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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0940.PDF
94 FLIGHT, 17 July 1953 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. f In Perpetuation T HE prototype Comet, G-ALVG, should find an honoured resting place at London Airport, so that passengers in days to come may know that the first jet airliner was British. "Victor George" belongs to the M.o.S., so when its days as an experimen tal hack are over, please do not let them just throw it away—the fate of so many historic aircraft. When L.A.P. is completed, let it be named "Alcock and Brown Airport." When a second London airport—at Gatwick or else where—is in being, let it be called "Sopwith Airport," as the now Sir Tommy Sopwith was the first to fly from a point well inland, across the Strait of Dover, to a place well into Europe, when he flew in December, 1910, from Eastchurch to Thirlmont, Belgium —169 miles, winning the de Forest £4,000 prize; this provided the capital on which the Sopwith Company, parent of the Hawker Siddeley Group, was founded. London, S.W.3. GEOFFREY DORMAN. Emergency Circuits T HE puzzling feature of the recent Gloster Javelin accident is that of the pilot leaving the aircraft at an altitude of 250ft approximately. According to reports it seems as though he in tended making a normal forced landing; it would be logical, there fore, to infer that he intended to stay with the aircraft. In order to make a quick "get away" he would have to jettison the canopy prior to landing; I suggest that this was his intention and that leaving the aircraft at that low altitude was inadvertent, for it is obvious that no pilot of any experience would attempt, at that height, to do so voluntarily. As is known, there are two circuits concerned with the emer gency exit: (a) jettison canopy only and (b) jettison of canopy, ejection seat, etc. If the switch controlling (b) circuit is pulled, in error or otherwise, the pilot has no option but to go; this might have been what happened. I have long held the opinion that such emergency system's could be, with advantage, rearranged. My experience has been that pilots' understanding of these emergency circuits is far from perfect, and it is suggested that revision is a matter of some urgency. Boscombe, Hants. S. GOULD. Supersonic Bangs PI connection with the Cranfield report on supersonic bangs (Flight, June 5th, Page 712), I remember reading, I believe about a year ago, that a Sabre destroyed a Mig-15 over North Korea without firing a shot, the Mig breaking up when flying through a shock-wave from the Sabre. The tail wave at an aerofoil has long puzzled me in that, when returning to subsonic, this shock-wave appears (to me) to give a kind of reverse pressure-flow across the chord; I suppose this type of thing could have had no bearing on the D.H. 110 breaking up over Farnborough—one photo of which, with both engines loose, but with the wing apparently still intact, I still cannot believe. The ground-attack aircraft seems to have a new weapon in its armoury, in addition to guns, rockets, and bombs (atom, high- explosive, fragmentation, phosphorus, and napalm): it can now use speed alone, to generate a destructive low-level, shock-wave; the ear-plug may soon become as useful as the trenching spade to the infantryman. Cambridge. PEDANTICA. FIRST IN THE FIELD : Following his letter published in our issue of June 26th, Mr. G. H. Miles has sent this photograph of the net arrester- gear demonstration carried out at Woodley in 1943. A space 40ft square sufficed for both landings and take-offs, the Messenger being launched with the aid of a rocket-propelled trolley. Where Helicopters Stop I MUST apologize for returning to this subject but, whilst Mr. Hall (July 3rd) is to be congratmated on his "H-stop," it seems that I failed to make my point sufficiently clear. So long as a train runs on rails the name Railway Station is adequate—whatever new form the train may take—and in these days of staggering development in flying machines, who can tell what the future holds ? With the advent of the atomic rocket or some other Wellsian contraption lacking rotors, the name Heli copter Station would become redundant. Airway Station would not. Bridport, Dorset. NORMAN JENKS. [Another correspondent, "A.V-R." of Rowlands Castle, Hants, suggests in a seven-word letter : "Why not call helicopter landing- sites Aircourts ?"—ED.] Air-display Joy-riding WHILST attending the Navy Day celebrations at H.M.S. Gamecock I, and over 200 others, who had paid and queued for some considerable time for a "joy flight" had to receive our money back because of an order issued by the CO. grounding the two civil aircraft concerned from 7 p.m. It would appear that a firm operating from the Skegness area had indeed flown the two aircraft to Bramcote in the morning, had been allowed to do only a few minutes' business, and had then been grounded until after 5.30 p.m. At this time they proceeded to give further nights, subject to interruptions, until about 7 p.m., when they were grounded again, with good flying weather prevail ing and about 3 J hours of daylight left. Perhaps in future, when the taxpayer is invited to one of these "At Homes" the authorities will play the game with civilian air craft operators, and with the general public, by not advertising and generally giving the impression that joy flights are available to visitors (thousands of them), when in actual fact the "Old Man" intends to curtail pleasure flying to such an extent that only a lucky few can get a flight and the operators run their show at a loss. Who knows, a chance pleasure flight by the youth of today may well result in another recruit for our air defence—perhaps even a pilot or two for H.M.S. Gamecock? Coventry, Warwickshire. E. G. KENDALL. IN BRIEF Mr. C. R. Elliott, c/o 33 Waldingfield Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, is a collector of souvenirs from aircraft that have made history. (His collection includes a relic from the Italian Fiat B.R.20 bomber that crash-landed near Bromeswell, Suffolk, on November nth, 1940.) He now wishes to acquire "a genuine piece" from Hess's Messerschmitt no that crashed in Scotland in 1941. July July July July July July July July 18. 18 18-19 19. 22. 25. 25. 25- Aug. 3. July July July 26. 26 27- Aug. 1. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. 1. 1-3. 8-13. 22. 29. 30. 3-10. 6. 7-13. 12. 14. 14-17. 15. 19. FORTHCOMING EVENTS "At Home," R.N. Air Station, Brawdy. Royal Netherlands Air Force and Royal Netherlands Aero Club: NATO Display, Soesterberg. Aero-Club d'ltalia: Dolomites Tour. Aero-Club de la Vendee: Sables d'Olonne Rally. "At Homes," R.N. Air Stations St. Merryn and Arbroath. "At Homes," R.N. Air Stations Ford and Stretton. R.Ae.C.: National Air Touring Competition. B.G.A. National Gliding Championships, Great Hucklow. R.A.F. Model Aircraft Association: United Kingdom Champion ships, St. Athan. International Radio-Controlled Models Society: Aircraft Contests, Southend-on-Sea Airport. Aero-Club de France: Parachuting Championships, Blois-Le- Breuil. Opening of Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg. S.M.A.E.: World Model Championships, Cranfield. Round-Switzerland Air Tour. Coventry Air Day and Siddeley Challenge Trophy Race. Vintage Aeroplane Club: Rally, White Waltham. Aero-Club d'ltatia: Pescara Rally. AeVo-Club de Cannes: Cannes Grand Prix. S.M.A.E.: "Yorkshire Evening News" Model Flying Festival, Sherburn-in-Elmet. S.B.A.C.: Farnborough Display and Exhibition. "At Home," R.N. Air Station Eglinton. R.Ae.S. Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture: "Structures," by Prof. N. J. Hoff, F.R.Ae.S., F.I.Ae.S. R.Ae.S. and I.Ae.S.: Anglo-American Aeronautical Conference. Battle of Britain Day. "At Home," R.N. Air Station Abbotsinch. J
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