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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1911.PDF
Westland-Sikorsky Whirlwind (Alvis Leonides). S.N.C.A.S.0.1221 Djinn (Turbomeca Palouste). 868 FLIGHT, 25 June 1954 Military Aircraft 1954 UTILITY (Left) Saunders-Roe Skeeter (Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier), and (right) Bell HTL-4 (Franklin 6V4-200-C32). Search and rescue in and over the wastes of the ocean, the Arctic and desert; experimental work with new equipment, arma ment and power plants; observation of trials; radar calibration— these are but a few of the manifold tasks for which various sorts and sizes of aircraft must be at the disposal of a major modern air force. Illustrated on this page are some of the machines available today. That the helicopter should be so prominently represented is not, of course, surprising, in view of its ability to make "spot" landings and take-offs, to hover patiendy and mercifully over die scene of a disaster, and to lift men or objects widi impartiality and set them down again with unrivalled precision. A machine of special significance is the McDonnell XV-1 con-vertiplane—forerunner of a series of much larger machines which are expected to vie widi conventional aeroplanes in speed and range, and with the "straight" helicopter in "hoverability." The XV-3 of the Bell Aircraft Corporation is believed to have tilting rotors (i.e., the same airscrew/engine combination is rotated through a 90 dec arc for vertical lift and forward speed), while Sikorsky are experimenting with die retractable rotor principle, which allows the rotor to be braked and withdrawn into die fuselage for forward flight. The possibilities of such aircraft as diese experiments portend are as yet hardly calculable. For die present, however, a number of fixed-wing aircraft are rendering altogedier admirable service, notably the Grumman SA-16 Albatross amphibian, of which about 300 have been sup plied to die U.S.A.F. alond The last production models of this aircraft were of the "triphibian" type, with sprung skis under the hull and small skis under die wing-tip floats to enable die machine to operate from land, water, ice or snow. The adaptations of erstwhile first-line arcraft are far too numerous to be listed here; yet many are of great significance. Some act as radio-controlled "drones" for atomic experiments, others are target tugs or targets—though specialized pilodess target aircraft, such as the Australian Jindivik and America's Ryan Firebee, are becoming available in response to a pressing demand. Converted bombers serve as flying laboratories, as hacks for die development of new equipment, and as flying test- beds for new power plants, while machines of many types are now busily engaged in die vast missile programmes of the Powers. Grumman SA-16A Albatross (two Wright R-1820-76A). (Left) Hiller YHJ-1 Hornet (two Hiller 8RJRBC ramjets). and (right) Hiller H-23B (Franklin 6V4-200-C33). Doman YH-31 (Lycoming SO-580-B). McDonnell XV-1 (Continental piston engines)
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