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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0881.PDF
and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2320 Vol. LXIV. FRIDAY, 10 JULY 1953 EDITOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR 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, Sedtst, 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, Mackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2. 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: The Week at the Salon - 38 The Queen's Review of the R.A.F. - - - Introducing the Angled Deck 43 SO Le Bourget1953 - - - 52 The Wheels under the Wings - - - - 58 Our American Correspondent Reports 62 Rich Fare in Paris IF readers who were kept from Le Bourget last Sunday by circumstances of time or place, or simply by franc-lack, will try to visualize a sort of S.B.A.C. Show-cwm-Air Force Display, continuing almost without interruption for over four hours in glorious weather and with Parisian gaiety, they may form a vague conception of a brilliant occasion. And brilliant is the word. The sun neither smiled nor beamed; he positively guffawed above the sprawling solid-packed enclosures. As for the demonstrating aircraft, a number of them were not merely interesting: they were thrilling. And any hitches there may have been were of little consequence. Memorable too was the official luncheon to 3,000 or more guests in the hangar where the British-built Comets—in which the French take such pride—are housed. All honour, then, to our French friends for their enterprise and hospitality. For their own part they showed us their latest and best. Outstanding was a research aircraft designed for supersonic speed in level flight, but which, pending the fitting of rockets, flew strongly on half the thrust of a Goblin. A second experimental type, with a liquid-fuel rocket, blasted its way skywards until even its fiercesome tail-flame was lost to view. Then there was a trio of unique twin-jet trainers; a supersonic twin-jet fighter/bomber; a jet fighter which taxied in reverse by virtue of an ingenious method of thrust deflection; and similar diverting and edifying spectacles which we describe and illustrate in the following pages. In face of such a worthy national representation, we naturally kept a sharp eye on Britain's own showing; and what we saw caused us no shame and little disappointment. Beamont, Duke, Lithgow; Canberra, Hunter, Swift; English Electric, Hawker, Super- marine—these were the names identified by the crowds with flying performance of an altogether exceptional order. These can be briefly stated as: intimate, Moth-like, aero batics in a jet bomber; breathless speed demonstrated "on the deck"; and London-Paris- London in 38 min 20 sec. That France's brilliant best was outshone by our own "Bea," Neville and "Mike" is quite beyond dispute, and to the flying skill of these pilots, as much as to the quality of their mounts, must go the credit for the supreme demonstrations of a wonderful day's flying. Fit for the Queen AVERY large proportion of the activities and interests of this journal are directly or indirectly bound up with the Royal Air Force, and for us the Royal Review by the Queen at Odiham next Wednesday could not be a greater occasion were we all still in blue and taking an active part in the ceremonies and flying. As we ourselves have already observed, there is not a man or woman among the thousands now making preparations at Odiham who is not keyed up and on his or her toes in anticipation of the historic occasion.' All Britons will feel a sense of pride on this day as they did when the Royal Navy was assembled for the Queen a few weeks ago; never were the roads and coastlines of Hamp shire and Wight so packed. But, as we have remarked before, it is a sad thing that so few will be able to see the Air Force-on its proudest day. Odiham is a fine station, but if its approaches are inadequate another might have been more suitable. We have an idea why arrangements have been made for Her Majesty to travel by rail and road, but we would have thought it more appropriate for her to arrive in an aircraft of the Queen's Flight. And will Odiham's Mess have been made splendid enough for the luncheon? A coat of paint and a new carpet are enough for a Minister or a Marshal; something more, we feel, is appropriate to a visit by Her Majesty. About one thing we have no doubts: that the men, the great assembly and fly-past of aircraft and the ground equipment will look magnificent. They will be something the like of which has never been seen before. We wish the Royal Air Force sunshine and good fortune on this memorable day and in the future.
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