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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2082.PDF
W AIRC 6Ht and AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2374 Vol. 66. FRIDAY, 23 JULY 1954 BITOR IAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. (ASSISTANT EDITOR F. KING, M.B.E. JMT EDITOR IjOHN YOXALL I Editorial, Advertising and [Publishing Offices: [DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1. ! Telegrams, flightpres, Sedist, London. '. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams, Autocar, Coventry. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street. Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines). MANCHESTER. 3 260, Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £4 10s. U.S.A. and Canada, $14.00. IN THIS ISSUE : Sea Venoms in Service - 100 Exercise Dividend - - The Curtain Raised - - Scottish Variety - - - P.RJatWork - - - Napier Eland - - - - Russia's Airline System - Internationals - - - - 102 105 108 110 113 119 126 Gas-Turbine Promise k BROAD, if not at home, the belief has been growing that this country is not managing /jL to hold her long lead in the design and construction of gas-turbine engines. This <LM~ impression we believe to be ill-founded, although we can think of reasons for it. There is no doubt, for example, that from having few gas turbines worth twopence, America has lately developed and produced some good ones—more particularly the J57. The turboprop picture over there can also be described as looking more promising in both medium and large categories. (In fact, in a few years' time America may have a monopoly in five-figure-powered turboprops.) These happier circumstances have naturally been well publicized. On our own side of the picture may be cited the appreciably tighter security and greater commercial secrecy which is being observed by the principal British engine manufacturers. We look forward to the days when we can describe the Conway, the Gyron, late marks of Avon and Olympus, the successors to the Proteus and Dart, the Oryx, and other units about which no hint, even, may be given. In this issue we are able to describe in detail a most promising and eminently sensible turboprop design from Napiers. Conceived in 1950, it embodies much practical experience and sets new standards for efficiency, installed drag, and accessibility. With the exception, perhaps, of the very small gas turbine—a gap which is partially closed by a licence to build French Turbomeca units—British designers have provided for every reasonable requirement, including the jet basic trainer for which the light and simple Viper seems to be ideal. Developments No sooner does it appear that a period of consolidation can be contemplated than completely new needs arise. It has been suggested that Great Britain is extravagant in the number of engine types designed and developed, in view of the relatively small numbers of each for which there is a potential market. Again, we do not agree; for every good engine there is a worth-while application, and for the best—we may cite the Avons—there are firm orders for thousands. Engine designers can fairly claim that in this country they are generally keeping technically ahead of airframe capacity as well as leading the world in their field. Engine manufacturers are now squaring-up to a new series of problems, namely those involved in the requirement for supersonic military aircraft. In their aerodynamics, super sonic turbojets differ markedly from subsonic units and approach more closely to the ram jet. Intake design becomes of extreme importance and compressors begin progressively to have fewer stages; this is, of course, because the ram effect resulting from very-high speed flight provides a natural source of compression. The Gyron is believed to be the first turbojet in this category. It already has many hours of running experience. The future of afterburning, widely employed in America, is not easily foreseen; is it a passing phase, or will some kinds of turbojet continue to require reheat? There is a school of thought in this country that reheat is something of an expedient which will not be needed on new, very-high-powered jet units. Certainly reheat has its defects; complicated variable-area nozzles are essential, it is extravagant, it is heavy, and it presents installation and cooling problems in the rear fuselages of fighter aircraft. Special reheat fuels may possibly be introduced in the near future to obtain the required flame characteristics in very-fast-moving gas streams. The complication of a separate fuel system and pumps would have to be accepted in return for more power and simpler burners and rings than those now required. British rocket motors and ramjets are still just over the security horizon, but the first development rocket motor to be revealed—the A.S. Snarler—will be the subject of a description in a week or two's time. A successor has been named unofficially but no production has been mentioned as yet. The same remarks apply to at least one other rocket prime mover. All our engine developments are dependent upon continuous and expensive research and upon the provision of test facilities, tools, and new and improved materials. Yet such expense is wholly justified and will be returned with interest as new power units contribute to home security and foreign sales and licensing contracts. B
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