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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0773.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2317 Vol. LXIII. FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 1953 EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH. D.F.C. ASSISTANT ED/TOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. ART ED/TOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET. LONDON, S.E.1. Telegrams, Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams, Autocar, Coventry. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER, 3 260 Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines) GLASGOW, CZ 26b Renfield Street. Telegrams, lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00. BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE Review Curtain-Raiser - 768 773 778 780 The Sharp End - - - - A.S.T. Developments - - Happy Rally - - - - Royal Naval Review Fly past Fifty Years of Flying - - Belgrade Journey - - - The Skylark at Lasham - 782 788 789 790 Procuring Naval Aircraft ABULKY document recently published by H.M. Stationery Office is entitled Seventh Report from the Select Committee on Estimates. Having glanced at its 200 pages of close-printed type, most busy people might, with justification, pass over this report; yet there is much of general interest about the industry to be learned from it, and some details of special note as well. It is only committees such as this that are in a position to question men like Sir John Boothman, Controller of Supplies (Air), and Sir Frederick Handley Page, on details of aircraft, Service requirements, ordering procedure and deliveries. To those in the aircraft industry who are closely concerned with military contracts the report reveals something of the old, old story, yet at the same time the close questioning brings out the endeavours which are made to assess well in advance the aircraft require ments of the Navy, to keep those requirements up to date without causing production delays, and to incorporate, with advantage, equipment in line with the latest technical developments. That the efforts of those concerned have not succeeded in full must be admitted, but this week's splendid assembly of ships and aircraft for Her Majesty's Royal Review (see centre pages) left no doubt that the Navy has much fine equipment in service; nor is there any doubt as to the ability of British sailors to make the best use of it. On the whole, the Navy, as today, has always tended to be short of modern aircraft; but the Cornmittee's candid report does not bring out discreditable details about the people concerned with aircraft procurement. It does, however, underline once again the importance of settling a specification, freezing the design as soon as possible, and then leaving the company to get on with the production. In addition, one sees the advantage of taking reasonable risks: of ordering off the drawing-board and—in the case of a few very important specifications—of continuing to order more than one make of prototype as insurance, even though the additional cost may run into millions of pounds. Apparently the Admiralty is now prepared to order without waiting, as in the past, to see the proto type fly. As a result, the time which will elapse between drawing-board and production should be about five years and certainly not more than seven. On page 796 we summarize the part of the Select Committee's report concerned with the Navy's newest equipment—the Wyvern, Sea Hawk and Gannet. Broadly speaking, these machines are not yet in full service, for three separate reasons described by Mr. Ralph Glyn, die chairman, as technical for the Wyvern, production for the Sea Hawk, and as date of specification in the case of the Gannet. Recollection of the month-by-month news Flight has given of these aircraft, and examination of the document here discussed, makes it clear that the incorporation of the Python turboprop (after Eagle and Clyde) in a machine of such advanced conception as the Wyvern presented some very difficult technical problems for solution. The Sea Hawk has undoubtedly been delayed not only by production arrangements but by the late placing of the order. The Gannet is now a very different machine from that originally prescribed in the specification G.R. i7/45> and it is hardly fair to talk of eight years to production when the design was still fluid two years ago. In view of the great increase in weight the attainment of the desired performance from this aircraft may now depend upon the engine manufacturer's ability to find even more power. The Navy still has no aircraft in the fighter category which can do better than match the performance of foreign contemporaries. We note, however, that a new fighter has been ordered—before it has flown—and indications are that this is the swept-wing Supermarine 508, which, according to (this time) Spanish sources, is to be known as die 515. In additioa, reference is made to a de Havilland design to follow the Sea Hornet and Venom. In view of Flight's suggestion of many months ago regarding the D.H. no and the fact that this already well-developed aircraft is at present undergoing further flight development, we are wondering if the Navy may not, after all, have decided that a bird on the wing will come to hand before one on paper. A way seems to be open for a swept-wing sonic aircraft to be in Fleet Air Arm service within two or three years.
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