FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0423.PDF
ELEVEN MILES UP: The crew of the Olympus-Canberra which, as related on page 418, flew to over 60,000ft:—W/C. W. F. Gibb (left), Bristol assistant chief test pilot, and Mr. F. N. Piper, flight research department. FROM ALL QUARTERS Jungle King—and the Future TT will take a long time before the full lessons to be learned from A Exercise "Jungle King" can be sorted out and correctly analysed, but meanwhile—as outlined in our leading article last week—certain facts and conclusions are immediately available for discussion and assessment. Furthermore, one can obtain some idea of the shape of Bomber Command, and its mode of operation, in three or four years' time. The tendency in the past has been for each new development to make Service aircraft more and more expensive, and this will be emphatically reflected in the future striking-force of the Command. If all goes well, there will be several squadrons of Valiants in service, and at least some Vulcans and Victors. The cost of each of these types will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds apiece—more than enough to offset the apparent economy of the relatively small numbers of aircraft concerned. The only actual economy will be in the number of aircrew required. These will be comparatively few, but will have to be the cream of Air Force personnel. Already a three-phase system is in operation in the Command, whereby crews are divided into "new," "combat nursery" and "selected" crews; and presumably the latter class, having proved their worth beyond question on the by-then obsolescent Canberras, will have their chance to graduate on to the heavier and faster V-bombers. In this recent exercise over ioo Canberras took part in con tinuously recurring operations for a period of a week, and virtually no engine failures and only one serious accident—on blind approach —marred such a large-scale effort. In the future all bomber squad rons, other than those equipped with the later four-jet aircraft, will be operating Canberras, and it is comforting to think that engine maintenance at least has proved during "Jungle King" to be simpler with jet aircraft than with their predecessors. Main tenance of radio, radar, instruments and armament is another matter. The new aircraft generation substitutes speed for defensive armament, but in all other respects the ancillary equipment demanded by modern performance far exceeds that required for Lincolns or even Washingtons, and the shortage of expert ground- personnel poses an increasingly serious problem. There is also the question of the guided bomb. Sir Hugh Lloyd himself has given some idea of his hopes of such a weapon, and it is reported that the Canberras at Woomera are already testing out electronic guiding equipment, whilst scientists and technicians are studying similar devices at Aberporth, Cardigan Bay. If H.E. bombs are to be dropped from a four-jet bomber flying at, say, 6o,oooft and 600 m.p.h., at night, it is quite clear that some form of guidance is essential, the release point for the missile being so far away from the target as to preclude consistent accuracy, even utilizing the most modern techniques. With atom bombs the problem may not be so acute, but even then accuracy is extremely important, and in any event such weapons are too expensive to use for any but selected missions. An interesting point here is whether, in the event of a shooting war, the Americans would turn over any of their considerable stockpile of atomic bombs to the R.A.F., or whether we would only have use of our own, which are not likely to be particularly numerous. Yet another point brought out by last week's activities has been "he influence on modern operations of the infamous weather 3 April 1953 421 which so often plagues the United Kingdom. Basically, as is well known, jet aircraft cannot be stacked for long periods whilst awaiting their turn to land. Certain direct improvements have been made in this direction—Canberras are now receiving tip- tanks, engine design is improving, and axial-flow units in par ticular have better specific consumption: but this particular difficulty is with us for the foreseeable future, and its solution depends upon a variety of factors. Amongst these are better forecasting, early diversions, a sustained ultra-high standard of instrument flying for pilots, and more and better bad-weather approach aids. G.C.A. is certainly proving its worth, but it may well become prudent to install in the V-bombers such "civil" aids as the Zero Reader and I.L.S., which can advantageously be used together, or even be coupled up to the auto-pilot to allow entirely automatic approaches to be made when weather is really bad and fuel nearly exhausted. Royal Aero Club A.G.M. THE annual general meeting of the Royal Aero Club took place at 119, Piccadilly, on Wednesday, March 25th. Mr. Kenneth Davies, the chairman, referred in his report to a number of successful occasions and activities, but in particular, he spoke of the great honour conferred on the Club by the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen and also by the Duke of Edinburgh's acceptance, last December, of honorary life membership. In Mr. Davies' report was expressed deep sorrow at the death of Col. W. C. Devereux, vice-chairman and for many years chair man of the finance committee. Among the many other matters, reference was made to the minor alteration in the design of the Club's badge (more emphasis is now placed upon the wings the serpents being treated as a secondary feature); to the appeal for a fund to erect a memorial to Alcock and Brown (the figure stands at £3,463 and further donations are required); to the exceptionally busy year of the records, racing and competitions committee under the chairman ship of Maj. Mayo; to the introduction of the highly successful British Air Racing Championship Contest; to the England-New Zealand air race; and to the 28 light aeroplane point-to-point records established by Mr. Tom Hayhow in his Auster Aiglet. The chairman also referred to the election of Capt. Bartlett as senior vice-president of the Federation Aeronautique Inter nationale. At the end of the meeting, as is the custom, the Britannia Trophy was presented—this year, as already announced, to W/C. Beamont, F'L. Hillwood and S/L. Watson for the double Atlantic crossing in a Canberra. The Geoffrey de Havilland Trophy was presented to Mr. David Morgan for his London-Brussels record at 665.9 m.p.h. in a Supermarine Swift, and the Royal Aero Club Gold Medal to Mr. Philip Wills for winning the World Gliding Championship in Madrid. Factory Fittings AN interesting factory-equipment exhibition was held last week >• in the Royal Horticultural Society's fine new hall in West minster. The exhibition was opened by Sir Miles Thomas, chair man of B.O.A.C., on March 23rd, and was visited by the Duke of Edinburgh the following day. Most of the exhibits were, naturally, not directly concerned with aircraft, but some deserve mention. For example, William Moss and Sons, Ltd., of Cricklewood, London, N.W.2, demonstrated their Beanstalk and Giraffe mobile hydraulic working platforms, the latter of which is widely used for aircraft maintenance and was described fully in Flight of September 26th, 1952. Televox, Ltd., of Sloane Square, London, S.W. 1, had on show their most interest ing product, which seems likely to "catch on" in all walks of in dustry. Briefly, the device supplies loudspeaker facilities to the ordinary G.P.O. telephone, thus leaving the operator's hands entirely free. The telephone instrument is simply laid on its side in the Televox rack, and a controllable-volume amplifier unit does the rest. The device can also be incorporated with advantage in an office or factory private telephone hook-up. New Welbeck, Ltd., of Bedford Road, Luton, exhibited their master cleaner, which is used extensively for cleaning out com mercial aircraft. This remarkably silent electric device provides powerful suction or air-blast at will, beats when required to pick up cotton threads and other tiresome objects, and has the advantage of a rigid metal container, so that suction is not gradually lost as the bag becomes choked with debris. Other miscellaneous items that are of interest to the aircraft industry were : industrial clothing in cotton, nylon and terylene —the Whaley Bridge Mfg. Co., Stockport; protective clothing— Siebe Gorman and Co., Ltd., Tolworth Surrey, who also, of course, manufacture Comet seat belts, M.C.A. oxygen regulators, and (to special order) high-altitude flying suits : hangar and factory scrubbers—Columbus-Dixon, Ltd., Wembley, Middlesex.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
