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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0897.PDF
FLIGHT, 1 July 1955 FIFTY YEARS of FARNBOROUGH Tributes to its Work from Some Eminent Members of the Industry From Sir Frederick Handley Page, C.B.E., HON.F.R.ACS., F.C.G.I., HON.M.IN'ST.T, HON.F.I.AB.S. IN 1905 the Government's balloon factory was moved fromAldershot to South Farnborough. In the intervening years, the Farnborough that we know today has grown from thesehumble beginnings. Today the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough formspart of the bed-rock of aeronautics in this country. Its position is unique. Its band of aviation experts represents every one ofthe diverse and specialized fields which bear on aeronautics today. Their facilities, the tools of research at their command, are like-wise of the highest calibre. My association, and that of our company, with Farnboroughgoes back many years. In those days, before the First World War, Colonel Mervyn O'Gorman was the director of the factoryand there was produced and developed the BE.2C which our company manufactured under contract to the design of the RoyalAircraft Factory. During the 1914-18 war the Royal Aircraft Factory produced fuselages and wings of our twin-engined 0/400which were used as part of our production line at Cricklewood. Towards the end of the 1914-18 war our large four-enginedV/1500, which we designed and built to bomb Berlin, was also built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and Beardmores in Scot-land. It was also planned to be manufactured at Farnborough but this project was not carried through owing to the terminationof the war. Since that time Farnborough has not actually built aircraft,but the help and advice of the R.A.E. on all aspects of the art have been invaluable. The all-embracing scope of Farnborough'sexpertise is tremendous. In the development of our new aircraft we are always gratefulfor the expert advice and practical help forthcoming from Farn- borough. In the R.A.E's high-speed wind-tunnel many of theimportant Victor tests were made, and in the large wind-tunnel the R.A.E. allowed us to carry out measurements of drag on theHerald engine nacelles. A new development typical of the collaboration between theR.A.E. and industry is boundary-layer control in which our com- pany is very interested. Such co-operation will speed the daywhen the benefits of this development are applied commercially. A highly important aspect of much work at Farnborough is itsforward-looking nature. Where we in industry, perforce, look years ahead, Farnborough's scientists think in terms of decades.Fundamental research and consideration of the problems of air- craft yet unborn and undreamt are of the utmost importance.High-speed aircraft today owe much to research which, fifteen years ago, would have been considered pointless from any practicalviewpoint. But research of this nature, undertaken at a time when it has no practical meaning, often becomes of the utmost value. The R.A.E. has been soundly built on the solid foundations laiddown by its piqneers. Since the early days, many distinguished men have controlled its destiny. I am sure that in the futureit will go from strength to strength as the need for research becomes ever more vital in the building of successful aircraft. From Sir Richard Fairey, M.B.E., HON.F.R.ACS., HON.F.I.ACS. I WONDER how many of those familiar with the old BalloonFactory could have imagined that in less than 50 years this small organization would have developed into an Establishmentwhich is now world-famous? The creation of the Army Balloon Factory early in this century, from which that colourful person-ality Samuel Frederick Cody emerged, was engaged in making balloons. I well remember how he produced a sensation of theday—a man-lifting kite for Army use, an apparatus that estab- lished Cody's name in history and centred then current ideas ofdevelopment at Farnborough—embryo days! The aircraft industry of today had yet to be born. Cody's association with balloons and kites probably led to theArmy decision to build an airship—Cody, of course, was under Colonel Capper, the CO., but Cody was the live wire. TheNulli Secundus, an airship of 50,000 cubic feet capacity, with a French water-cooled Antoinette engine of 50 h.p., driving twinpropellers, was among the world's earliest airships. The Nulli Secundus piloted by Cody did, in fact, fly from Farnboroughround St. Paul's Cathedral and landed at Clapham Common in 1908. Following this, Farnborough became the first home forairships in this country, and the French Lebaudy was hangared and operated there. Shortly after these airship activities Cody left and establishedhimself in a private capacity at the other end of Lallans Plain. There he developed his first power-driven aeroplane, properlyknown as Cody's "Flying Cathedral." The Government then embarked on a programme to build air-craft, and the Balloon Factory was renamed the Royal Aircraft Factory. It held this title until its aircraft producing activitiescame to an end, when it was renamed the Royal Aircraft Establish- ment, as it is formally known today. Post-war, the aerodrome facilities of the Royal Aircraft Estab-lishment have been made available to the British aircraft industry for the annual air display and static exhibition organized by theS.B.A.C. The world-wide interest shown in this event seems to have resulted in the name Farnborough becoming more widelyknown than the Royal Aircraft Establishment on whose premises the event is held. There are few visible traces of its original history now evident,but the shed which housed the Nulli Secundus still stands. I must admit to a sense of "nostalgia aeronautica" when I see Cody'stree gaunt and bare behind its memorial railings—symbolic of a dead past which is truly past forgetting. I would not here attempt to describe Farnborough's activitiestoday—they are far too diverse and cover such a range of subjects that the space available would be inadequate. The modern equip-ment to carry out research and development work under the installation, etc., do, however, enable the Royal Aircraft Estab-lishment to carry out research and development work under the auspices of the Ministry of Supply to the benefit and progressof aviation as a whole in this country. I am sure that the Royal Aircraft Establishment has reached a stage where the part it playsin relation to the British aircraft industry has now been correctly established, and in future will continue to thrive as a cousin,amiably disposed,. in the closest co-operation with the great family of the aircraft industry itself. From A. G. Elliott, C.B.E., F.R,AB.S., F.R.S,A,, M.S.A.E., M.I.A.E. I GREATLY appreciate this opportunity to pay tribute to theRoyal Aircraft Establishment, not only for the direct contribu- tions it has made over the years to the development of aircraftand the defence of this country, but also for the immense and ready help it has rendered to the aero engine industry Ever since the Rolls-Royce Company started to concern itselfwith the problems of aviation engines and installations, we have enjoyed a close and valuable relationship with Farnborough, andwe would like to acknowledge the value of the assistance and co-operation we have received from the Establishment. To mention more specifically some of this work; on basicengine problems the R.A.E. have always been ready to place their help and resources at the manufacturers' disposal to supple-ment the facilities available in industry, and full advantage has been taken of the high-altitude plant which was built up at Farn-borough for piston engine testing, and afterwards transformed for combustion tests for turbine engines. In the case of installations for piston engines this work was D eventually concerned not only with the technical adequacy of thecomponents but also with die powerplant as a complete self- contained unit, and a close liaison was maintained with theR.A.E. on such matters as the development of radiators, oil coolers, and cooling ducts, leading to the dragless cooling systemsthat are in use today. Development aimed at reduction of drag of the complete power-plant was also of major concern and much testing was carried out, involving wind-tunnel work on complete Merlin powerplants atFarnborough. On exhaust systems also a great deal of work was carried out with the R.A.E. during the war, to achieve anadequate degree of flame damping. The development of efficient air intakes for engines was alwaysof great importance, and more so since the jet engine came into the picture. The R.A.E. carried out very valuable research anddevelopment work on the general problems associated with air intakes and have more recently extended their investigationsto cover the more difficult requirements for supersonic flight. All
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