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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0388.PDF
182 FLIGHT 2nd T.A.F. today are partially replaced by the Sabre, Venom, and NF Meteor; and other new equipment, such as the Swift, is hopefully awaited. Reconnaissance Meteors are standard equipment, and other types frequently based in Germany have included such diverse machines as Lincolns, Canberras and Balliols. The performance of most of these types is well known to all; possible exceptions are the Venom and Sabre, and the following is an amplification of some notes which we made during a recent visit to see these types in action. There are now several complete wings of de Havilland Venom F.B.1 single-seat fighter/bombers in Germany. Not a great deal has been heard of the Venom actually at work, and it is frequently thought of as "just a glorified Vampire." In fact, the Venom is a machine of remarkable quality and, now that its introductory "bugs" have been worked out, it has become a most valuable machine. This journal presented (on October 3rd, 1952) the first account of a Venom unit at work in Germany—a flight of F.B.ls under the command of S/L. D. H. Seaton, D.F.C. Until fairly recently this officer has been in command of the first squadron to receive the type, and we talked with him at some length at the ex-Luftwaffe airfield of Wunstorf. He told us right at the outset that the Venom was a very popular machine. Both as an interceptor and as a ground-attack aircraft it was outstandingly good, and could be thought of as a most effective compromise between the load-carrying Thunderjet and the transonic Sabre. Seaton was not at all perturbed at the thought of engaging combat with swept-wing machines; with tanks off, he said, the Venom is a first-rate fighter—and at heights above about 35,OOOft it has hardly an equal (a view we have heard expressed by officers from several countries). The rate of climb also marks a significant advance on the machines it is replacing. A g-suit is considered essential—"otherwise," said the squadron leader, "you lose your No. 2 every time." He went on to praise the heating and refrigeration systems, which were so vitally neces sary. The dangerous bogy of hood-icing had never been met on a Venom; the hot-air anti-icing system was, in fact, so powerful that it had sometimes cracked the first sandwich of the wind screen. The refrigeration, also, was an absolute boon which made a real difference to the pilot's comfort and efficiency: "At last," said Seaton, "we can fly on low-level operations without having to hang our shirts on the line afterwards. The military Ghost, which with bifurcated intakes gives about 4,850 lb thrust, is standing up well to the strenuous treatment meted out to it. At present there is no Ghost in service with an afterburner (it was at one time assumed that such an engine would be used on the Venom) but the present unit is perfectly capable of handling the Venom under all conditions. The cartridge starter, in particular, came in for a special word of praise; we ourselves watched several pairs of Venoms come to life with a characteristic cartridge roar, and in every case die machines were airborne post-haste. Both the pilots and ground- crew approved of the Dowty fuel system, the self-contained control unit of which was preferred to the previous arrangement of separate fuel pumps, valves and barostats. In spite of its much greater all-up weight, the Venom has a considerably better take-off than its predecessor, the Vampire. Most of the Venoms in Germany have lifted heavy loads from ice, sand and snow surfaces, and they can be worked from any strip which might conceivably come its way. Landing is assisted by the low stalling speed—by modern standards—and the powerful brakes, although the thin, high-pressure tyres somewhat.reduce the effectiveness of the latter. In the air, the Venom climbs at an exceptional rate and angle, and is highly manoeuvrable. Even with the earlier pattern of fin it keeps very steady, and is a first-class platform for guns and rockets. Ejection seats are now stan dard in die single-seat Venom F.B.1, and the first aircraft so equipped arrived at Wunstorf during our visit. A few days previously the aerobatic team of S/L. Seaton's squadron had paid a visit to Madrid, where they took part in a flying display. Although "a show for connoisseurs" their per formance had gone down very well, and brought the crowd to its feet. Flying to Madrid had accentuated the difficulty of navi gating so fast a machine widiout modern aids; and, typically, the Madrid homer was off-the-air during the flight down, for it had been "siesta time." The Venoms at Wunstorf looked excellent, and showed few signs of their rough treatment. Paint, however, was peeling—as it usually does when subjected to rain at 500 knots. Wunstorf is a well-established ex-Luftwaffe airfield, and the Conversion Flight Sabres at Wildenrath—with peeling insignia. -', titf*' jBiffl-timiWi -J L-A/Ny^.^fefr*^ .
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