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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0314.PDF
146 FLIGHT, 5 February 1954 HERE AND THERE Long-Range CF-ioo DURING a routine long-distance flight to practise the climbing cruise technique in an Avro Canada CF-100, F/Ls. M. Kobierski and D. Turner, of No. 445 Squadron, R.C.A.F., flew 2,100 miles from Vancouver to North Bay in 3 hr 50 min non-stop. They claimed that they had enough fuel left to continue to Uplands, Ontario, but did not attempt it since they were not seeking a record. Their flight is, however, an unofficial distance record for jet fighters without flight refuelling. Italian-built Bells THE Italian firm of Giovanni Augusta, of Cascina Costa, Gallarate (Varese), is now well advanced with preparations for the production of Bell helicopters under licence; the type chosen is the 47D.1 and it will be known in Italy as the Augusta- Bell. It is understood, however, that the size of the government order leaves the factory with plenty of capacity for any other work that comes along—a situation too familiar to Italy's aircraft industry. Club Pilots Join Sea Search AMONG aircraft which took part in the search for the R.A.F. Washington which was lost in a snowstorm over the Irish Sea on the night of January 25th-26th, while on a flight from Presrwick to the Azores with a crew of seven, were two Austers of the Blackpool and Fylde Aero Club. Though without V.H.F. or blind-flying equipment, the two aircraft were given special clearance and took off at 10.45 a.m., in very bad visibility, to search the sea from ten miles west of Fleetwood to south of the Ribble. They were flown by Mr. Gordon Edmundson, one of the club instructors, and F/L. J. S. Lewery. "SPEAKING OF OTTER PAYLOADS," says the Canadian de Havilland Company, "this impressive body of high-priced help recently descended on Ottawa en masse." The Otter flew the 220 miles from Toronto in 1 hr 42 min; the D.H.C. executives who made the trip are (left to right):— William Ferderber, test pilot; William Colder, service manager; Larry Clarke, contracts manager; Jim Brownell, spares manager; Fred Buller, senior designer; John Hickey, liaison officer; George Neely, executive assistant to manag ing director; Alex Watson, chief draughtsman; Len Trotter, technical sales manager; R. Wilson, public relations manager. Sir Frank Whittle Joins B.P.M. RUMOURS that A. Cdre. Sir Frank Whittle was to take a post in America are apparently ended by the news that he has joined Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, of The Hague, one of the principal com panies of the Royal Dutch Shell group. According to a Shell announcement, he "will give advice in the field of mechanical engineering relative to the techniques and equipment in the petroleum and chemicals-from-petroleum industries." Canberra Record Confirmed THE London to Cape Town and return records made by an R.A.F. Canberra (Rolls-Royce Avons) last December have now been confirmed by the F.A.I. The accepted figures show that the city-centre distance of 6,009.8 statute miles was covered in 12 hr 21 min 3.8 sec (486.6 m.p.h.) outward and 13 hr 16 min 25.2 sec (452.8 m.p.h.) homeward. Two crews made the flights; on the first were W/C. C. G. Petty, S/L. T. P. McGarry and S/L. J. M. Craig; on die second were W/C. A. H. Humphery, S/L. D. Bower and S/L. R. F. B. Powell. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR JOHN BAKER, Controller of Aircraft, M.o.S., recently visited the fac tories of the Gloster Aircraft Co., Ltd., and the Brockworth Engineering Co., Ltd. Gloster executives with him in this group are: (Back row) E. S. Greenwood, sales manager; E. W. Sham- brook, director and secretary; H. Burroughes, director. (Front row) R. Walker, chief designer; P. G. Crabbe, managing director; and "Bill" Waterton, chief test pilot. R.A.E. College Prize-giving FORMERLY Director of the Royal Air craft Establishment (and now technical director of A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd., and president of the Royal Aeronautical Society), Sir William S. Farren presented the prizes for the 1952-53 session of the R.A.E. Technical College. The presenta tion took place last Monday at Farn- borough and was followed by the College's annual dinner and dance. Sycamore Tail Rotors OPERATORS of Bristol Sycamore heli copters have, on the advice of the manu facturers, grounded these aircraft pending the results of an inquiry into "a potential source of weakness in the shaft driving the tail rotor." Suitable modification should by now have been developed, and it is hoped to have all Sycamores flying again by the end of next week. Private-owner Jets PROGRESS with the two private light jet racers which are being developed for Fred Dunkerley and Nat Somers is all too slow for the prospective owners, but nevertheless steady. The Sparrowjet (or should it be Sparrow Twinjet?) which has, of course, already flown, is now having work done on its Turbomdcas. The Somers-Kendall special should be recog nizable as such when the several com pleted units are attached to the as yet embryonic fuselage. The latter aircraft is unlikely to be ready to participate in this year's races. Reliable Air Supply IN sending us a fascimile of the letter from the Aero Club de France confirming the F.A.I.'s acceptance of the SNCASO Djinn helicopter's world altitude record (see p. 107, Flight, January 22nd), the Turbomeca company enclose details of a recent endurance test completed by the Djinn's power unit. This is the Palouste gas-turbine/compressor set, which supplies air to non-burning jets at the tips of the rotor blades. It completed a total of 1,000 hours' continuous running, made up of ten test cycles, each of which consisted of four hours at 200 h.p. air delivery, followed by three hours at 150 h.p., two hours at 100 h.p. and one hour at 50 h.p. Some notes on the Palouste will be found on page 159.
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