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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1976.PDF
IGHT, 2 July 1954 25 A.R.B. PROGRESS Work of the Board During the Last Year A REMINDER df the wide scope of the Air Registration /\ Board's work, and an indication of the major problems en- J. -*- countered, car) be gained from a study of the Board's seven teenth annual repo|t, which was due to be presented by Lord Brabazon of Tara .'yesterday, July 1st. After a general intro duction, the report deals in turn with I.C.A.O., British civil airworthiness requirements, civil aircraft inspection procedures, flight testing, power plant developments, radio installations, examination and licensing of personnel, flight manuals, service and instruction manuals, and the Board's own finance, council and staff. Extracts from the more significant parts of Lord Brabazon's report follow. Introduction.—"The most important feature in civil aviation activities during the past year has, undoubtedly, been the opera tion of turbine-engined transport aircraft on scheduled passenger services. The commencement of these operations has not been trouble-free and indeed, looking back over the years, it is clear that all great changes, all moves towards the adoption of the new or the unorthodox and all attempts to explore the hitherto unknown have been accompanied by risks unknown and dangers unseen. I am, however, convinced that we are right to extend ourselves to the utmost to maintain our lead in this field and to use all the knowledge at our command to improve that lead. "The Board is continuously facing fresh problems in its tasks of investigating new designs, particularly in regard to the use of complicated systems of various kinds. The necessity for these systems arises fundamentally from the broad operational require ments for payloads, speed, range, comfort and world-wide use. The designer cannot produce a simple aeroplane which fulfils all operational demands. The introduction of each system results in the addition of a set of potential risks but these are, of course, minimized by basic design. "The following items illustrate other kinds of problems which are engaging the Board's attention: — (i) The problem of the introduction of a realistic form of simulated feel in powered control systems. \ (ii) The incidence of fatigue in high-tensile aluminium alloys used in aircraft primary structures. (iii) The possible need to stop pure jet engines in flight in order to reduce fire risk in a defective engine and to prevent engine break-up; and the use of reverse thrust for braking purposes. ^v fiv) The need for a suitable form of fuel heating to prevent the icing of fuel systems at high altitude with consequent loss of. engine power. (v) The introduction of non-inflammable hydraulic fluid system* to eliminate one of the present fire hazards. "In the international field the Board has been vigorously pur suing the objective of automatic reciprocal validation of certi ficates of airworthiness, and discussions on this theme have continued with the American Civil Aeronautics Administration." During the past year, the report continued, representatives from Australia, India, Finland, Germany and Japan had spent considerable time studying the Board's methods in the certification of aircraft, the licensing of personnel and general procedures followed in associated matters. British Civil Airworthiness Requirements.—"Two sections of British Civil Airworthiness Requirements have been reissued during the past year and preparation is proceeding for the reissue of a further two sections. "The Rotorcraft Requirements Co-ordinating Committee con sidered that the experience gained with the provisional issue of Section G—Rotorcraft—was such that this section could now be issued with full requirement status. Accordingly Issue 1 of Section G was published on 1st January, 1954, and included a new Type Test Schedule for engines and transmission systems of helicopters using piston engines, together with new requirements relating to the sequence of testing prototype helicopters. "Section A was reissued on 1st May, 1954, to take account of changes in the procedure for the approval of radio apparatus and airframe parts and equipment and to reflect the present position in relation to the approval of flight manuals. Additions were also made to the chapters on engine approval, and service and instruction manuals." Civil Aircraft Inspection Procedures.—"Fifty-eight leaflets have now been published in Civil Aircraft Inspection Procedures and have materially assisted in the establishment of a recognized code of sound maintenance and workshop practice. The leaflets vary in scope and treatment; some restate accepted principles for the benefit of the uninitiated, others give guidance on issues which may be controversial or widely misunderstood. There is a continuous demand for these leaflets from aircraft engineers in many parts of the world." Flight Testing.—"The Board's work on test flying continues to expand and covers a large range of aircraft tested for a variety of purposes. In the process of investigations on prototype air craft, flight testing was undertaken on the Dart Kitten, Prestwick Pioneer, Percival Pembroke, de Havilland Heron 2, Blackburn Universal Freighter, de Havilland Comets 2 and 2X and Bristol Britannia aircraft." Power Plant Developments.—"Piston-engine development continues on a small scale, only five new types being approved by the Board during the last twelve months. Some development of a large compound piston engine is still proceeding, but in view of the time delay its future appears increasingly obscure. Several new marks of air-cooled in-line engines in the small power range are coming forward slowly, but all these appear to be develop ments of existing types. It is notable and regrettable that no suitable engine for ultra-light aircraft has yet been produced. "Gas turbine development proceeds apace, though only two turbojet engines and one turbo-propeller engine have been given type approval during the last twelve months. All these are in the medium or large power categories. "The Dart turbo-propeller engine in the Viscount is now giving an excellent performance, and over 80,000 engine flying hours have been accumulated. Similarly the Ghost turbojet engine in the Comet has shown increasing reliability and life between over hauls with passage of time, and has now achieved over 135,000 engine flying hours to date." Licensing of Personnel (Aircraft maintenance engineers).— "The number of examinations held for the grant or variation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers' Licences is slightly below that of the previous year. The majority of the examinations have been in connection with the extension of licences for the new types of aircraft and engines brought into service during the past year or so, and for older types transferred to new operators." Licensing of Personnel (Pilots' technical examination).—"Two papers are set in respect of the issue of a pilot's licence; Part 1 deals with general aeronautical matters and Part 2 relates par ticularly to the type of aircraft for which the licence is sought. "During the past twelve months only 50 per cent of the total number of applicants for licences were successful and 70 per cent of all applicants were required to take a section of the examina tion at least twice before the final decision as to pass or fail was reached. "An unduly high initial failure rate in the examination is caused by a lack of basic knowledge of the aircraft type. In some measure this is due to the increasing complexity of contemporary designs, but a more fundamental reason is connected with the gradual disappearance of four-engined aircraft from the R.A.F., which has long been and still is the nursery for pilots in civil aviation." Flight Manuals.—"The preparation of flight manuals is now a well established procedure which functions smoothly. During the year manuals for new types of aircraft included more recent marks of the Viscount and the Comet, and the Bristol 171 heli copter. The total number of types having flight manuals is now twenty-three. Approximately 250 manuals have been issued to aircraft, while approximately 650 specimen copies have been distributed at the request of various authorities in many parts of the world." Service and Instruction Manuals.—"Several years ago, I reported that although there was some improvement in the standard of maintenance and repair manuals published by manu facturers, the results were not proportionate to the amount of advice and help given by the Board's staff. Some manufacturers tended to rely on their publicity departments for the production of manuals but they have been encouraged to establish proper technical publication departments staffed with technicians. Bearing in mind that at the present time there is a notable shortage in industry of suitably qualified staff the improvement over the last two to three years is exceedingly gratifying. "The number of manuals submitted to and approved by the Board has increased enormously and for each new aircraft now delivered there is a comprehensive set of manuals covering all aspects of the aircraft and its operation, maintenance and over haul. For a large transport aircraft each set of manuals may cost as much as £1,000 per aircraft delivered but it is considered that this cost is not unreasonable, having regard to the improved serviceability engendered by their availability." A.R.B. Council.—Four members of the Board had retired according to normal procedure, the report stated, and had been reappointed for a further four years. They were Col. R. L. Preston (representing operators), Sir Frederick Handley Page (constructors), Mr. L. Murray Stewart (insurers) and Sir Maurice Denny (independent).
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