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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1155.PDF
c R.A.F. MODEL CHAMPIONS OMPETITORS to the number of nearly 200, representingall R.A.F. commands in the United Kingdom, converged on R.A.F. Station Horsham St. Faith for the recent annualtwo-day championship meeting of the Royal Air Force Model Aircraft Association. Promptly at 0900 hr on the first day, the contest director,F/L. A. Coutts-Smith, gave a briefing from which it was apparent that much detailed preparation and organization had taken placefor the benefit and enjoyment of the competitors. Although the previously prevailing hot summery weather was conspicuous byits absence, the day remained fine and overcast, with a 15-20 kt wind which proved annoying to the majority of competitors. From an inspection of the concours models it was seen thatthe high standard of entry was being maintained. Particular interest was aroused by the beautifully finished solid scale modelof a Watanabe J.7 Wl Shindin, with retractable undercarriage and sliding cockpit canopy. In the control-line concours section, theblue twin-engined Invader of Cpl. Godfrey of Fighter Command was complete with starter motor and battery box to match.Powered by two 5 c.c. Frog engines, it flies at 80 m.p.h. In spite of promising met. forecasts, the second day was spoiledby a viciously gusting wind. This-was particularly unkind to the scale free-flight and unorthodox models. In the morningsome fine maximum and out-of-sight flights were accomplished by the rubber-driven duration models. Considering the conditions, some good nights were achieved inthe scale free-flight event. Jnr. Tech. Percival's See-gull and F/O. Norman's Seabee managed to cope, while the Super Swedeof Sgt. McHard accomplished a splendid flight of just over 60 sec, unfortunately ending in a distant tree. F/L. Coutts-Smith'sLuscombe 8a also managed a meritorious 44 sec. The diminu- tive Dart Pup of Cpl. Tech. Abbey clocked 41 sec of exceptionallystable flight in such conditions. The C-in-C. Fighter Command, Air Marshal Sir Dermot A.Boyle (president of the Association) arrived during the morning, accompanied by Lady Boyle, who afterwards presented theprizes; and other interested spectators included a former presi- (Top, left) Cpl. Merry of Flying Training Command with a model of Filtons Ciiampion glider, fitted with radio control. He came third in the glider concours and third in the open glider duration competition. (Top, right) F/O. Norman releasing his scale Seabee in the scale tree flight event for the R.A.F. St. Athan Trophy. This model has a retractable undercarriage, fully detailed cockpit and operable flaps. (Right) Sgt. McHard of Wellesbourne Mountford with his "Super Swede" canard delta, powered by a Frog diesel engine. It won the "unortho- dox" event with a flight of 65 sec. dent of the Association, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh P. Lloyd,A. Cdre. Worrall, G/C. Aitken (O.C. Horsham St. Faith), G/C. Saw and Mr. Houlberg (president) of the S.M.A.E.). During the afternoon, between showers and in conditions whichcould only be described as downright disheartening, radio-control competitors did their best to beat the wind. Although F/L. Cablenearly succeeded, the wind won easily against all except Cpl. Brooker, the eventual winner. His model was a pusher, and withits high thrust-line just held its own against the elements. Placings.—(1) Fighter Command, 161 pts; (2) Technical TrainingCommand, 106; (3) Flying Training Command, 98; (4) Coastal Com- mand, 85; (5) Bomber Command, 65; (6) Transport Command, 59;(7) Maintenance Command, 33; (8) Home Command, 20; (9) 90 Group, 17. MAN IN SPACE WHEN I asked Colonel Paul A. Campbell, former chief ofspace-medicine experiments in the United States Air Force, if there would be an upper age limit for travellers in spacerockets, he said "No—the problem is to create a suitable environ- ment." During the first experiments at Peenemunde in Ger-many and at Fort Knox and Pensacola in the United States efforts were made to test individuals for g-tolerance and generaladaptation to high-altitude work. It was found that there were wide variations between individuals, and the experiments wereinconclusive; so today's research is concentrated on the vehicle and the maintenance of an artificial environment that will main-tain earth conditions in outer space. . Accelerations of up to lOg were tolerated by untrainedindividuals without g-suit protection if they were in a semi- prone or prone position. This position is necessary in orderthat a line representing the angle of acceleration shall bisect at right angles a line drawn between the two semi-circularcanal systems of the inner ear. This precaution is essential to avoid disabling vertigo. , . .At lOg men can talk in monosyllables, retain clear vision and mental alertness, respond to signals, and have fair if not fullmobility and dexterity of their limbs. Vision is the great problem. Two pilots have been in agravity-free state for periods of nearly 30 sec, and although they reported unusual sensations they were not disabled, lheinner-ear system of balance is gravity-oriented, but vision can RECENT announcements in several countries of new nationalinvestigations into space-flight phenomena lend interest to this brief review. A report by the author, Mr. John Brown, on the high-altituderesearch being pursued in a number of different parts of the world was published last month by UNESCO. act independently of gravity, and there is evidence of extremelyrapid adaptation to unusual conditions if visual clues are present. My own experiences in hot deserts and at great altitudes onthe earth's surface make me confident that the limits of human adaptation to high and low temperatures are not fully realized bythe layman. I believe that with minimal air movement and at rest, or with no more than light activity, temperatures of morethan 200 deg F can be withstood for short periods; at the Poles explorers have already withstood temperatures of as low as— 80 deg F, wearing a Polar assembly of 25 lb of clothing. In practice, at seven miles above the earth temperature remainsfairly constant at about —67 deg F until about 20 miles up. At 31 miles temperature has risen considerably, to approximately170 deg F. It then drops violently to —27 deg Fahrenheit at 50 miles up. At this level the atmosphere is so rarified thatheat cannot be transferred to it, and everything now depends on the reflected or absorbed heat from solar radiation. The sky isalways as black as night at 80 miles up, but each new object will become a new light-source, and exposed surfaces should bein their own or the earth's shadow. The effects of cosmic radiation are now being studied in 16
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