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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2427.PDF
AVRO VULCAN That this delta-wing bomber ascends as a matter of course to heights of 50,000ft and over may be presumed from the knowledge that the MiaaMtt of Supply himself was a passenger on a 50,000ft test flight; and some indication of speed and range is afforded by estimated figures for a projected civil version (Atlantic), claimed to be capable of flying non-stop from London to New York in 5-6 hr and of cruising at over 600 m.pJj. at 40,000ft. When the Minister flew in the Vulcan he remarked that all concerned were much encouraged by its splendid performance, and that in test flights it had proved itself capable of more than meeting official requirements in both height and speed. And although visitors to Farnborough last year, and the year before, were left in no doubt as to die Vulcan's tractability at low levels and comparatively low speeds, the Minister is on record as having said that for a large aircraft it is also proving itself "exceedingly manoeuvrable" at high altitude and speed. A further statement that the Vulcan "still has quite a lot up its sleeve" can well be believed, for the Bristol Olympus two-spool turbojets, specified as standard, will be delivering progres sively greater outputs, and the wing area (a deciding factor in load-carrying ability) must be of the order of 3,000 sq ft. The Vulcan abounds with features of technical interest, among them massive power-operated split control surfaces. Outboard are the ailerons and inboard the elevators. Note, too, the brilliant engineering of the Dowry undercarriage. The Vulcan due to demonstrate at Farnborough is the first prototype, with four Armstrong Siddeley Sapphires. AVRO 707s AND FIGHTER/BOMBER It will be no news to faithful Farnborough-goers that the various Avro 707 delta-wing aircraft have been very closely linked with the Vulcan programme, and not as research vehicles alone, for the 707C, at least, has proved invaluable for familiarization and training. Briefly, we should recall that the original 707 flew in September 1949; the 707B dates from September 1950 and the 707A (intended for higher speed) from July 1951. The 707C was a 1953 innovation and, although essentially similar to the "A," is distinguished by its side-by-side seating and, in consequence, broader cockpit enclosure. In all cases the power plant is a Rolls-Royce Derwent. It would appear that this great little family of deltas may ultimately profit the Avro company not only in the bomber, and possibly transport sphere, but in the highly competitive and extremely exacting fighter /bomber field, for in recent months it has been made known mat a delta-wing fighter/ bomber, developed from the 707 design, has been planned to meet NATO requirements. The makers are confident that it will be able to land without trouble on a minimum P.S.P. runway with room to spare, and take off in half the minimum required distance. Armament would be heavy mixed loads of rockets, guns and bombs, and speed and range should exceed the specified NATO requirements. The low surface loading and short span afforded by the delta wing should, of course, be beneficial not only in taking off from and landing on small runways, but in manoeuvring at high speed near the ground.
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