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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1227.PDF
3412 5«t 1955 ROUND TRIPPERS: Capt. J. W. Haekett (right) and Nav/Oft. P. J. Moneypenny emerge (a little wonderingly?) from the Canberra P.R.7 on their arriyal at Floyd Bennett Field, New York. In the larger picture Capt. Hackett faces the newsreel cameras while the aircraft is refuelled during the 35-min turn-round. He later described the American co-operation as "simply terrific." as a "modern combat weapon" which would substantiallystrengthen Western defence, adding that Great Britain was ex- pected to turn out 515 Hunters financed with U.S. foreign aidfunds before June 30th next. No thought was being given to cancelling this contract, despite the Hoover group's criticismsuggesting such a step. Defense Department officials declared that they were confident that the Hunter, when modified, wouldbe "the best intercepter day fighter in Western Europe." The spokesman of the Defense Department said that the policyof ordering aircraft from British factories was part of a move "to establish a healthy aircraft industry in Europe which will becapable of providing plans and logical follow-up support necessary for adequate air defence in Western Europe." By helping WesternEuropean countries to manufacture their own aircraft, it was pos- sible to hasten the time when Europeans could support themselvesand not be dependent on the United States to bear "the staggering cost of maintaining NATO air forces."The spokesman confirmed, in effect, the Hoover Commission's disclosure that about $100 million (nearly £40 million sterling)previously earmarked to buy Javelins had now been allocated to other purposes. This move was necessary, he said, because of"production delays in Britain in turning out combat-worthy models." It was possible, however, that once the Javelin was"successfully flight-tested some time in the autumn" additional funds might be allocated for this purpose. An earlier contractcalling for 117 Javelins at a cost of $65,000,000 (£23,214,000) would not be affected by this move.A National Security report to Congress released in Washington on August 25th said that by the middle of this year more than375 aircraft made in Great Britain—Canberras, Valiants and Hunters—were delivered to the R.A.F. through National Securityfunds. In an interview, Mr. Bernard S. Van Rensselaer, primarily responsible for the Hoover Commission's criticisms, is reported to have said that Britain had been ahead on engines, but America had been ahead on airframes. He added that the Hunter, Javelin and Swift troubles might have been avoided and development accelerated if there had been greater exchange of skills between the two nations. The Shrinking Atlantic THE English Electric Co., Ltd., must have been gratified at thex degree of public interest occasioned by the one-day, two-way Atlantic crossing of their Canberra P.R.7 on August 23rd. Thecrew—Capt. John Hackett and Nav/Off. Peter Moneypenny— certainly executed what the Prime Minister described, in amessage of congratulation, as "a brilliant flight." America, too, was generous in her recognition. The New YorkDaily Mirror, for instance, described the flight as a "stirring accomplishment," adding, "The British have been ahead of usfor years in jet development and thus deserve to be able to claim the first round-trip Atlantic record." As reported in these columns last week, the aircraft left LondonAirport at 0710 hr B.S.T. It first flew over Croydon Airport for official timing (0718 hr) by the Royal Aero Club observers andthen headed westward, reaching Floyd Bennett U.S.N. airfield, New York, in 7 hr 29 min 56.7 sec, representing an averagespeed of 461.12 m.p.h. for the observed distance of 3,457.96 miles. After a 35-minute turn-round the Canberra took off at 1523B.S.T. and, aided this time by a favourable wind, crossed the Croydon check point after 6 hr 16 min 59.5 sec, a speed of550.35 m.p.h. Subject to F.A.I, confirmation, both flights are records, as is the round-trip time of 14 hr 21 min 45.4 sec (481.52 m.p.h.); this includes the turn-round time.At Floyd Bennett Field, after a landing in rain and poor visibility, the aircraft was refuelled by a mixed party of U.S.N.and industry personnel, under the direction of Mr. Douglas Potter of English Electric. Mr. Joe Duncan of Rolls-Royce,Montreal, supervised a check-over of the Avons, assisted by an electrics specialist, Mr. W. Johnston. Mr. Charles Shelton, ofMarconi, inspected the radio equipment. Shell A.T.F. was used for the flight. Incidentally, a reported fuel leakage—apparentlyfrom the belly tank—when the Canberra returned to L.A.P. was subsequently explained by the crew as slow draining of excessfuel following the quick refilling at Floyd Bennett Field. Describing their flying technique for Flight after their return,Haekett and Moneypenny first paid a tribute to the help and accuracy of London Radar and of the R.Ae.C. observers atCroydon, at both the start and finish of the flight. The same addi- tional fuel tankage was fitted as for the R.A.F. Canberras in theNew Zealand race; tip tanks were jettisoned on the westward flight at 121 deg W, and were not required on the return leg. The Canberra's initial climb was made at 360 kt up to 20,000ft,and continued at M = 0.75 to 39,000ft; from this height a cruising speed of M—0.76 was gradually increased to M = 0.81, with acorresponding gradual climb to 48,000ft. The only fault experi- enced was a failure of the starboard navigation light, following theexplosive release of the tip-tanks. Equipment carried included a radio compass (which was used continuously) but no autopilot. The flight was not, as widely thought, the first two-way Atlanticcrossing in one day, though that honour also fell to a Canberra (Belfast - Newfoundland - Belfast, August 26th, 1952). The new time from New York to London makes a startlingcontrast with the existing official record, which has stood since 1937 at 20 hr 29 min (Merrill and Lambe, Lockheed Electra).The east-west flight had never been officially timed until the P.R.7 made the journey. Capt. Hackett and Nav/Off. Moneypenny—who were en-gaged by English Electric for the attempt because the firm's own pilots were so fully engaged with test work—are both membersof Silver City Airways, and normally fly on that company's Channel services. They have, however, ferried a number ofCanberras to South America, establishing unofficial records.
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