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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0130.PDF
130 FLIGHT, 28 January 1955 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not neces- sarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. Security ad Absurdum 'THE action of the Ministry of Supply in banning three lecruresA to be given at meetings of the British Interplanetary Society brings to a head a situation which has been viewed with concernover the past two years. No one is likely to challenge the need for genuine security measures, but when "security" prevents the freeinterchange of harmless technical information, the situation calls for an enquiry at the highest level. What is the reason for the Ministry's action? Ostensibly, it isto prevent people engaged on defence projects from giving information in technical journals which may be useful to apotential enemy. Yet B.I.S. papers have been banned which are nothing more than extrapolations of techniques that have alreadybeen freely discussed! In any case, all scientists and engineers engaged in the Govern-ment defence programme are required to submit papers for Ministry "vetting" before publication, when any doubtful securityitem can be deleted. In exceptional circumstances, the Ministry can insist that there is no public discussion at the meeting aftera paper has been read. Yet the present case goes beyond censor- ship: authors are faced with the actual suppresion of theirlectures. Thus, the Ministry of Supply is placing a strangle-hold on the free expression of technical information, not only betweenthe scientist and the public but between the defence scientist and the scientist acting outside the military field. In fact, so ludicrousis the present position that the Society is reduced to the point where foreign scientists and engineers are being invited to givethe same lectures that our own people are prevented from giving. Quite apart from the principle involved, this can be nothing butdetrimental to scientific advancement in this country. Whitton, Middlesex. KENNETH W. GATLAND. In Cranfield's Museum T ENCLOSE, for your interest, two photographs [reproduced -*• above—Ed.] taken recently at the College of Aeronautics, where the two machines shown are stored together with the following: 2 Sikorsky R-4s; Westland Wyvern (early production Mk 1 with low fin); Avro Lincoln prototype; Bristol Beaufighter nose section; Saro SR A.I; Consolidated Liberator transport (cost £50 in flying condition); Me 163; Hawker Tempest (prototype LA607); pieces of Spitfire, etc., etc. ,..••••'_•.. The Cranfield aircraft referred to by Mr. Jzhn Gay lard. One of the photographs shows (incomplete) the Firth FH 1,civil registration G-ALXP, a prototype helicopter built by Air- tech, using the fuselage of the second prototype Planet Satellite.It is based upon U.S.A. patents held by Langdraf. In the back- ground are the rotors of one of two Sikorsky R-4s and the wingof the Liberator. The other picture shows a Focke Achgelis Fa 330 submarine-borne rotor kite. Aircraft in background are the Lincoln proto- type and the early incomplete pre-production example of aWestland Wyvern Mk 1. The tail on the left is that of the Tempest. The Firth FH-1 in particular has, to my knowledge, not yetbeen illustrated anywhere. Parkstone, Dorset. JOHN GAYLARD. THE INDUSTRY Teddington Controls: a Name-change "EXPANSION of the Teddington group has, for some time past,••—' resulted in the formation of new companies each specializing in a particular field of automatic control. To indicate thatTeddington Controls, Ltd., are engaged exclusively on work in connection with the aircraft industry, the name is to be changed,from February 1st, to Teddington Aircraft Controls, Ltd. Considerable progress has been made by the company since itmoved to South Wales in January 1946. Factory space has doubled and is now 143,000 sq ft, and employment is providedfor 1,300 people. The range of the company's products includes virtually all forms of temperature and pressure control as appliedto aircraft, the principal examples being cabin temperature con- trol and fuel-tank pressurization systems. For use in these instal-lations there is a full range of hot-air valves, pressure switches, vent valves and related equipment. A Teddington motor-operated time switch is used in thestarting circuit of the majority of British aircraft gas turbines, and variants of this switch control the cylic functions of numerouswing and engine de-icing systems. The company also produces stainless-steel bellows of up to 4ft diameter, and even larger sizeswill be made when the installation of new plant is completed. Glass-fibre Progress RECENT developments in glass-reinforced plastics for the air-craft industry have included moves in the direction of further improving the fire-retardant qualities of the material, and gradessuitable for use in passenger aircraft—e.g., in such situations as luggage compartments—are now available. General characteristics of glass-reinforced plastics—which havebeen used for an increasing number of applications in the aircraft industry during the past ten years—are now well known. Never- theless, some of these facts still make surprising reading. Figuresgiven by Fibreglass, Ltd. (Ravenhead, St. Helens, Lanes), show that these materials can be as strong as steel and lighter than, or aslight as, aluminium. The specific tensile-strength lies between 1,200 and 30,000 lb/sq in (steel is about 9,000 lb/sq in andaluminium between 4,000 and 14,000 lb/sq in). For equivalent tensile strengths, reinforced plastics are the lightest rigid materialsknown. The impact strength is also extremely high, while the material is proof against most normal forms of corrosion. In a review of raw material supply situation, Fibreglass, Ltd.,say that there are no limitations of the supply of either glass fibres or resins. As regards glass fibres, most of the raw materials areeasily available in this country; a few ingredients like borax have to be imported, but in relatively small quantities. Something to Celebrate 3? GUESTS from the whole of the aircraft industry, and fromforeign airlines, attended the annual dinner and dance of L. A. Rumbold and Co., Ltd., held at the Cumberland Hotel,London, on January 14th. When Rumbolds assume the party spirit business is put com-pletely on one side; after-dinner speeches were brief, and no mention was made of the firm's recent achievements. During thepast twelve months, however, they have produced nearly 2,000 specialized seats of 50 different types—and this figure does nottell the whole story, because many of the seats were doubles and trebles. The varieties include a complete non-magnetic type forinshore minesweepers, and between 50 and 60 aircraft have been furnished. Also in production are "super-lightweight" seats foruse in helicopters; for these a weight of 18 lb for a double seat has been mentioned. A series of ten sample seats of various types has been sent toRussia, whence it is hoped to obtain substantial orders.
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