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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1839.PDF
814 FLIGHT, 25 June 1954 INTO THE PICTURE: "Flight's" new Gemini fitted with 14S h.p. Gipsy Major engines is now in commission. The colour scheme is royal blue, grey, white top, all outlined in red. The aircraft carries dual controls and the latest Plessy P.T.R.61 V.H.F. radio. The work of conversion, painting and refitting was done at Wolverhampton by Ron Paine, who is here seen flying with the Editor. Appropriated SPEAKING in Washington last week, Mr. Harold Stassen, the director of the American Foreign Operations Adminis tration, announced that his department had agreed upon a sum of $85m (£30,360,000) as payment for "military aircraft manufactured in Britain for the use of the Royal Air Force as part of the United Kingdom's commitment to N.A.T.O." The types listed were "Can berra light bombers, Valiant medium bombers, and Swift and Hunter fighter and reconnaissance aircraft." The aircraft would be delivered by June, 1955. Hunting Survey Conference THIRTY delegates, including 14 overseas representatives,met inLondon on June 19th at a conference of all the aerial survey com panies associated within the Hunting Group. These Hunting survey companies are established right around the globe, and they operate 45 aircraft, including a B-17 bomber and several helicopters. Film Shelved ONE of several projected films by British Lion was to have been "Alcock and Brown" —a record of the pioneers' famous first direct Atlantic flight in 1919. Unfortun ately, when the corporation became insol vent, the film had to be shelved. Shepper- ton studios are now run by the Government Film Finance Corporation, who are re ported to be unable to put up the £200,000 required. Heron Feathers CONTRARY to information earlier reported, the de Havilland Aircraft com pany state that they have no plans for fitting any Herons with feathering air screws; previously it was thought that a special machine for the Duke of Edinburgh —the order for which the company cannot confirm—would be so fitted. At it Again! QUOTING a Soviet Aviation Day article by Air Marshal N. Shriko, Moscow radio last week made claims to several "firsts," starting with the well-known assertion that Mozhaisky in 1882 made the first heavier- dian-air flight. Others included the first outside loop, or bunt, by Nikolayevich in 1913; and "the first jet flight," by Bakh- chivanzhi in 1942, in an aircraft built by the constructor Bolkhovitinov, with an engine designed by Doushkin. It was also claimed that in the last three years of the war the U.S.S.R. produced 40,000 aircraft a year, and that since the war speeds of 1,000 km/hr (621.37 m.pJi.) had been reached and were now being exceeded. Another of the air marshal's claims was that Russia's length of internal air routes exceeded that of the United States. Jet-Shy Brazilian Pilots ? FOR the time being Brazil is to buy no more jet aircraft for her air force. The Air Ministry is seeking instead to obtain a grant for more heavy transport aircraft. CITY LIMITS: This "Flight'' sketch shows the extent of the area of Central London over which helicopters may not fly except at such a height that, in the event of engine failure, a safe landing can be made outside the area. The excep tion is the "helicopter highway" formed by the River Thames, along which helicop ters may be flown as low as SOOft. In the outer section of the 10-mile circle, restric tions have been relox- ed (see page 818). HERE AND THERE The Air Minister, Nero Moura, said recently that the problem of the Brazilian Air Force is not one of equipment but of personnel. Some 85 per cent of candi dates failed to make the grade because of their intellectual level, though less than 30 per cent failed medically. Airline pilot ing was a counter-attraction. Trans-Pacific B-47S THREE U.S.A.F. B-47s were due to leave March A.F.B., California, last week end on a non-stop flight of about 15 hours to Yokota, near Tokyo, a distance of 6,700 miles. They were to be air-refuelled by KC-97 tankers. Rockets from Canberras SPEAKING at a meeting of the Royal Society in Canberra last week, Dr. D. F. Martyn, F.R.S., said that preparations were being made at Woomera for the launch ing of small high-altitude research rockets from Canberra aircraft. Dr. Martyn is chief scientific officer of the Radio Research Board of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. F.B.I. Scholarships A RECENTLY published booklet F.B.I. Overseas Scholarships, describes recent progress in the Federation of British In dustries scheme for bringing to Britain for practical training young graduate engineers from the less developed countries abroad. Since the scheme began in 1950, a total of 52 scholars have been accepted for train ing, but within the next two years the Federation hopes that the annual number of awards made will rise to approximately 120. Included in the booklet (copies of which are available free from the Federa tion at 21 Tothill Street, London, S.W.I) is a list of the 150 firms which have accepted or agreed to accept F.B.I, scholars: among these companies are Blackburn and General Aircraft and Fairey Aviation. Helicopters in Canadian Surveys THIS year the Geological Survey of Canada is placing 86 parties in the field; the largest project will be a reconnaissance of 60,000 square miles in the central part of Keewatin District, Northern Territories. As in the 1952 survey of the southern part of Keewatin District, much use will be made of helicopters, while a fuel cache will also be laid in preparation for similar pro ject in 1955. Rotating-wing aircraft are to be tried in two other projects this year: in the Coquitlam area of British Columbia one will be used for geological traverses in mountainous terrain, and two parties will make joint use of another for trans portation in an investigation of the mineral resources in Cape Breton Island.
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