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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0279.PDF
29 January 1954 135 CIVIL AVIATION G-AMXA, subject of this impressive pre-dawn picture at Hatfield, is seen in the view, below, as it climbed away steeply, in spite of its full load, under the thrust of its four Rolls-Royce Avons. "Flight" photographs SERIES 2 COMET IN AFRICA Record-breaking Trip to Khartoum for Tropical Trials GOING to Africa on January 22nd for its tropical trials, the first production de Havilland Series 2 Comet, G-AMXA, made what the makers announced beforehand as a "fast flight, an incidental part of routine trials ... in order that the performance tests may be concluded without delay." It was also expected to break the London-Khartoum record. Whether or not the intention was incidentally to demonstrate the commercial possibilities of the Avon-engined type, in the event the flight did so most effectively; and if (which we doubt) the public needed any re-assurance at all as to Comet capabilities this also was provided. The newspapers accorded the achieve ment generous publicity. It is beside the point that so long as G-AMXA kept airborne it could not very well have avoided breaking the record, which stood at a modest 213 m.p.h. to the credit of Lincoln Aries III (S/L. J. C. T. Downey) in 1950. Captained by John Cunningham, chief test pilot, with Peter Bugge as co-pilot, the Comet covered the 3,080.6 statute miles (great-circle distance, airport to airport) in 6 hr 22 min 7.2 sec. Officially observed by the R.Ae.C, the flight represents a centre- to-centre average speed of 481.1 m.p.h. and will thus rank as a capital-to-capital record when the figures are confirmed. The start was in clear, calm conditions at 0740 hr 9 sec, soon after daybreak, and the take-off was made from south to north— an unusual direction at Hatfield. That the aircraft used most of the runway was understandable, for aldiough the human load was only 13 (in service the Series 2 will carry 44 passengers, baggage, and six crew) there was ballast on board to bring the all-up weight to the maximum figure of 120,000 lb. In the tanks were 6,920 gallons (55,300 lb) of fuel. "Payload" was therefore about 10,500 lb, or 80 per cent of the normal capacity load. The flight was wholly uneventful. On arrival at Khartoum, where there was a warm welcome from a crowd of 500, John Cunningham said that there had been cloud over Britain and France and some fog over Italy, but that the sky had been clear from the North African coast onward. Maximum altitude reached John Cunningham (right) and Peter Bugge go aboard. At least one London newspaper commented rather wonderingly on their "lounge suits." "Flight" photograph was 43,000ft, and -XA finished the journey with about 1,200 gallons still in the tanks. It is expected that die African trials will be completed in about one week's time. They are being made from Khartoum, where day temperatures at this time of year are around 100 deg F, and from Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg, which is some 5,000ft a.m.s.l. These tropical tests form the last phase in the C. of A. trials of G-AMXA; as the first of B.O.A.C.'s 12 Series 2s, the aircraft is due for delivery this spring. On board for the record flight, and to participate in the trials, were the following D.H. personnel in addition to the captain and co-pilot: R. W. Chandler (chief radio officer), E. Brackstone- Brown and F. J. Reynolds (engineers), A. J. Fairbrother (aero dynamics observer), J. Marshall (instrument specialist) and J. Crombie (inspection department). From B.O.A.C. came Capts. H. J. Field and A. M. A. Majendie; H. G. Radlett and T. E. R. Burden represented the A.R.B.; and A. M. Stephen participated on behalf of Rolls-Royce, Ltd. FARNBOROUGH COMET INVESTIGATIONS I T is not often that details of R.A.E. research and investigation methods are made public other than in official publications and the proceedings of the learned societies; even less frequently are newspaper representatives permitted to see investigations actually in progress. In view of the wide public concern over the Elba accident it was a wise move to invite Pressmen to Farnborough, as was done on January 20th, and to give easily understandable explanations of a very complex subject. The visitors on this unusual occasion were welcomed by the Director of the R.A.E., Professor A. A. Hall, M.A., F.R.Ae.S., and then handed over to Dr. P. B. Walker, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.Ae.S., Head of the Structures Department, who demonstrated and explained component-testing methods, vibration wing-testing, "slow-load" fatigue tests on the specimen prototype Comet, and the investigation—in the accident-reconstruction hangar—of the wreckage of Comet G-ALYV, destroyed near Calcutta last May. In addition to hearing Dr. Walker's comments, and his answers to questions, a written explanation was issued, portions of which we quote here in slighdy abridged form. Fatigue. In the prevention of fatigue failure [said the statement] the first objective is to measure the gusts or bumps that are the cause of the trouble. In recent years a new instrument called the counting accelerometer has been invented and developed at R.A.E.; if not only counts the gusts but also grades them according to severity. With this instrument all British air routes have been surveyed for practically
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