until a new name is given—for i960. Then there is the developed Viscount 700 in production, with an a.u.w. promise of 58,500 lb and (by the end of the year, rumour has it), a larger Viscount to follow. From Bristols will flow Britannias as we now know them, followed by a longer Mk II version. In addition to all these are civil projects to be based on the Avro Vulcan delta and the H.P.80 crescent Victor. r . Now the makers of the Viscount announce the Vickers 1000 military transport and V.C.7 civil variant. This exciting news, released last week-end, also specifies a new • power unit, the Rolls-Royce Conway by-pass jet engine. The I aircraft, of which an artist's impression and model are depicted here, has a span of 140ft, length 146ft and height of fin 38ft 6in. Its seating capacity is variable between 100 and 150 seats, and the aircraft will be capable, by virtue of the economy of its Conways, of flying the longest intercontinental routes or of operating (efficiently on comparatively short continental services; economical range flexibility for such duties may be between limits of about 400 and 4,000 miles. The makers are not authorized to release performance data because the military transport is subject to security restrictions, •""life civil machine is officially stated to be similar in exterior appearance. There is little doubt that in talking of high subsonic cruising speeds for these aircraft, a minimum of 550 m.p.h.—or, more likely, nearly 600 m.p.h.—is in the designer's mind. This speed is in keeping with the appearance of the 1000—all- swept surfaces, a basic wing-form similar to that of the Valiant bomber, and four large by-pass turbojets. The fuselage is con siderably longer than that of the Valiant, with no fewer than twenty "portholes" on each side. Although nothing at all has been stated officially about the construction of the first Vickers 1000, there is a strong impression that preparatory work has been in hand for many months, and that this, with the addition of Valiant features and experience, will enable the machine to appear relatively quickly. The order to start work has been received though, in fact, we understand that the contract for the first machine has yet to be signed. Even so, the Vickers 1000 appears on the latest official lists of military aircraft issued last week-end. This impression of the Type WOO shows conventional control surfaces throughout, although the Valiant is believed to have an all-moving tail plane. Altogether the design looks logical and efficient. The civil V.C.7 will be externally similar. A model of the new Vickers transport. The inner jet-pipes are mounted higher than the outers; the "Swift-like" wing-tips are also noteworthy. N.Z. Race to Start from London Airport ALTHOUGH entries for the England to Christchurch (New • Zealand) Air Race—which starts on October 8th next— closed at midnight last Saturday, the Royal Aero Club was not imme diately in a position to announce them, because final entries taken at the New Zealand end—which are believed to include a number from America—had to be waited for. It was expected that the fist would be made public last Wednesday. One interesting disclosure made last week-end, however, was that the start will be from London Airport. The exact starting- time has not yet been fixed, but it is likely to be around 5 p.m. It is rumoured that the Queen has been invited to start the race. Among entries already unofficially announced, it may be taken that the following aircraft are now certain to have been nominated : A Valiant B. Mk Ij a B.E.A. Viscount 701; the R.A.F. entry of three P.R. Canberras; two Canberra B. Mk 2s by the R.A.A.F. (these are likely to be British-built unless Australian-built machines are ready in time, and one is to be flown by W/C. D. Cuming, who ferried the first Canberra out from England two years? ago); a Hastings of the R.N.Z.A.F.; a Qantas Constellation; and two DC-6As, of Sabena and K.L.M. Organized by the Canterbury International Air Race Council (Christchurch, New Zealand) and the Royal Aero Club, the race will be flown in two sections, (a) speed and (b) transport handicap. Professor N. A. V. Piercy ALL those engaged in aircraft research and development who, L over a period of many years, knew Professor N. A. V. Piercy, D.Sc. Eng. (Lond.), M.I.C.E., M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S., will be grieved to learn of his death, which occurred in Lor:on on Sunday last. Bom in 1891, Norman Augustus Victor riercy carried out aeronautical experiments for the Government before World War I, using a wind tunnel which he himself designed and constructed, and he also designed and built aircraft at Shoreham Aerodrome. For many years he was engaged on aerodynamic research, and published a number of standard works on the subject. From 1934 to 1949 he was reader in aeronautics at the University of London, and was lecturer in aeronautics and fluid mechanics at Cambridge from 1939 to 1944. The funeral service is at Golders Green Crematorium next Monday, February 9th. Most Meritorious T HE Royal Aero Club announced last week that the Britannia Challenge Trophy for 1952 has been awarded to the Canberra crew who made the remarkable two-way, one-day crossing of the Atlantic on August 26th last. The three men thus honoured are the pilot, W/C. Roland P. Beamont, D.S.O., D.F.C. (chief test pilot of the English Electric Co., Ltd.); the second pilot, F/L. P. Hillwood, D.F.C.; and the navigator, S,'L. D. A. Watson, D.F.C. The Canberra flew the 4,144 miles from Belfast to Gander and back in 10 hr 3 min 29 sec, representing an average speed of 412 m.p.h. and creating records for the west-east and double crossing. The Trophy is awarded annu ally to the British aviator who, in the opinion of the R.Ae.C. committee, accomplishes the most
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