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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2425.PDF
316 FLIGHT ARMSTRONG WHIT WORTH NIGHT FIGHTERS The steps by which Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, Ltd., developed a modern two-seater, radar- equipped night fighter from the basic Gloster Meteor design may be summarized as follows: Their first effort—and a remarkably successful one—was the N.F.I 1 of 1950, which, though having many major parts similar to, or even interchangeable with, those of earlier Meteors, was a new aircraft. The wing was similar to that of the photographic reconnaissance Mk 10, but housed four 20 mm guns outboard of the nacelles; the massive canopy resembled that of the T.7 trainer and the tail was that of the F.8 day intercepter. Although wing-tip auxiliary tanks were fitted on one N.F.I 1 prototype, these did not become standard, and the earlier types of under-wing tanks were retained for production machines. Chronologically, the next mark was die N.F.13, equipped for operation overseas; and then, in April 1953, followed the N.F.I2, having a longer nose of better aerodynamic form and greater capacity and assumed to carry more powerful radar. This mark, too, was the first to embody a fairing for the tail "acorn" to improve airflow and help to balance the added side area of the nose. The N.F.14 dates from late 1953, and is characterized by a new two-piece blown canopy, a sharply raked windscreen and various other differences which it is not permissible to discuss. Officially described as the fastest version of the Meteor yet produced (notwithstanding its heavy service load), it has demonstrated excellent handling qualities and is popular among crews. AUSTER A. O. P .9 This is Britain's latest offering in the "air observation post" class (in which Auster Aircraft, Ltd., have long been eminent), and was the subject of a very detailed description in Flight of June 11th. The essence of the design is to be found in these features: a fuselage 46in wide (considerably broader, that is, than any previous Auster A.O.P.); an excellent undercarriage, embodying Dowry Liquid Springing and Goodyear disc brakes; a "cut-down" rear fuselage and extra-bulbous canopy, giving an exceptional range of view; provision for three seats and for full military radio; a wing of large area, with highly effective flaps and "drooping" ailerons; and a considerably revised structure. The wing has a metal torsion-box leading edge of D-section, and is braced by a single strut; the tail unit is of cantilever stressed-skin type, and the seats and flooring are of honeycomb sandwich material, the floor being so arranged that it can readily be removed and replaced by alternative prefabricated sections fitted with various types of operational gear. The Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier 203 ungeared, unsupercharged direct-injection engine can operate on M.T. fuel; in fact, use of this fuel establishes a precedent, though there are indications that, in actual service, true aviation petrols might be more readily available, giving, of course, a considerable increase in power. A fixed-pitch Fairey-Reed and a Plessey-Coffman starter are standard. Power plant Two Rolls-Royce Derwent Spun .. 43ft Length 49ft 11m (Drawing and photograph show N.F.141 Power plant Span Length Gross weight Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier 203 36ft 5in 23ft 8Sin 2,050 lb
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