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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1327.PDF
Fairey's Jet-Gyrodyne taxies in after its quiet autorotative laname as the Whirlwind H.A.R.S (Alvis Leonides Major) gets away easily on 870 h.p. The 52ft-long fuselage is hydraulically hinged behind the cock-pit to the forging to which is also attached the nose under- carriage; for take-off and landing, the nose can be lowereddrawbridge-wise to provide the pilot with sufficient view. The nose probe carries a yaw-meter, pitot heads and an aerial, andalso incorporates a flush dielectric surface on its under-side. Air is admitted to the Avon through a razor-edged intake ineach wing-root, which leads direct to the entry to the com- pressor, the boundary layer being diverted through four-channelvolutes which eject above the wing. The main undercarriage units are of the levered suspension type with the shock-absorbing cylinders in tension. High-pressure Dunlop tyres (28 X 5.25-18) are fitted to thin wheels carrying two-piston discbrakes with Maxaret. Each unit folds into a narrow wing bay. Fuel is carried in wing and fuselage tanks, and the Avonafterburner has a flameholder assembly comprising one annular and six radial gutters, the final propelling nozzle having upperand lower hinged eyelids. Fairey Jet-Gyrodyne. XJ 389 has been flying in its presentform for about 18 months and has already proved most of the " difficult" fundamental features of the much larger Rotodyne.The Alvis Leonides drives two pusher propellers via mechanical shafting, and is also coupled to a centrifugal blower which sup-plies air to tip-jets on the rotor. For take-off, air is supplied to these jets to bring the rotor up to speed, whereupon, witha marked detonation, petrol is fed to the tip jets and lit. The rotor has two broad blades attached to lengthy non-lifting root members, and the disc diameter is just short of 60ft. Once established in forward flight, the tip jets can beswitched off and flight maintained on the power of the airscrews and the air compressor alone. The rotor has one central sparand skin applied in continuous strips from root to tip, the aerodynamics and control of the blades being generally similarto those which will be adopted on the Rotodyne. Yaw control is provided by the propellers, the pitch of which can be inchedelectro-hydraulically to the desired value, a differential move- ment being available for yaw and collective pitch for thrust incruising flight. Directional stability is provided by two fixed fins and a trimming elevator allows hands-off cruising. Fuel is supplied to the tip jets by tank booster pumps and arotor-driven pump, centrifugal force providing the required pressure at the tips. A recent modification is a valve on top ofthe distributor tank above the rotor hub which ensures that the flow is divided equally between the two rotors. Pitch of themain rotor is effected hydraulically, and handling is very good. Fairey Ultra-Light Helicopter. Designed to a British Army specification, this useful vehicle is in small-scale production. The machine in the flying display, XJ 924, is not quite stan- dard, the final form being exhibited on the company stand in the static show. Power is provided by a Blackburn-Turbomeca Palouste com- pressor, which delivers air through a lagged pipe inside the transparent cabin leading to tip jets on the two-blade rotor. Tip burning is employed, but it is ultimately intended to be able to cruise without it. At present the life of the jets is rela- tively short, but this is being progressively extended. Ordinary M.T. fuel can be used. Originally a tailplane and three fins were fitted (picture lastweek), but there is now only one fin, with stainless-steel skin, mounted behind the jet efflux from the engine. Owing to thehigh ambient temperature on the fin, the red, white and blue "fin flash" is applied to the girder-type tail boom. Generalhandling is very pleasant, and cabin temperatures are not notice- ably raised by the presence of the air delivery pipe. Doors havebeen off during the test flying. The built-in de-icing should enable the machine to fly in all weathers and the view is superb.There are two seats, the port seat being fitted to face forward for dual instruction or rearwards in an A.O.P. role. Wheels canbe fitted to the landing skids for ground manoeuvring. Fairey Gannets. Both the A.S.I and T.2 are represented;both are already in service with the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Australian Navy. The T.2 is a pilot trainer and has aweapons bay but no "dustbin" radome. The A.S.I in tne S/L. Tennant rolls off smartly to starboard in the Folland Gnat, closing the undercarriage fairings (employed as speed brakes) preparatory to accelerating violently on the power of the Bristol Orpheus. static park is surrounded by a vast assortment of stores ofall kinds, ranging from racks of practice bombs, through large air/sea rescue containers to 500 lb, 1,000 lb and 2,000 lb mines.Sono-buoys are included, and flame-, smoke- and noise-pro- ducing floats, but no direct anti-submarine weapons other thanspecial bombs. Folland Gnat. Now repaired and flying after its belly land-ing, the Gnat—pale blue and registered G-39-2—looks as handsome as ever. Though gun-bay access panels are fitted,there is as yet no provision for gun-ports. The 9/0 s.h.p. Coupled Turmo on the Blackburn stand. Below, Fob Blackburn of " Flight " provides a scale for Napier's installation of the Rolls-Royce Conway in the Ministry of Supply Avro Ashton test-bed.
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